Delayed, but Never Denied

It took an extra 12 months, two doses of vaccine, and a flurry of last minute activity but here we are, back on the road once again. There have been a lot of trips over the years, many to places much further off the beaten path than Spain, yet this one comes with a bit of a feeling that we are pushing some kind of new boundary. I know it’s silly, but we haven’t set foot in an airport for two years and I must admit, I’m a little nervous.

It turns out, there is a whole other world going on outside of what has been our COVID bubble. I would have said we were living a fairly normal life, going to grocery stores and Home Depot, meeting people at the office, spending time at the lake, and so on. One step into the terminal, however, and that illusion shattered. Here was normal life – loud, bustling, chaotic. I think that’s a good sign. I hope it is anyway.

Our path today (which has change a few times over past couple of months as travel advisories have come and gone, planes have been added to and taken of routes, and what not) takes us through Chicago and Miami, finally landing in Madrid about 24 hours after we begin. None of the sections is long enough to get a full night’s rest, but the goal is to piece enough naps together to hit the ground fairly alert and see a few sites. Always the optimist.