Preboard 2026

No food or drink is as tasty as airport food and drink on the departure side of the airport.... Unless it is departing towards home, it is slightly less tasty then.

Ah, ready to go again! I guess this is kind of a travel blog, but not in the series I was doing. I am almost done with that one, and soon enough, I will have all new things to write about. Doing a very similar trip to the last. A weekish on a tour and then a weekish on our own. This might be the new norm for my life. Every two-ish years, do a big trip somewhere. Hoping I got at least 30 more years, so 15 more amazing places?? I have done more looking into things this time. Last trip, I knew I wanted to see Paris, Italy, and parts of Greece, so I didn't dig too much, just let it come. Spain and Portugal, which we are doing with a tour group I don't know much about. So yes, I did some googling, and it did get me excited. Spain looks pretty damn nice. We will see Barcelona, Madrid, Toledo, and Seville. Then some time in Lisbon. That's a tour.... Then, on our own, we fly to Florence for a few days and down to Rome before returning home. This is the way to do it. A tour you only see so much, don't get enough time, but get an overview, and hell, if we like Spain and Portugal, maybe go back on our own. Maybe, we will see, but we loved Florence and Rome, so being on our own for some time will be amazing.

Getting ready to travel is the best and most nerve-wracking part. What does one pack? I have seen guys on 3-week trips with a teeny tiny bag. Barely any toiletries. I can't do it. I am certain one or two hotels will have great soap and shampoo that I will use, but I want mine with me as well. Shorts? Is it going to be warm? Nice pants for fancy places? Need a hat! Not a ball cap, though. Cigars?? Or will they have real good ones there? These are all first-world problems, I get that. Mostly just enough clean underwear, and I am good to go. THEN we have work. I am certain that if I died at work, they would just toss my corpse in a dumpster and send my wife a $3 card, BUT for some reason, I still wanna do well. Make sure I have no loose ends, and my clients are all dealt with, while I vanish for 3 weeks because no, I will not be doing anything work-related. I have a bad habit, once in a while, of doing a bit of work on holidays if I am home, or even last year in Kelowna, but not in ROME! That's honestly my biggest stressor before we go. On the flip side, I am getting excited! Did a Spanish course. Not sure if it helped. I feel I can read things pretty well and even understand some, but my tongue gets too big in my mouth, and words don't form properly when I try to speak, and the most basic things like..... The, they, and, it. Words that make sentences make sense will not stay in my head, IDK why. Also, on a random night with some wine, I decided I should get a Maple Leaf tattoo so people will know I am Canadian. Sobered up and followed through. I read the best ideas come when you're drunk, but they still sound good sober. That's what this was! Kind of happy I wanted a new tattoo either way, and this was quick and easy. So here we are, almost ready, a mix of excitement and trying to get shit done!!!

Tickets were booked long ago. Not business but premier, I think. Little more leg room, little more reclining. Better food and free drinks. Not that I will use that much; I have a funny feeling I  am going to enjoy some food and beverages before I board the plane. Not waiting for in-flight service at 8 or 9 PM or whenever they finally serve after takeoff. Although the warm towel is surprisingly nice for some reason. Mostly good seating to be comfy, maybe sleep, and hopefully feel good when we land. Last time we had a couple of days to adjust and not have jet lag. This time, the tour starts on the day we land. 

So when we hit Spain, we get to Barcelona. Again, not a place I know a ton about, so to me, that is exciting. We get a bus tour, which is sometimes boring, just driving by things, and a walking tour. Which can be very good. Possibly see Montserrat, which, in reality, I have heard of but have no idea why. Also, maybe a dinner in the Gothic quarter. Then off to Madrid. Through Aragon, which again I have heard of, and a stop at Zaragoza, which honestly just is fun to say! Madrid might be interesting. Other than a walking tour and possibly dinner, they don't seem to have much lined up. The plan says enjoy on your own. Which last time meant here is a couple of hours, so you can have lunch, and in the evening, we are far enough from anything that you just stay at the hotel. I could be wrong, maybe it is in the heart of the city. Then through Toledo to Saville. The Toledo tour looks neat, and Saville is a Be Our Guest night. A "home-cooked" meal with locals. In Florence, this was awesome, so I hope it is again! Shockingly, Saville has the most going on. Of course, a tour, possibly out to where the Dornish castle from Game of Thrones was, and Flamenco! Honestly, all of that sounds good!! Then into Portugal and Lisbon. I know sweet fuck all about here, so it should be a learning experience. This time, I want to actually pay attention to what your guides say and learn!! It doesn't seem like these days have a ton going on. One night, a dinner with Fado, which I heard is pretty impressive. Possibly a day in a coastal fishing village and another dinner. Last time the final dinner was nice, a good evening, even if it wasn't the best meal. Hope this one is pretty close.  Then we fly to Italy. We will be on our own for that part.

So, Spain is known for Flamenco and football. Since I don't care about soccer, Flameco, I look forward to. They are amazing dancers, I will give them that. Something I did look up everywhere we are headed is what to eat and drink! Spain said Tapas, I thought that was a given. Paella, I guess, is saffron rice with meat or seafood. Damn ya, that sounds delightful. Jamon Ilberico. Without a translator, I know that means ham..... I became obsessed with Prosucuto after Italy, and I want to know if this is going to match up. To drink, though they say Sangria or Vermouth. Well, I am not a huge Sangria guy, but who knows, maybe they do it better? Vermouth, I really hope they do it better cause I kinda hate it here!!!

Portugal has its Fado music. Portuguese blues is the best way I have heard it described. Or at least the one I most hope is right. It has to be big, though. Any search of Portugal and it seems like that is all they do, oh, and fish. Piri Piri chicken is supposedly good, but it doesn't amaze me here. Bacalhau is salted codfish, definitely tryable. Dunno if I'll get a good night kiss that night. I could try the grilled sardines that day too. Get it all out of the way. Supposedly, the Expresso culture here is amazing, so ya gonna try that. 

Those are the few things I hope I can see and try on tour. That got me thinking about the tour. I have such fond memories of last time and hope this time is just as good. Met some really great people and hope we have the same this time. The world is more fucked up. Hopefully, religion and politics stay TF out of this trip. Last time we had a pastor, which, kind of, sounds lame but was amazing. His positivity and honestly loudness really broke the ice and got people talking. We met some local people and a lot of other Canadians as well. I don't think the chances of that are quite as high, but maybe? I don't know how full the bus will be. Last time we were told we needed to rotate seats, we didn't, and no one cared. I wonder if that will actually happen this time. I mean, I liked my seat and kinda hope we get to keep it like that. I hope the bus is as new and nice. While I hate that the bathroom was locked, I kind of like that it never smelled, and maybe we can keep it that way? I hope the guide is as good. Our last one, I would have probably judged him as pretentious if I had met him on the street, but the fact was, he was awesome. Hopefully, having such a great first trip doesn't make every future one seem not as good!

So that's the new shit. I am excited for all of it! What I am really looking forward to is some time on our own, just my wife and me, in places we really enjoyed! We are going back to Florence for a couple of days. First off, have to see some Medici history. Booked one of their palace tours. That's it, that's all. another day and a half, roughly, to see the sights on our own. There is a ton to choose from. The Ponte Vecchio, of course. The view from Piazzale Michelangelo, the Uffizi Gallery, the Boboli Gardens, of course, the Duomo, and yes, I still kinda wanna see where Machiavelli and Michelangelo are buried! Trust me, I am hitting a wine window, and hell yes, corny as it is, that shit is going on social media!! However, this isn't gonna be a rush, rush couple of days. I said Florence felt classy and laid back, and that is what I really want. See what we want at our pace. Just relax for a couple of days after a tour that is just go, go, go. Oh, and I really hope to try Bistecca alla Fiorentina. Google that fucking steak, might have an early bedtime after that!!

Then it's a high-speed train to Rome. Fairly certain I was either Romulus in a past life or somehow his direct heir..... Either way, the train is gonna be amazballs, I have never done that, and then arrive in my favorite city. I will be exploring Trastevere. A big ass bowl of Cacio E Pepe. High on the list. Gonna see the Forum, the Colosseum, the catacombs, and a day in Pompeii. Vespa rides, some time just sitting by a pool. Then sadly at some point home....

Travel is something I am extremely grateful for. The fact is, I know not everyone gets to go see shit like this. Or some people wait and save their entire lives, seeing that I am grateful, I get to do this. That ability to do it while I am young. Each to their own, but I don't see how you wouldn't want to see this. I mean, even when I didn't think it was in the cards, I still wanted to see it. The fact is, yes, I am still super jealous of Anthony Bourdain and Josh Gates. I still wanna know how to get their jobs! However, as of right now, I am very happy, thankful, and grateful that I get to see more of the world. Like I said, 15 more trips? If you're young and have any way of doing it, do it! Mexico is great: bikinis, booze, and beaches. Make sure you see that as well, everyone deserves a spring break.... or two! But go see the rest of the world. Hit up some places you wanna see and are comfy with, then try a couple of strange ones. Or ones you don't know, or maybe it crossed your mind but went away. Go see that one too! It's a big old world, and it is always incredible to see more of it. 

"Travel is not a reward for working. It's education for living."