Following Karl’s adventure around the world, my journey, over 120 years later taps directly into my planning acumen. Four years of research into this project required retrospectively plotting out Karl’s itinerary — his route, observations, quotes, encounters, and mishaps — all the details captured from countless newspaper articles, the post stamp book, and letters to Mattie. Then, and only then, could I plot out my itinerary, a mirror image (as much as possible) detailing where to go and what I need to see, with extensive notes highlighting historical facts and other significant events.