Continents

Welcome back to the United States after the very real prospect of spending summer trapped in our house under the Middle Eastern sun proved to be too much after three and a half months dealing with the nuttiness of a pandemic.

A place emanates a soul and personality. Always. It’s picked up on the first stay. And even subsequent visit. It can be sensed. So, will I recognize you on my return to the United States?

Sri Lanka is the antithesis of Qatar. Green, inexpensive, and lacking massive amounts of natural oil and gas reserves. It’s also the first country any newcomer to the region visits. Safe and affordable with activities for every traveler. It’s the 1990’s undiscovered Thailand.

We passed over the same terrain we’d covered for weeks. Physically exhausted, the family was mentally ready to go home. A layover in Casablanca demanded otherwise.

Nadine and kids knocked slushy snow off their ski boots in Güéjar Sierra. The crew had to travel to Valencia before the Spanish New Year.

Every January, people around the world, in a sense of self improvement, create personal goals. Eat better. Lose weight. My 2020 goal is be more present. Present to my wife. Present to my kids. Present to the people that are around me. A digital detox light.

Cautiously excavating the Peugeot from an overpriced underground parking unit into the early morning sun, our brief time here was over. It was time for skiing Sierra Nevada, the mountains looming over Granada.

Does Rudolph have a sixth sense? Does GPS guide Santa’s sleigh? How do all those Christmas presents make their way around so quickly and accurately? Does he know we’re here in Spain? These were some of the kid’s questions for a Christmas in Spain.