Hey everyone!
Normally, I’d be telling you that it’s that time again...time for another one of my overseas adventures. According to plans I’d made months ago, I would actually be in the midst of the second day of my trip, getting over jet lag and figuring out my way around a new city.
Not this year. This year is depressingly different. I’m sitting in my pajamas, in my living room that’s in desperate need of a cleaning and decluttering, on my pink leather couch watching another Bollywood film. That’s as close as I’m going to come to travel this year. And I actually have to watch the screen or I’ll miss the story, so I’m also forced to experience all of the exotic grit and loveliness of a place outside of my experience. Something, I generally like to do in person...but it will have to do.
This year I turn 55 and this was supposed to be a special adventure for me. A festival called Sechseläuten takes place in Zurich, Switzerland. The closest thing we have to it in the US would, I suppose, be Groundhog Day. On the third Monday of April, there is a procession that ends in the town square, where a giant bonfire is lit. Perched at the top of that is a snowman effigy called a Böögg. The Böögg’s head is stuffed with explosives and the length of time it takes for it to blow up predicts what the upcoming Summer will be like.
In 2020 the third Monday of the month falls on April 20th. I thought this would be an amazing way to spend my birthday, right? Well, that was only one day...maybe a couple of days in Zurich to check it out, but that wasn’t enough for a whole trip.
I have a slight connection to Munich, Germany. After World War II, some of my father’s relatives ended up there while he, and his immediate family, ended up in Austria and emigrated to the US. I’d met my Oma’s nieces and nephews once, when I was pretty young and they visited the US. However, she used to visit them quite often and never followed through on her promise to eventually bring me with her. Munich is a reasonable train trip from Zurich...so, finally! I was going to go to Munich.
There were no plans to track down and visit family. Not only is my Oma long gone, but so is my father and all of the ties between myself and his distant family. Still, I had learned a bit about the city over the years and had always been fascinated with King Ludwig and his castles. I was finally going to see them.
However, as the month of March progressed, it became more and more clear to me that I’d be forced to cancel these grand plans. I bought the appropriate insurance, but ended up being lucky enough to get most of my money back regardless (you know, Murphy’s Law is that if I had not, I would not have gotten refunds).
So, here I sit, alone in my home...having been in isolation for a little bit over a month. I am working from home and have left my house only to do grocery pickup. I buy the groceries online and a nice high school kid loads them into the back of my vehicle. My entire trip is about 20 minutes. I also order things from Amazon and other online retailers. Mostly food...very little that is not absolutely essential.
I am extremely introverted, which makes solo travel ideal for me. I don’t need to socialize and I’m happy doing things alone. One would think this is a perfect situation for me. Nope. I am plagued by mild anxiety and depression after having no real human contact for weeks. I can’t bring myself to do anything more than prepare basic meals and order fattening snacks on the Internet. I am self medicating with CBD edibles I bought from Groupon. Ah, my Internet life.
These are strange times. I’d be lying if I said I wasn’t worried about my job. I think I may have mentioned that I work in the travel industry. Right around the first month of this insanity, we were busy handing the immediate fallout. Now, things are slowing down and will likely come to a standstill for quite some time. While I have a job now...who knows about tomorrow.
In the meantime, you may get a travel blog from me yet this year. I do have reservations at a Disney World resort for October. Maybe this is the year I head back to the Outer Banks?
We will all explore the world together at some point in the future...just not today.
Normally, I’d be telling you that it’s that time again...time for another one of my overseas adventures. According to plans I’d made months ago, I would actually be in the midst of the second day of my trip, getting over jet lag and figuring out my way around a new city.
Not this year. This year is depressingly different. I’m sitting in my pajamas, in my living room that’s in desperate need of a cleaning and decluttering, on my pink leather couch watching another Bollywood film. That’s as close as I’m going to come to travel this year. And I actually have to watch the screen or I’ll miss the story, so I’m also forced to experience all of the exotic grit and loveliness of a place outside of my experience. Something, I generally like to do in person...but it will have to do.
This year I turn 55 and this was supposed to be a special adventure for me. A festival called Sechseläuten takes place in Zurich, Switzerland. The closest thing we have to it in the US would, I suppose, be Groundhog Day. On the third Monday of April, there is a procession that ends in the town square, where a giant bonfire is lit. Perched at the top of that is a snowman effigy called a Böögg. The Böögg’s head is stuffed with explosives and the length of time it takes for it to blow up predicts what the upcoming Summer will be like.
In 2020 the third Monday of the month falls on April 20th. I thought this would be an amazing way to spend my birthday, right? Well, that was only one day...maybe a couple of days in Zurich to check it out, but that wasn’t enough for a whole trip.
I have a slight connection to Munich, Germany. After World War II, some of my father’s relatives ended up there while he, and his immediate family, ended up in Austria and emigrated to the US. I’d met my Oma’s nieces and nephews once, when I was pretty young and they visited the US. However, she used to visit them quite often and never followed through on her promise to eventually bring me with her. Munich is a reasonable train trip from Zurich...so, finally! I was going to go to Munich.
There were no plans to track down and visit family. Not only is my Oma long gone, but so is my father and all of the ties between myself and his distant family. Still, I had learned a bit about the city over the years and had always been fascinated with King Ludwig and his castles. I was finally going to see them.
However, as the month of March progressed, it became more and more clear to me that I’d be forced to cancel these grand plans. I bought the appropriate insurance, but ended up being lucky enough to get most of my money back regardless (you know, Murphy’s Law is that if I had not, I would not have gotten refunds).
So, here I sit, alone in my home...having been in isolation for a little bit over a month. I am working from home and have left my house only to do grocery pickup. I buy the groceries online and a nice high school kid loads them into the back of my vehicle. My entire trip is about 20 minutes. I also order things from Amazon and other online retailers. Mostly food...very little that is not absolutely essential.
I am extremely introverted, which makes solo travel ideal for me. I don’t need to socialize and I’m happy doing things alone. One would think this is a perfect situation for me. Nope. I am plagued by mild anxiety and depression after having no real human contact for weeks. I can’t bring myself to do anything more than prepare basic meals and order fattening snacks on the Internet. I am self medicating with CBD edibles I bought from Groupon. Ah, my Internet life.
These are strange times. I’d be lying if I said I wasn’t worried about my job. I think I may have mentioned that I work in the travel industry. Right around the first month of this insanity, we were busy handing the immediate fallout. Now, things are slowing down and will likely come to a standstill for quite some time. While I have a job now...who knows about tomorrow.
In the meantime, you may get a travel blog from me yet this year. I do have reservations at a Disney World resort for October. Maybe this is the year I head back to the Outer Banks?
We will all explore the world together at some point in the future...just not today.
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