THE QUESTION

“Where are you all going?” everyone asks us.     

“West,” we tell them.  The truth is we have no destination, no set course.  We don’t feel the need to create a bucketlist of things we have to pursue like to pass through all 50 states or every national park.  There are specific places we want to visit, but our main goal is to be outside where the landscapes overpower the senses.  More importantly, the time we will have together as family will be priceless.                                                                                 

There will be tough days ahead.  I have two young daughters with attitudes.  They are used to comfort and to getting their way most of the time.  Which is another reason I want to travel, to toughen them up a bit, perhaps to enlighten them.  When those tough times arrive, I will write without glossing over the truth.                                                                                          

Most importantly, my wife and I have a strong, solid relationship.  I feel this is an absolute necessity for an adventure like ours.  When those obstacles hit us, we will be able to tackle them together.  Still, I refuse to go as far as purchasing an RV where we would be cramped in a small space for a year or more.  We will rent homes or apartments.  With luck, we won’t end up in a pay by the week hotel room in a shady part of whatever town where we stay.  Then again, if it has a decent pool…

THE DECISION

“Make the decision by New Year’s Day 2017,” we told ourselves.  How long had we pondered and made excuses? Then life happened – children, the routine, the extracurriculars, the mortgage, the car note, the career, the pets.  For so long we have wanted to leave the South, not to escape, but because the mountains, the rivers, the oceans and waterfalls, all the natural beauty of the world called us.

Before children our travels began to get longer.  We visited places that are more exotic.  Even when the girls came along we traveled as much as our income and vacation time would allow.  We skipped house repairs and short weekend trips in favor of month long vacations to destinations like Dominica and Spain.  If Europeans get at least a month of vacation every year why can’t we?

In our life travel has been a priority.  There is no better education.  So many beautiful places exist in this world and we have so little time to see them.  For this reason we made the decision to leave our comfort zone.  Yet the choice goes much deeper.  We are also choosing to leave behind family and friends, well-paying jobs, a home where we have established roots, and a basic everyday routine where we feel safe and secure.

Both scary and exciting, I must admit.  The first and toughest step was to make the decision, at least so far.  So this summer, most likely in July, we are leaving the South to travel for the next year or more with no set destination except West.  No place to call home except the road. 

Now time for the planning…

Live the Dream

I’m not an actor

Or a doctor

Musician or athlete

Paid to see the World

But I traverse it still

Living to the fullest

Putting my goals priority

The old cliché

We live once

Relish the one and only

Life

By living the dream

Drop the mic

Our next adventure...

So I have not written on this blog in quite a while. Our family has continued to travel, not abroad, but to several places around the good ol' USA. Our country is a big one with so much to experience. I could post about our past adventures, and perhaps I will soon, but for now we are preparing for the biggest adventure yet...

Un Mes en Madrid

June 28, 2013

Sitting at a café in España you would never guess that the country was in the midst of a devastating financial crisis.  Over fifty percent youth unemployment and twenty percent in the general population, higher crime, and the constant admonishment of the EU, Spain is supposed to be in bad shape.  Yet the streets are bustling with life and commerce.  Almost all restaurants and cafés are full during meal hours.  The only stores that I see closed are those temporarily shut down because the owners are on vacation.  Very few ‘se aquila’ or ‘se vende’ (for rent or for sale) signs are seen. 

So where is the crisis?  Ask the locals and they will tell you times are tough.  Jobs are difficult to find.  Those who have them are working longer hours.  Deep austerity measures have been enforced by government without concern for the protests of citizens. 

Spain could be similar to the US in this respect though.  The recession supposedly hit us hard.  Yet most of us still had our cellphones, cable and game systems.  We still enjoyed a night out at the movie or restaurant or wherever.  We still owned a car or two.  And how many of us actually starved?

The situation appears the same here.  Times may be tough, and I’m sure that as in the US, some feel it more than others, but honestly, how bad off is a society that can enjoy the materialistic pleasures of life like good food and drink and entertainment?  But then again, I see only the surface of things.  I am not a citizen nor have I lived here for a significant amount of time.  I just call it as I see it. 

Since I have written this entry I have talked to a few Spaniards.  One in particular explained that the Spanish socialize differently than we do in the states.  For example, often we invite our friends to our homes and have cook outs and such.  The Spanish, on the other hand, usually socialize outside of the home.  They meet in public spaces like cafes and parks and such.  While it might appear as if they are out drinking and enjoyed meals, they might buy one beer and sip it until they go home or even share meals (which is common anyway).  Interesting.  

Un Mes en Madrid

June 27

As most people might expect and parents surely know, traveling with children is much different.  Plans have to be made around naps, potty time and all those other irritations that parents endure for their children.  The ordinarily fast paced attempt to see as many sites around the city as possible becomes instead the experiences of areas that we might never visit otherwise – the zoo, the public pools, the playgrounds and more. 

   

And believe it or not the extra down time provides an incomparable opportunity.  Most importantly it gives time to bond with family; eating together on the balcony, playing hide and seek and learning to read.  As an adult I also have time to catch up on reading and writing, time for meditation or self-reflection, and a good run in the morning. 

Madrid has numerous parks scattered across the large city of almost 3.5 million.  They get utilized very well.  Already we have been to three playgrounds and always there are children there.  The parks are well maintained with plenty of trees to provide shade from the blistering Madrid sun.  Hundreds of species of plants and flowers run along the paths made for the runners and those strolling aimlessly around.  People everywhere of all ages find some excuse to spend time in the parks.

Yesterday we visited Retiro, the largest and most unique of the parks.  Once upon a time, on my first visit to España nearly 15 years ago, this is where we spent most of our time.  All day and into the night the African immigrants beat bongo drums and smoked hash.  Street performers like mimes and wanna be Michael Jacksons earned a living honing their eccentric talents.  We didn’t get the opportunity to see any of this yesterday, but Sofiah and Kaia finally met Abril and Vera, the daughters of two friends of ours who live in Madrid.  Chasing pigeons and playing in the sand kept them happy.  Meanwhile, the adults watched, munching on tapas and drinking horchata.  Life has changed in the last fifteen years, but it’s still a blast.

Un Mes en Madrid

June 26

Yeah, that didn’t work.  It’s 4am and we have all been up for an hour at least.  Since I did not sleep on the plane I could have easily slept in this morning until daylight.  The girls, stretched across our laps on the plane ride, slept like babies.  If only I could sleep as easily as a child.

By 9am the little one got cranky.  It was easy to get her to nap.  The other, as she does often, wanted to stay up and play with her dolls.  Niki and I laid down as well, and it never fails that Sofiah climbs in bed and wakes us up as soon as we nod off. 

A couple of hours later we opened the blinds and made a bit of noise to wake the girls.  They didn’t budge.  Their bodies are trying to tell us they need the sleep so we let them although Niki and I are ready to go exploring.

The fridge is empty.  After a trip to the grocery yesterday we bought all we could carry and though it is only a few blocks away it’s heavy.  And so we stop for lunch again at one of the many restaurants with tables along the sidewalk with free tapas, potatoes with a cheese sauce this time, delicious.  We make up a good story or call the new food something we call it at home to get the girls to try it.  So far they love Fanta and the powdered chocolate.  I hope they expand their horizons a bit, either that or go hungry.

A park, Canal de Isabel, was within walking distance.  Two playgrounds with plenty of other kids, perfect for the girls.  We spent at least a couple of hours there.  Niki and I sat in the shade mostly while the girls played in the heat, but a dry heat, much more tolerable than the heavy, humid heat of Mississippi. The best part was watching the kids interact.  At this age, language is a small barrier.  They played with the other kids and seemed to listen to them intently.  Sofiah even used her small vocabulary when she yelled, “Para! to get the little boys to stop the tilt-a-whirl (whatever you call that thing that is similar to the Tea Cups at Disneyland).

The walk home isn’t so much fun.  The girls are tired, hungry, and not used to walking so far.  We cook spaghetti at the apartment and eat around the dinner table to add a sense of normalcy for the first time since we left.  They eat the best they have so far and by dark (11pm) they are pooped and fall fast asleep.