FINALLY – SPAIN!!!

She checked for her passport and boarding pass for the hundredth time as she waited for the boarding call of her flight. It was not because she might have misplaced it in the bustling airport, but rather because she couldn’t get herself to believe she was actually going to Spain!!! It looked so surreal….

Reaching here had been a long journey. After her initial doubts, she decided to go for it. She would have loved to go alone on this adventure, but wasn’t brave enough. Luckily her friend; who had initially suggested the trip, hadn’t been to Spain and was free to join her. She was thrilled. Her relationship with this friend had the amazing balance of intimacy and non intrusion. She was happy that she had the perfect company for the trip. 

Planning for the trip turned out to be such fun. They both decided on when to go, which places to visit, where would they stay, their mode of travel and so on. All she had read about in that book of hers was Andalucía. But there was so much to see in Spain, that she couldn’t limit herself to that one place. But choosing was tough – Spain has exotic beaches, mountains, old towns, metropolitan cities, islands and almost everything in the geographic and cultural range. And they had only 10 days to see it all. After a month of discussion, they could finally decide on which places to visit. They had chosen the Easter holidays to go there – the perfect time to be there, as Easter celebrations in Spain were spectacular. With her tickets and visa done, all she had to do was tell the rest of the world.

She did not let anyone know of her plans. Maybe she didn’t want to explain everyone about her dream, maybe she already knew the protest her parents would raise, maybe she was expecting people to question her….Mostly it was because she wanted to keep this experience close to her heart. She wanted it to be perfect. But getting away from the rest of the world for 10 days seemed quite difficult. She had to tell her parents and close friends – they would be anxious if they do not receive that everyday call. It took quite a lot of convincing that she would be safe and Europe wouldn’t really eat her up. She had to apply for a leave from office – which seemed impossible without stating reason for leave. Finally when she did tell her about her trip – she was showered with blessings and good advices. It felt good but was also embarrassing – she wasn’t good with handling that kind of attention. But finally it was all over. 

She packed carefully – all her best clothes, good pair of shoes, light winter wear (it was hot summer in India, but websites said it would be chilly in Spain – wow!!), camera, a notebook to record events, and also some food (for times when she might miss India). She was so excited she even took a photograph of the shy and smiling taxi driver helping with her bags, once she reached the airport. She loitered around the airport, willing time to go faster and get her to her destination soon.

The boarding call for her flight was announced. As she queued up for boarding, she was hit with a fresh volley of doubts – what was she doing, why was she taking such risks as going to a totally unknown place, was it worth all that money, what if she didn’t have a good time….She stopped this train of thought before it occupied her entire mind. It was 2 am, and she was tired of all that excitement. She couldn’t get herself worked up with all the doubts anymore. She looked forward to some sleep during the nine hour flight to Paris, where she would take another connecting flight to Madrid.  

Madrid!!!.... She couldn’t stop smiling…..

                                                                   To be continued….