Travel Bug is Back

DW and I have begun watching travel shows and videos again, and I think that's a mistake. It's awoken the travel bug within me.

Currently, we're virtually travelling. We've been doing the Camino de Santiago virtual challenge for more than five weeks, and we've begun watching videos of the areas we've 'visited.' While I know that I don't have the feet to actually walk the 773.9 kilometres of this pilgrimage, there are some cities that I knew very little about before I started my virtual journey but now want to visit.

Because Rioja is one of DW's and my favourite wine regions, we just might make that trip someday.

DW and I had our 2020 travel plans dashed because of COVID-19 but we still want to visit Germany, the Netherlands, and Belgium. And while 2021 does not look promising—we haven't even attempted to make plans, we're hopeful that 2022 is the year that we head to Europe.

But DW and I haven't been watching travel shows about these three countries. We have a well-detailed itinerary from last year, complete with hotels. When the time comes, we hope that the accommodations that we had reserved will still be available, and that the only thing that will have changed in our plans is the year.

Edinburgh, 2010 (© Ross Brown)

What we've been watching are videos of other travel destinations, and one that has become foremost in my head, of which DW is all for, is a kayak trip from Glasgow, Scotland, to Edinburgh. The last time that I was in Glasgow was in May of 1988. That month, I also visited Edinburgh a couple of times during my vacation. I returned to Edinburgh, 22 years later, in 2010.

DW and I love our kayaks, and when we saw a Rick Steves show of Glasgow and the surrounding area, we saw the Falkirk swing locks. I was curious to see where this canal system ran and was delighted to learn that it ran from Glasgow to Edinburgh. It's an 87-km trek.

"We could easily do that in three days," I told DW. If we were really ambitious, we could do it in two, but that would be really pushing ourselves, and it's no fun to end a day too exhausted to enjoy anything beyond a bed.

I've started looking into this trip, in earnest. We would spend a day or two in Glasgow, and then set out in rented kayaks. We would plan to spend a good part of a day in Falkirk. We would also spend a few days in Edinburgh—with a day trip to North Berwick, of course—before hitting the Scottish Highlands (which I have never seen).

Of course, these plans are preliminary and are subject to change. There are some canals through various lochs in the highlands, and those are also an option.

The pandemic has put a damper on travelling in 2020 and 2021. But looking ahead to the next couple of years, I can't wait to set out again.