Wednesday, March 24, 2010

Vacationland

I am sitting across two seats in row 22. My toes just touch the man sitting in the aisle seat, who is—luckily—my husband. I can’t help but smile. He is reading a book and I am about to do my Danish lessons and we are both snacking on jelly bellies and the companionable silence of a nearly empty plane. We are good at this, traveling. We take care of each other. I will pop into the airport news stand and come out with mints for Michael. If I am very, very lucky, he will get up early and bring breakfast back to our room while I linger in bed.

Traveling, ironically, brings me back to myself and awakens a child-like sense of joy in me. I have already forgotten the piles of work I left behind on my desk, and the pile of laundry I left behind at home.

As soon as we arrived at the airport, my shoulders relaxed. We went through security and were pleased to find we had enough time for a sit-down dinner. Obligingly, a Legal Seafood placed itself in our path. We looked at the menu. “Too pricey for airport food?” Michael asked.

I shrugged. “We’re on vacation.”

“I like that logic,” he proclaimed, and in we went. We shared a too-spicy order of thai-pineapple-peanut shrimp and a perfect lobster and bacon wrap.

If only I could figure out a way for us to travel more. Hmmm. Oh well. Time for Danish lessons. The time is now 7:22 pm. Begin!

Oops. 7:39 and they’re starting The Blind Side, which I’ve wanted to see. Break time after only 17 minutes.

9:45 : Oooooh that was a good, satisfying movie. You should watch it.

Alright, back to Danish I go. Although this bright-ass screen in this dark-ass plane is giving me a headache. Still, I’ll try to last longer than 17 minutes this time…9:50 and I’m off!

Dammit, dammit, dammit. 9:56 and the battery on my laptop is dead. This is not cool. It lasted approximately 30 minutes for goodness sakes. Well, I tried! Maybe I’ll have time to charge in the next airport. Sigh. It is so time for a new computer.

BEEP it proclaims angrily, insistently. Okay, okay, I’m shutting down. I wanted a little nap anyway. Jeg er Traete. (I am tired.)

1:45 am: We've checked into the hotel! It's beautiful. A little fancier than we usually like (what can I say? We actually like chains.) but I signed up for their frequent traveler program and told them it was our anniversary when I made the reservation, and they upgraded us to the jacuzzi room with the four poster bed and wall of windows. Lovely. If only we'd gotten in earlier, I'd be soaking right now. Alas, it's nearly 2 am and it's definitely time for bed. There are about 8 restaurants and 46 things I want to do in the 36 hours or so we are here!

Godnat!

2 comments:

Sarah Jackson said...

So I stopped over here because your pics on FB make it look like you're on one of the best vacations ever. It doesn't look like I'm wrong about that!

I'm so glad you started your vacation tale with the flight. When I went to Australia, I was so stressed about the the insane number of hours I would be in the air. My friend gave me a great perspective on it..."your vacation starts the minute you get on that plane. Read every crappy magazine you can find that you're too embarrassed to read in front of everyone. And anything else you want to do." That helped so much! I read everything. Watched every movie I even kinda wanted to watch... ever. Glad to see you're in the same headspace.

have fun!
Sarah

Melisa K. said...

Thanks, Sarah. It was the greatest vacation ever. (Until the next one)

And, actually, I love airports and airplanes. Just like hotels--places where there is nothing you SHOULD or COULD be doing...so you can do what you really want to. =)

Happy trails...