So Much to Be Grateful For!
Roadboy's heart goes out to those of you who will participate in the busiest travel week of the year.
Living in Phoenix, this is precisely the time I stay home. Happily, my family will be home for the holidays. Our turkey will soon hit a bucket of brine!
As 2019 draws to a close it has certainly been a busy travel year for me. With major trips to Denmark, Sweden, Finland, the Czech Republic, Provence and Paris. Seemingly all during a year marked with lots of civil strife and travel industry upheaval.
But, hey, road warriors just evolve.
We are staying in more shared housing.
We are using more ride shares as traditional cabs fade away.
Our beloved little bottles of hotel shampoo will soon disappear.
Our new hotel rooms seem to resemble IKEA showcases.
Air travel continues to suffer from the loss of Boeing's 737 Max.
And we all endure the increasing chaos of flight schedules affected by earth's increasingly dynamic weather cycles.
As for me I am taking this time of the year to plan my 2020 travel!
2020 for me will start with a spring visit to Holland for tulip time. That trip will go on with a return to one of my favorite cities, Vienna.
In July a group of biking chums will converge on California for a cycling event. We will pedal through the wine country, along the Pacific coast near Bodega Bay and finish up with a couple of days riding through the redwoods.
In August I'll be joined by a friend from Austin to spend a few days in Seattle. She has never been to the Pacific Northwest and I once lived there (and have returned for work nearly every year for 30 plus years). So I'm excited to introduce her to my beloved Emerald City.
In September I'll be returning to Spain for a second cycling adventure. I'll join my friend Beth for a few days of sightseeing and dining in majestic Madrid. IMHO Madrid is one of Europe's most underrated big cities. I return there as often as possible. It is a city rich in history, culture and delicious jamon!
From Madrid we travel to San Sebastian to start cycling. We'll tour the Riojas wine country, Pamplona, Brisas finishing up in Bilbao where I can finally see Gehry's Guggenheim museum. Thank God for e-bikes!
In Sum, it is time to hug loved ones. And, in this increasingly tribal nation, maybe it is time to hug some not so loved ones! While it is easy to get distracted by division, remember we are all traveling through space together aboard the same fragile planet.
Roadboy's Travel © 2019
