Next stop, Troy
Was this trip really necessary? - Odysseus
Honestly, the Trojan War was not really a great thing for anyone involved. For the greatest assemblage of heroes since the voyage of the Argo, it didn't turn out that well. After a ten year siege and the sack of Troy, the casualty list is reminiscent of the roll call after Roland got his ass kicked by Basque separatists. (For those of you who went to school in Texas, it's like roll call the morning after the Alamo fell.)
And then there was the voyage home. You think getting from the Valley to Sac on a Friday is bad...Try ten years of traffic, road construction, road rage, divine intervention (against you), and car trouble.
Compared to Odysseus, Leif the Lucky was on a pleasure cruise. On the other hand, Odysseus did finally make it home. And it seems like half of his detours resulted in either interesting food or sex. Look, Coyote doesn't promise that you'll be home by dinnertime, but it will be an interesting trip.
On the other paw, Agamemnon had a fairly quick trip home. His wife was happy to see him, rolling out the purple carpet, drawing him a bath, and splitting his skull with an axe she had sharpened specifically for the purpose. That's what happens when you pop out for a quick one with the boys and don't come home for ten years. Oh, and sacrificing your daughter to get a parking space (or fair winds - same difference, really) doesn't help the domestic tranquility.
All in all, they might have been better off going up against a Sicilian when death was on the line. (Xenophon and the boys did the "land war in Asia" bit and managed to get out again, but then again it was only Asia Minor...)
Honestly, the Trojan War was not really a great thing for anyone involved. For the greatest assemblage of heroes since the voyage of the Argo, it didn't turn out that well. After a ten year siege and the sack of Troy, the casualty list is reminiscent of the roll call after Roland got his ass kicked by Basque separatists. (For those of you who went to school in Texas, it's like roll call the morning after the Alamo fell.)
And then there was the voyage home. You think getting from the Valley to Sac on a Friday is bad...Try ten years of traffic, road construction, road rage, divine intervention (against you), and car trouble.
Compared to Odysseus, Leif the Lucky was on a pleasure cruise. On the other hand, Odysseus did finally make it home. And it seems like half of his detours resulted in either interesting food or sex. Look, Coyote doesn't promise that you'll be home by dinnertime, but it will be an interesting trip.
On the other paw, Agamemnon had a fairly quick trip home. His wife was happy to see him, rolling out the purple carpet, drawing him a bath, and splitting his skull with an axe she had sharpened specifically for the purpose. That's what happens when you pop out for a quick one with the boys and don't come home for ten years. Oh, and sacrificing your daughter to get a parking space (or fair winds - same difference, really) doesn't help the domestic tranquility.
All in all, they might have been better off going up against a Sicilian when death was on the line. (Xenophon and the boys did the "land war in Asia" bit and managed to get out again, but then again it was only Asia Minor...)