It was only yesterday I touched down To a room full of family and hugs. I could discourage the traveling frown By leaning into where my heartstring tugs. But responsibility tells its tale, Reminding me that this has to be brief. I am given enough time to exhale To enjoy this short moment of relief. I have to go and get my bag repacked Because there is a flight calling my name. My job could threaten me by being sacked; I’ll continue to play its silly game. I hope you are happy that I have been, But this trip has been there and back again.
Do not ask for why tears drip from the pines; It is an icy expression of joy. Between the broken storm clouds, the sun shines An afternoon beam upon a girl and boy, Melting the snow gathered upon the boughs. A crowded street of umbrella applause, From the winter, the sun did arouse, Giving the crying tress their special cause. We gathered together to bear witness Of written whispered vows being exchanged. The umbrellas and tree leaned in to bless The monumental moment being staged. Silence surveyed in anticipation To hear, “I do” said in repetition.
First of all, I would like to thank Bilbo Baggins for the title of this post. I had not been thinking much about his story over the last weekend, but these words rang in my head many times during this voyage. Most of the time, I would not recommend making such a quick trip where you fly half way across the world, spend a couple of days in your destination, and then hop back on a flight to make it back home. Add on top of this some inclement weather and it makes for one crazy trip.
But why would I even attempt to make such a trip. There could be no reason why I would mess up my mind by subjecting myself to the trials of jet lag while risking lost luggage, uncomfortable sleeping conditions, and the headache of spending just a short amount of time at a location. Yes, it had to be something worth the voyage to put all of this on the line. But it came down to the next generation of my family starting the marriage tradition which I am sure will continue on for the next decade or so. It was a moment to witness a great event while reconnecting with my family during a joyous celebration. I waffled a few times if I should go or not, but in the end, I am glad that I had made that choice.
There were many times along the way where I felt exhausted. I did lose my luggage along the way, and got rerouted through Las Vegas, adding another leg to an already long day of travel. There were many times where I needed to change plans and buy clothes so I did not look like a slob at the reception, but it just added to the adventure of this weekend. I probably spent more time on planes, and in cars than I did on the ground, hanging out with people. But the time that I did get to spend with those people was worth it.
After all of it is said and done, I am glad to make it back to the place that I call home. I was not gone long enough to really miss the people that I love, but I am still glad to be able to see them again. It was the time that I spent with the rest of my family that allowed that other hole to be filled. The quickness of the trip and the amount of stories that I accumulated along the way made me feel like I was on an epic adventure like Bilbo. So I guess that it was that connections that made me always have the title of his book in his mind as I took this trip. It was really a great experience, and I would do it all over again because even though the payout was just a small part of the adventure, it was one of the greatest I have experienced in recent years.
It seems to start earlier every year. Two young people in love find that it is time to take that love to the next level by getting married. This used to be reserved for the summer months with most of the weddings taking place in June. But with the limited space, and resources for this event, ceremonies have creeped on either side of the summer months. It is also no longer regulated to Saturdays, and Sundays. People can be found getting married on Fridays now to the background of a snowy scene. It is the whole reason that I traveled half-way around the world at the start of Spring Break, so I could go and see my niece get married.
In my younger days, I ran a mobile dj company, and spent a lot of my weekends, during the summer months, driving around to various spots in Colorado to play music at various weddings. It got to the point where I knew all of the dance hits by heart, and I had seen everything that could possibly happen at a wedding. It became a cliche to me, and like a lot of people who turn what they love into their profession, I began to get a little jaded about the industry. It amazed me at the amount of money people spent for these ceremonies, and I wondered if they were going overboard a little bit. At the same time, I was witnessing it from the perspective of someone who worked the events and not got to sit back and enjoy them.
It has only been recently that I have gotten to change my perspective on weddings. In the industry, there was talk that on average a person would attend one wedding a year. As a dj, we talked about how we would get sick of certain songs because we knew we were going to have to play them, sometimes, two or three times every weekend. Just because I was sick of hearing “The Electric Boogie” did not mean that the people at the wedding had heard it recently. In fact, it might be the only time they hear it all year long. It was my job to smile and pretend that I was enjoying the choreographed dance that was happening on the dance floor.
Now being one of those people that get to see a wedding once a year, these moments take on a different tone. The bride looked stunning as she made her way down the aisle. I didn’t need to run around the building making sure that everything was in place, and things were happening in a timely manner. Now, I could enjoy my meal, and laugh with the people, enjoy a dance to a song I had not heard in a long while, and make the memories that weddings are supposed to be. It has been a little bit of a challenge to hop halfway across the world to go to this event, but I am glad that I did. It has been great seeing my family again, and participating in this joyous moment.
I don’t even mind that it happened earlier than usual. The snow that caused so many headaches for people to make it to the event, turned into a beautiful backdrop for the wedding. It helped to create memories that people will talk about for years to come, and something the happy couple can tell their kids when they ask about the day they got married. I don’t know when I will get to experience an event like this again, but they are something that I will look forward to just I had like this time.
So congratulations to the happy couple, and thank you for allowing me to see an event from a different perspective. It was truly a great wedding.
International travel is a challenge to begin with, but if you add a blizzard to the final destination that causes all airports to be delayed over the world, it adds another layer to the experience. My recent trip to Denver was one of these experiences. It just meant an added leg to the journey, and the joys of trying to hunt down a lost bag.
I know that it may not look like it at times during the journey, but I am glad that I was able to eventually make it to my final destination, and only four hours behind the original time. For that, I am impressed by the airlines’ ability to work together, and come up with quick solutions to make this happen for so many people. In the end, it is still a slog, and when I finally made it to my hotel last night, I was a barely functioning human being who needed a shower and soft bed.
There were many times on this voyage where I did not think it was going to happen, and I kept thinking of alternative solutions of how to get where I was going within the time that I needed to make it happen. Navigating airports to find the people that you need is not always easy. My first understanding that things were not going the way I was hoping they would came when I landed in Frankfurt. A text appeared on my phone saying that I had been rebooked on a different flight, and I needed to talk to people at the Lufthansa counter to get my new tickets. For those who have been in the Frankfurt airport, you will know that this sprawling building is hard to navigate to begin with, but to find a certain small counter tucked away in one of its corners is even more difficult. I found a couple that were not being manned at the time I arrived, but eventually I found the one I needed.
They were able to get me on a couple new flights that diverted my more direct route, and get me to snowy Colorado. It was not what I wanted to do, but I was glad that I was able to make it. I had to keep telling myself during the whole journey that this was an adventure and I just needed to go along for the ride. If I let things get to me then it would have been a miserable experience, but because of my attitude, it turned out to be a mild inconvenience. In reality, I have been lucky with all of the travels that I have had, and it has only been this trip that has had problems with it. This was bound to happen at some time, and I should not be surprised that it happened during a blizzard. So I will not let this discourage me from traveling again.
So until next time, adventure is out there, and will come in some of the most unexpected places, so get out there and enjoy it.
I’ve worked my life for this opening day, So I can show off my abilities In cooking. Now I will ask if you may Come and enjoy my Thai delicacies. It’s not the typical fare you’d find here Among the old brick buildings and beer halls. It’s a departure from the normal cheer; I’m glad you’ve heard its tantalizing calls. I have added a little German flare For that is the place that I call my home. The combination is not all that rare; Instead, it creates a comforting poem. You will always be my first customer Of this lifelong wish of an endeavor.
Though the road may be a little bumpy And the wheels on the cart don’t have much give, I’ll try to make the ride not so jumpy. The turning is also not responsive, So we’re going to have to take it slow, Giving us enjoyment of scenery That we usually ignore as we go Because we believe trips should be busy. Though we won’t be able to see as much, What we will see we will really take in. It gives vacation a different touch When the small moments are what we’re makin’. Don’t fret about the trip in a wheelchair For we got to see what was really there.
It was not the first time that I had been to Prague, and I hope it will not be the last. The city is a great place to visit, and both of the times I have made it out here, they have been very enjoyable. There was a big difference between the first and second trip though. On the first trip, we were able to get around town rather easily because we were younger and in better shape. This time, one of us had just had surgery and we were forced to make adjustments to go around town.
One of our four legs was in a boot, and we had to either use crutches or a wheelchair to get around. In a city that was made long before handicap accessible was a thing, and streets are still made of cobblestone, we knew that it was going to be a challenge, but should that have been a deterrent from going out and enjoying the city anyways?
There is a lot that can be seen in Prague, and it does not always involve going to museums and cathedrals. A joy can be experienced just by wandering around the streets and seeing what there is to see. We had decided that this would be our goal this time around, and we borrowed a wheelchair to make this an easier endeavor.
It did help to move from one place to another, but the cobblestones were not always easy to navigate, and if the crowds that Prague experiences during the summer were around, it would have added another level of difficulty. Despite this fact, it did change the way I would have looked at this city. Instead of running around to see all of the important sights, I had to pick and choose what I would do, and make sure that they were accessible for the situation that we had found ourselves in.
Because I slowed down, I started to notice little things about the city that I might not have noticed before. The buildings were no longer just about the architecture, but was now also about the art that I could find on those buildings. I could pay attention to the people and the way they moved through their natural day instead of being shuffled around with the crowd of other tourists who managed to come to this place at the same time. In a way, I got to experience more of the real Prague better than if we did not have this small little problem to deal with.
The places that I did go to visit had a different quality to them than the regular sights that pack in the people. One of my favorites was a quiet English bookstore near the center of town called The Globe. It was a little harder to get to because I had to push the wheelchair down skinny lanes of cobblestones, but when we got there, its quiet atmosphere, great adjoining cafe, and collection of books was inviting. I especially loved the collection of English translated books by important Czech writers, something that is hard to find in my travels. I loved the fact that I was able to be introduced to a new writer that I might have never heard about.
If reading is not your thing, there was also the option of many of the beer halls that can be found throughout Prague, the oldest being U Fleku. They all brew their own beer, and in the traditional ones, you are offered two options, light or dark. The beer was also relatively cheap, compared to many other places in the world, and to enjoy it in an atmosphere that recalls up medieval times just adds to the experience. Some of the places will even allow for you to arrange a tour of the facilities to demonstrate to you how they have been brewing beer over countless centuries.
Despite all of the delicious beer that has been enjoyed by countless people over many generations, Prague has also joined the craft beer revolution. There are a few brew pubs where you can whet your whistle with an IPA, stout, or hefeweizen. They are not as plentiful as the traditional beer halls, but with a little effort, we were able to find a couple of them. Most of the time, this took us out of the older parts of the city, but it was nice to see what Prague looked like to the common citizen who lived there, plus, we got to enjoy a couple of good beers in the process.
Prague is a European city that is filled with many different hidden gems. It is part of the reason that it is included on many people’s wishlist when they make their way out to this continent. Even if you don’t have enough time to seek these special places out, there are so many other places to go that the crowds usually go to.
It is a great city, and I am glad that we did not let a little thing like a bum leg stop us from enjoying it. The trip helped me realize that I need to take advantage of any opportunity that might come my way. I might not have had the typical experience that most people had when visiting Prague, but I still had a great time. I’ll just have to come back again when I won’t have to push a wheelchair around.
Until next time, get out there and experience the world any time you can.
Now that we have gotten the crowds gathered, We can start the fires within our hearts For a proud people that has been battered. This is the way a revolution starts, Not with terror, guns or an explosion, But with a single match and a gesture That demonstrates to them our frustration Over our culture held in indenture. I do not believe it to be too rash That what I will leave as inspiration Will be my bones and a pile of ash, And the knowledge that I freed a nation. You can bring your armies, and your big tanks, We won’t ever be a part of your ranks.
One of my all time favorite movies is Blues Brothers. Growing up, I watched this movie over a hundred times, and still, to this day, whenever play the movie again, I can instantly quote many of the lines from it. It was for this reason, that when I told the people that I was traveling with that I was in ” a truck”, I was instantly reminded of one of my favorite moments from that movie. I couldn’t help but laugh at the situation we found ourselves in. I was making my way to our airplane for a recent trip to Prague and I found myself in “a truck”. I even texted this fact to my friends I was traveling with, and was instantly reminded of this line.
To be clear, my wife recently had surgery on her ankle which means that she has to walk around on crutches for awhile. She is doing great, but she is just getting to the point of being weight bearing on it, and that means that she tires out pretty easily. This does not work well when traveling to Europe where everywhere you go, it is best to just walk there or take public transportation. We decided to bring a wheelchair with us to get around town with more ease, but getting that on to a plane is not always the easiest, especially when the company you are flying with is RyanAir.
To be fair, RyanAir was very respectful and accommodating. I usually do not have many nice things to say about the company, but in this case, I do. We had to gate check the wheelchair which we thought meant giving the wheelchair to the people at the gate, and then getting it back when we got off the plane, but this was not the case. Instead, we were pulled from the line, taken to one of those trucks that they use to load food on to a plane, and got to ride on that in order to get on the plane.
We got to skip a lot of the headache that we usually experienced with flying RyanAir and moved through many of the security measure quickly at the airport. Still, it was a little excessive. We just needed to wheelchair put on the plane, so we could get it back when we got to our destination. We did not need a whole group of people dedicated to getting us on and off the plane. Still, there are other people out there that do need this kind of service, and it is nice to know that it is out there. It just shows that traveling does not have to be just for those who can easily get around. Everybody can get out there and see the world, so take that chance while you still can.
Until next time, keep exploring and experiencing life’s little pleasures.
John Collings 