Around the World in 80 days (in 1989)
Throughout the corona crisis I’ve been camped out here in the British Countryside, burning through my boyfriend’s family’s DVD collection. One of my favourite so far has been “Michael Palin: Around the World in 80 Days” BBC Documentary series.
As a host Michael provides ample entertainment with his dry British humour and barely wavering politeness. He was great, but I was in it for the taste of the analog world, the fashion and a glimpse of what cities looked like in 1989! As Palin (with his small BBC crew in tow) attempts to travel around the world in 80 days without the use of any aircraft, it is remarkable to see how much things have changed in 30 years. This series is a perfect quarantine pick me up, it transported me and inspired me to appreciate the slower life that I’ve been living lately, and to start planning my next adventure - one that might be allow me to take the places that I visit at a slower pace than I am used to. You miss so much flying from Toronto to London (for example), it’s very hard to comprehend what lies in between. Imagine completing that journey by land and sea! I am so interested to understand what that distance would actually feel like from the ground.
If you don’t happen to have the DVD’s lying around in your British friend’s basement you can find the series on BBC iplayer, and hopefully some other sites in North America!
