HOLIDAYS WOULD BE GREAT IF YOU DIDN’T HAVE TO TRAVEL

Published by Rick on Tagged Uncategorized

I just got back from a 9-day holiday in Spain, mostly in Barcelona, but a couple days in Madrid on either side. The holiday itself was really nice, with clear skies the whole time, and temperatures in the low 70s (22-24 Celsius) every day. Being there with my brother, I sort of let him plan the activities, which were mostly cultural, and that’s fine by me. We walked a lot in Barcelona’s Gothic Corner, with its many eccentric shops. One day I did 22,418 steps, and the next day did 18,906, both eclipsing my previous single day total of about 16,000. So it was healthy and we ate and drank well over that time. It’s unfortunate that at the end of a holiday, you have to come home, trusting the trains and planes. The last two days have made me think a long time before I ever leave London again.

Our dilemma began with Wednesday’s tragic train crash in Toledo, about 100 miles south of Madrid, and well over 400 miles from Barcelona, but the second serious train crash in Spain over the past year. The train workers responded by going on strike the following day, the day we were heading back to Madrid. Our train was scheduled to leave 11:00 am, and when we got to the station, we saw on the schedule that our train was suprimit, which meant cancelled, deleted. We were re-routed to a 12:00 train, but there were two lines for that, one for the actual 12:00, the other for us 11:00-ers on the suprimit train. Our train left at about 12:30, and we appeared for a while to be making up for lost time. At around 1:30, we stopped at a station in Zaragoza, about 150 miles from Madrid. And we stayed there and stayed there. Finally at about 3:00 they told us what was going on. The drivers had begun their own strike and walked off the train, so staff had to find replacements. It took a while, plus we had to board a different train for the rest of the journey. We reached Madrid Atocha station just before 6:00, when our original ETA was 2:20!

The next day it was off to the airport for Part Two of infierno. Our flight to London was scheduled for 12:00 noon and we got there shortly before 10:00. With my limited knowledge of Spanish, it took awhile just to figure out where check-in was. This time the problem was weather related, as we were immediately told the flight would be delayed by fog at Heathrow, making for major congestion. This rankled my brother, whose connecting flight to San Francisco was leaving Heathrow at 3:10. Our flight left at about 12:30, still ok, but because of the previously mentioned congestion, there was no staff to bring the tunnel up to where they could open the doors and let passengers depart. We managed to get off the plane at 2:30, but fortunately for my brother, the gate for connecting flights was only a couple minutes away, so he made it to his plane, which then of course was delayed about a half hour before taking off. Meanwhile, I had a local dilemma to begin Part Three.

The people handling customs managed to be about as incompetent as possible in directing me to what queue I needed to join. It was if they had never heard of an American living in England. When I was finally in the right queue, the customs agent informed me that the Indefinite Stay provision on my passport was on an expired passport and needed to be moved to the current one. After all the other nonsense I had dealt with the past couple days, I asked, “I don’t need to do this NOW, do I?” She said no, but it needs to be corrected before I board a plane again. I’ve had Indefinite Stay since 2008, and have never heard that one before. And finding my baggage was confusing, just to compound everything else. Foolishly, I thought my worries were over, but then I had to deal with London Transport.

Normally when I leave Heathrow for the Underground, I board the Piccadilly Line and take it all the way to my neighbourhood. Not this time! The Piccadilly Line has been shut now for almost a week for refurbishing. Since the Elizabeth Line was opened in 2022, I had never used it, but was relieved that it was there. Of course, none of the stops were convenient, so I had to change lines twice, and in both cases, elevators were not working, and there were no escalators where I needed to go. I was of course carrying a moderately heavy suitcase, and in 10 days, I turn 76. I was certainly feeling my age by the time I got home just before 5:00, about two hours later than I had originally hoped.

I’m being persuaded to come out to California sometime in the coming winter. I’m half-heartedly agreeing to it, but haven’t fully committed yet. I haven’t even mentioned how freaking more expensive air travel has gotten! It’s been two years since I last flew anywhere. I gotta have a long think about it. Meanwhile, Happy Halloween, and if you vote Republican next Tuesday, I have nothing left to say to you.

October 31st, 2026



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