JANUARY 26, WEDNESDAY

BARCELONA, LA RAMBLAS 2015

Today would have been my first day wandering Barcelona for eight days before flying to Marrakech and Essouria, Morocco. I came within an inch of flying yesterday. If I had been informed that my ticket wouldn’t be refunded I probably would have stepped onto the plane and been gone. Lufthansa was too busy to reply to my airmails so I never found out if my ticket price would be refunded or not, so I then took the chance that it would be, and cancelled. I cancelled partly simply because I could. Once United cancelled the legs of the flight from and to Asheville two weeks ago I felt, because of assurances from Scott’s Cheap Flights, that I was entitled to cancel and get a refund in spite of my ticket being only $384 round trip from Asheville to Barcelona with no bag, no seat, no changes, no cancellations, no refunds, no nothing offered. I just decided that this wasn’t the time for me to go, having just come back from a long trip, going on another one to Paris in April, with Omincron everywhere. Morocco had already made me delay entry because of Omicron. Things were too uncertain. I want to postpone the trip until next year sometime. First the two Airbnb’s gave me a full refund, now I was waiting for Lufthansa. They said they were too busy to answer me, so I took a chance and cancelled the night before the flight and finally relaxed.

So this is what I would be seeing today if I had said to heck with it and had gone. I had a passport, a negative Covid test, money, electronic devices to keep me connected, even my few clothes laid out beside my small underseat bag. But I decided to stay.

This is La Ramblas as it was when Susie and I visited in 2015, a wide tree lined avenue in the center of Barcelona leading down to the Mediterranean. In front of beautiful shops are sidewalk cafes and flower shops and off to the side is La Boqueria, a huge open air market. If I were there right now the weather would be mild and the street full of people shopping or out for a walk. I am there in spirit, someday I will be there, and for now I am content to be sitting here on College View Drive.