44 days to go before we head off back to Europe. After the past couple of days things are really starting to become reality. The thinking and planning aspects of the trip are done – now it’s going to happen, and sooner than I’m expecting. It’s a bit scary thinking about what needs to be done before we go – not in regards to the trip itself but other aspects of work & home life that will need attending to.
But a couple of things have really brought looming departure date to focus. Firstly, the recent Icelandic volcanic ash drifting across the airways. A couple of people we know have been affected by flight cancellations & delays and we hope things get sorted soon for their sake. This disruption also brings with it a significant economic fallout as tourists & business people aren’t making their visits. I was most struck by a visualisation/graphic that asks, ‘What emits more CO2 into the atmosphere? – planes or volcanos?’ Sobering thoughts…
The other thing that has got me more excited about heading off, is that we’ve been watching Kevin McCloud’s Grand Tour, a series looking at the Grand Tour which “was the traditional travel of Europe undertaken by mainly upper-class European young men of means”. A very enjoyable look at France, Italy & Greece and highlighting some of the customs of the countries, but particularly the architecture that was ‘discovered’ and brought back to England and used to develop much of the building style we see today. All whetting the appetite to go and see thing with my own eyes, while have a new understanding of the significance of these building styles and the cultures that fostered, encouraged, and supported them. Let’s go!
