I face the epic dilemma of an experienced global traveler: Option one, revisit those spots from years ago, where I’ve likely forgotten everything except the name of that one museum or art gallery. Ah, nostalgia! Option two, the adventurous quest for the new and obscure in the hopes of discovering the world’s best brewery in a back alley. Or, option three, just be incredibly happy to escape the chaos of America by sipping a cold brew in Any-Platz Germany, where chaos probably means the beer joint ran out of pretzels.
The best-laid plans of women travelers can always awry. Or, as one lady described it: shit happens.
I appreciated having a Leap Year in 2024. It gave me an extra day in February. Flying to Delhi, I would be in transit for what amounted to 3 days. Flights were booked, bag packed, and I felt ready to depart for India.
Since my 10-week solo “Grand Tour” of Europe in 1972, traveling has become a passion. To awaken in a new city in some new part of the world, to wander its streets and absorb a culture other than my own is one of the best sensations I could ever experience.
I fly through Frankfurt at least a couple times a year. I like it less and less. Landing Turkish Airways from Istanbul, we deplaned from the rear. Not good when I am seated in row 5. Why? The Police are doing a Passport check at the ramp. Normal procedure for Istanbul arrivals? Seems to be.
Ride a bus to terminal and transfer to Z gates. More security. What a mess. Long lines and cranky workers. I have a backpack, I take liquids out, my phone out. Not good enough.
Travel is muscle memory. At least it was. Much has changed because of Covid. I can’t utilize all the little perks of travel that once made the experience faster, easier and more pleasant. However, as I wrote earlier, travel may not be as easy but all the protections and requirements put in place are definitely worth the effort.
I love the tradition of dining on the sidewalks and in plazas. Weather here is perfect for outside seating. Dining in the fresh air and surrounded by the ongoing activity of local life gives me time to ruminate and people watch. It is always a pleasant, passive pastime.
I have to admit travel planning is NOT what it used to be. And being a solo traveler, I might be getting too old for this worry. I am used to 50 years of getting on a plane and going wherever and whenever I wanted. I always knew my independent trips were numbered at some point, but Covid was not what I expected would be the fly in the ointment. Even less did I think the situation would be worsened because a gaggle of nationalistic fascist would threaten the freedoms of the United States of America.
