Feeling the Bug

At a time when I should be feeding the pig, I am instead feeling the bug. The traveling bug, that is: that wanderlust-carrying critter that lurks around nearly every dark corner. Part of this feeling is driven by the number of frequent flier miles I've accumulated on one of the surviving airlines, enough miles to get me to and from Europe once again.

A woman I work with is planning such a trip for next March, when she and her daughter will travel to London and Madrid, with a brief stop in New York thrown in just to keep the domestic economy stimulated. She says, "You should go on a trip, too. You never know when those FF miles will be worthless." I agree, too--the way entire airlines are dropping out of the sky, who knows how long such perks will exist?

A couple of problems, however. First, I have only enough FF miles to travel in the off-season, so I'm limited to those times of the year. Second, because of my wife's work schedule, she would not be able to accompany me in said off season. Which means, then, that I would more than likely have to travel alone once again, since scheduling these trips is not easy for anyone.

Of course, though solo trekking has never caused me much mental anguish, sharing a few experiences would not necessarily be bad.

Where to go? Oh, probably once again England, for I do not think I saw enough of the country, specifically London. Some people believe (one of George Bush's favorite lines, and I'm sorry for using it) that returning to places visited before is somewhat limiting. But, to his credit, my friend Shawn understood my reasoning and said, "That's why we have to go back." Kudos to him for getting my point without my really articulating it.

Why? Well, my brief stay in London was a bit frenetic, and I never stopped moving. Afraid to linger in one place too long because I feared not seeing something else, I did not nurse my visits as I should have. I also did not visit enough pubs, and that is truly a bad thing. And will I go? Right now, it is difficult to say.