Let the Journey Begin
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Valencia,
Spain
Friday, June 16, 2006
"Abandoned luggage will be systematically destroyed", clacked the overhead speaker in the Paris airport.
"Systematically destroyed?", I questioned. "What is the difference in simply being destroyed as opposed to systematically destroyed? Either way you are really left with nothing" I internally rationalized as I sat in the Orly Airport in Paris for three hours. What else can you do when the only words you understand are "systematically" and "destroyed"? I pulled my backpack closer to my feet, just in case.
As with any trip, ours began with delays. After boarding our Chicago plane, we were ordered off for a short mechanical problem. Three hours later we were finally in the sky. Of course this meant we missed our connecting flight in Paris. Yet, finally, five hours behind schedule, we landed in Valencia, Spain. In a new country, we were greeted by old friends.
"There really is no better way to begin a trip", I thought as enjoyed my beer on the rooftop of Scott and Marta's apartment, looking over the maze of tiled streets, crowded cars, piled buildings, and city lights. Even with delays, lack of sleep, and little food, being here, the first night in someplace new, is better than anything I could be doing back home.
