Travel can be glamourous or exasperating. More and more, with all the cutbacks and nickel-and-diming of various carriers, most of the fun has been completely sucked out of what can and should be an exciting adventure, getting from one place to another. And airports are part of the equation. They should be places that exalt the process of a voyage, but often they too destroy all the life and fun of it with their ugly furniture, dark hallways, cramped lounges and musty corners. CDG in Paris is different, and even as they have added a multitude of terminals over the years, it has always kept its airy, open, futuristic feel. It makes one not only want to travel and dream of distant voyages, it also manages another equally important function: It calms and reassures one before a long trip. The collection of beautiful, soaring spaces and lounges is for me a welcome antidote to most airports which are crowded angry spaces that are overflowing with people in badly designed departure areas. While the airport is quite spread out, it is very easy to get from one terminal to another and one never feels rushed or pushed. As I sit here in my departure lounge, waiting to board a long flight back to NYC, I am at peace. (Except for the screaming child-monster 10 feet away from me whose mother seems to be completely deaf.)
At times, we are able to see very familiar things with fresh eyes and everything is filled with that newness and sense of wonder. The last couple of days in Paris have been like that, helped along by the absolutely stunning weather, which has seemed to put everyone is a wonderful mood (except waiters, that is). I have had a great time catching up with old friends (Sonia, Marc, Karin and Alyssa) and wandering around Paris by myself and with Josh. It is a good thing however that I am going home tomorrow, or I might well find myself in a diabetic coma brought on by one too many pan au chocolat aux amandes.
I leave tonight for a multi week road trip across Spain (with 2 brief stopovers in Paris going and coming). I will be blogging along the way, so stay tuned for some fotos y comentarios. Roughly speaking, Josh in I will start in Madrid and end in Barcelona. More or less here is our ruta:
Should be fun. Hasta pronto!
For some months, I have been planning a long trip to Spain with my cousin Josh. And as you might remember, I have had this ongoing shoulder problem as well, which nothing has seemed able to ameliorate. In fact, it has really taken a turn for the worse recently, and I was worried that I would have to cancel the trip. I finally got in to see (yet another) specialist yesterday (much nicer than the last one btw), and finally accepted that I will indeed need surgery. The recovery for this type of thing is awful. It involves several weeks wearing a sling, sleeping on your back in a particular position (something I am not at all good at), lots of pain, and 6-8 months (yes, MONTHS) of physical therapy until one is back to “normal”. And oh yeah, thousands of dollars b/c my health care plan covers so little. I told the doctor of my desire to go on my trip and he said it wouldn’t hurt anything to go and then do the surgery upon my return. And since I will be basically immobile for months after this, I want to make the experience a last hurrah of sorts before entering the convent. I say “entering the convent” b/c let’s face it, it will probably be the equivalent of taking a vow of chastity for several months. (Not that the last few, with all my aches and pains, has been any great shakes, but still.) I asked the doc for a cortisone shot for my shoulder and he said it wasn’t a good idea, and that he would prescribe me some pain meds. I hope that will be enough, because it has been pretty damned uncomfortable recently. On the plus side of all of this, I am happy to be returning to Spain after so many years away. 1996 was the last time I was there, I think.
Why is it I always get a little nervous before a big trip? Not for my safety or anything like that. I seem to have an involuntary sense of unfinished business. That there is a lot to do and I haven’t or won’t get it done. I really don’t have too much left to deal with, yet there it sits, this odd feeling, a holdover from my more stressed out work life in the distant past. I haven’t had any kind of professional stress in a long time when I think about it.
Apart from all that, I am quite excited for my trip. It has been almost three years since I last set foot in Europe. It will be nice to reconnect with old friends and get reacquainted with them (and the food). I will spend a week in Paris, then two in Hamburg working on a project, then back to NYC. Things could surely be worse.
Josh and I are at the airport, awaiting our flight out to NYC. We spent the last day of our trip in Rio, enoying the beach and the gawking for one more day. The drive back was very easy (Gabe) and returning the car and checking in at the airport was a breeze (Gabe).
I have some mixed feelings about our trip back to NYC. On the one hand, I am excited to be moving to New York, and looking forward to the thrill and challenges that await. Not exactly in opposition to these feelings, I am also a little wistful about ending this part of the amazing journey I have been so fortunate to have been on these past 27 months. This is really the end of a particular chapter in my life and the beginning of another. It was especially nice sharing the last couple of weeks with my cousin Josh, acting as a kind of bridge between these two worlds.
At breakfast this morning I met a fascinating trio. An Argentine visiting from Barcelona, a Brazilian woman who lived many years in France and now runs a pousada in a small beach community south of Recife, and a French man from the Alps region. The French man spoke French and English, the Brazilian woman spoke French, English, Spanish and Portuguese, and the Argentine spoke Spanish and English, although he understood some French. So the conversation bounced between all of these languages and it was a lot of fun spending a little time with this group, evaluating how central the concept of saudade is to the identity of Brazilians, discussing music and travel, etc. I said my goodbyes and headed back to my room to pack, as I am headed back to Sao Paulo. I will meet my cousin Josh there in a few days and we will travel to Rio by rental car, stopping at several places along the way.
Here is a travel tip for you. If you are ever traveling by Buquebus from Buenos Aires to Uruguay, spend the extra 12 dollars on premier class, it is toally worth it. The line to check in is 2 people vs 95, you don’t have to pay the exit tax, there is a fancy waiting lounge with free food, and to top it all off, free wifi with which to blog about it. We haven’t even boarded the boat yet and I am happy. Juan Carlos, on the other hand, is worried. I talked him into going to Colonia with me for the day, and he is a bundle of nerves about getting to the airport on time when he gets back later this afternoon. He should be fine, but I promised him I would pay for the flight change should he miss his. Let’s hope I don’t have to keep that promise.
Well, after equal parts subterfuge, sweet talk, and dosh, I finally have my visa to go to Brazil. My (very rough) plan is to leave BsAs (alas) next week, head to Uruguay for a few days, then on to Brazil. My cousin Josh is going to meet me in São Paulo on the 16th and we will go to Rio from there, and I don’t want to retrace my steps more than necessary so I will probably head north to Salvador, stopping in some places along the way. But who really knows? Like most times, I will just play it by ear. Anyone in the know out there have any suggestions of things not to miss in Brazil?
One of the things a good Buddhist tries to accomplish is a sense of equanimity no matter the situation. Juliette and I have decided not to go to the island of Taquile for some trekking after all, since we are having quite a difficult time acclimatizing at 3900 M (12,800 ft). We don’t actually have bad headaches or muscle aches, but even the slightest activity leaves us gasping horribly for air. We will therefore take it easy today and try to see the floating islands tomorrow, and then head down to a more manageable altitude. I think it would be fine if we had a week or so to get used to the altitude, but pushing ourselves in such a short period is a no go. Yet peaceful we are in the moment, gulping the precious little oxygen there is.
