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…and I’ll go mine.
She’s gone, and I did not go with her. Things happen like that sometimes. It’s the nature of travel.
This is beginning to sound like a marital mishap, and the picture above of Louise dragging her bags down the sidewalk, unaccompanied, while her friend Jeanette awaits to take her to the train station doesn’t dispel the notion. I’d better explain:
The Discovery 55. (Credit: Discovery Yachts)
A few weeks ago we received an email from Louise’s old friends Christopher and Clare McCann inviting us to spend a week aboard Merlyn III, their Discovery 55, which at this time of the year is moored in the Canary Islands, off the Atlantic coast of Morocco. We just happened to have a week of unscheduled time between Girona and Greece, and the McCanns just happened to have an opening in their schedule for that week.
“Of course!” said we. “We are thrilled.”
That was before April – before my myriad medical issues.
So that week has come, and Louise has flown off to the Canaries. I have not.
The Canary Islands. (Credit: Google Earth)
The explanation is predictable: I’m not out of the medical woods yet. My blood pressure is still a little capricious, and I fidget at the thought of being at sea off the coast of Africa should another medical hiccup occur. Doctors have assured me that the likelihood of that happening is remote, but for the time being I feel more comfortable being among friends, telephones, and hospitals.
It was my suggestion that Louise join her friends while I remain in Girona. It’s only a week. I’ll rest up while she sails. It’s a logical arrangement and we’re both comfortable with it. Travel is not a time to be obdurate. This little change of plans is not a marital mishap; it’s just versatility.
With that I propose toast (with inspiration from musician Jason Mraz): “Here’s to versatility, here’s to the heart. Here’s to adventure. May the stopping never start.”
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A wise decision since there is so much more to explore. Onward, onward.
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Thanks for the support, Cuz. And there certainly *is* more to explore. Yesterday during my morning walk I found myself in the northwest hills of Girona where I’d never gone before, amidst lovely homes with lovely views. Onward indeed.
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the CANARY ISLANDS on a SAILING YACHT ?????? OMG _ just when I thought you two had planned the perfect utopian year of travel you add on the CANARY ISLANDS ???? what could be more perfect – is there such a thing as “more” perfect ?? AND must say a week of R&R has its appeal as well. Though in a very different way.
So where is Tom staying for the extra week in Girona ? and where do you meet up again ? more details …..
While all this is going on in Girona and the CANARY ISLANDS I am deep into preparations and expectations for my daughter Katie’s wedding in Leesburg VA on Sept 1, and managed to find time to see the Rolling Stones live in Boston and in DC during the past 2 weeks. They were wonderful and yes, as many have asked, they were walking under their own power, have not lost their magic one bit, and Mick still danced and strutted all around the place in time to the best rock and roll music ever created.
Still hoping you two will be able to fit in a stop in Leesburg, just 20 minutes from Dulles, for the Sept 1 wedding. The invite was sent to you in Portland. I have reserved a room for you just in case but of course understand if you can’t fit it in between Greece and Puerta Vallarta …..
Have a great week both of you – love Marcia
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Marcia — I’m sure a post is forthcoming from the Canaries (although not too soon — she doesn’t have Internet out there), from which you’ll hear (and see) all about Louise’s week there. As for me, I’m still in the apartment. No one had reserved it for July, so I nabbed the time. We haven’t yet conferred about September. We’ll let you know.
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I am sorry you had to miss the sailing trip. How exotic! But, sometimes a week apart is a good thing. Heart grow fonder, time schedules in free form.
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Thanks, Anita. So far, Louise has remained within cell-phone range, so we text and talk at least once a day. I’m living lazy and loving it. We meet back up Sunday evening at the Barcelona airport for our flight to Greece.
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What a great idea to part for a week before moving to Greece.
Each of you can enjoy time by yourself, Louise on a sailboat iwith friends in the canaries island and Tom living lazy in the appartment in Girona.
What a treat !
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Thanks, Mapi, for your perspective. One thing about this expat life that we hadn’t considered was the amount of togetherness it implies. Turns out, this little break is a good thing.
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I confess: I write our headlines and breaks (“continue reading…”) with the brazen intention of provoking readers, and with this post I provoked quite a few.
By hinting that bad blood was flowing between Louise and me, I attracted more visitors to the blog than ever in its fourteen-month history, with people coming from not only the US and Spain, but Canada, Hungary, France, Netherlands, Turkey, the UK, Italy, Liberia, Ireland, Poland, and Israel. Thirteen countries! (Another record.) In all, over 16,000 people have viewed our blog since we started. A lot of them saw that picture of Louise hauling her suitcase down the street, away from me and away from Spain, and kept reading to see what was up.
In two days we’ll arrive in Greece for the second leg of our expat adventure. We aren’t planning to quarrel while we’re there (although perhaps we should, for the blog’s sake). Regardless, we hope you’ll continue to follow along, and we thank you for doing so during the past year.
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