On the 15th August, Pam and I will be celebrating our Golden Wedding Anniversary.
I think you will all agree that 50 years of marriage is quite some achievement. A lot of things can happen in half a century. Thankfully Pam and I haven't had too many crisis to deal with and we are blessed with two wonderful daughters who have helped us enormously along the way. We also have good friends and two grandchildren who have greatly enriched our lives.
So, as I say, time to celebrate.
Plan A: We investigated a “once in a lifetime trip” and eventually agreed that, sailing to New York on the Queen Mary, staying a few days in a 4 star hotel and then flying back would suit us well.
There are any number of companies that offer this trip and many options. With careful research, we discovered the right time of year, the better deck to choose, the luxury options to pick etc etc. Apparently, it is better to sail from Southampton to New York and then fly back to Gatwick.
We then looked at the logistics of getting from our home in Spain to Southampton and back to Spain from Gatwick which, as you might expect was not going to be straightforward. We also considered whether it was feasible to have our family join us. In the end we gave up on the idea.
Plan B: Our son-in law suggested that we might like to combine our celebration with our youngest daughter and his 40th birthdays. So we investigated options for a family holiday in Mallorca where we had enjoyed a couple of luxury villa holidays before. We also considered a Mediterranean cruise but found it was almost impossible to suit everyone.
Plan C: Eventually, we agreed that a city break in Paris in May would suit us all. Pam and I booked a large modern flat in the centre of Paris through AirBnB. We booked flights from Alicante to Orly and the rest of the family made reservations on Eurostar. Everything was paid for and organised and then along came coronavirus. Thankfully, we were able to get refunds for our accommodation and travel.
Plan D: It became obvious that we would have to celebrate here in Bigastro. The decision to impose a 14 day quarantine on anyone returning to the UK though was making it impossible for any of our family to join us. Then there was a chink of light. Spain was considered a safe destination so our eldest daughter and her friend booked flights. Pam made plans for celebratory meals and booked a special one for the 15th.
That was until yesterday when the UK Government made a U turn and decided that Spain was no longer safe and that passengers from our country would have to self isolate for 14 days on their return. Well thank you Mr. Why could you not simply test everyone arriving from Spain and only make those who test positive go into quarantine. Test them twice if necessary. Thousands are already here and many more have bookings to come here – plans, including ours, are in tatters.
Plan E: We don't have a plan E. As Pam said, we spent our honeymoon on our own, looks like we'll be doing the same for our 50th anniversary. As I pointed out, there is a difference!
I think you will all agree that 50 years of marriage is quite some achievement. A lot of things can happen in half a century. Thankfully Pam and I haven't had too many crisis to deal with and we are blessed with two wonderful daughters who have helped us enormously along the way. We also have good friends and two grandchildren who have greatly enriched our lives.
So, as I say, time to celebrate.
Plan A: We investigated a “once in a lifetime trip” and eventually agreed that, sailing to New York on the Queen Mary, staying a few days in a 4 star hotel and then flying back would suit us well.
There are any number of companies that offer this trip and many options. With careful research, we discovered the right time of year, the better deck to choose, the luxury options to pick etc etc. Apparently, it is better to sail from Southampton to New York and then fly back to Gatwick.
We then looked at the logistics of getting from our home in Spain to Southampton and back to Spain from Gatwick which, as you might expect was not going to be straightforward. We also considered whether it was feasible to have our family join us. In the end we gave up on the idea.
Plan B: Our son-in law suggested that we might like to combine our celebration with our youngest daughter and his 40th birthdays. So we investigated options for a family holiday in Mallorca where we had enjoyed a couple of luxury villa holidays before. We also considered a Mediterranean cruise but found it was almost impossible to suit everyone.
Plan C: Eventually, we agreed that a city break in Paris in May would suit us all. Pam and I booked a large modern flat in the centre of Paris through AirBnB. We booked flights from Alicante to Orly and the rest of the family made reservations on Eurostar. Everything was paid for and organised and then along came coronavirus. Thankfully, we were able to get refunds for our accommodation and travel.
Plan D: It became obvious that we would have to celebrate here in Bigastro. The decision to impose a 14 day quarantine on anyone returning to the UK though was making it impossible for any of our family to join us. Then there was a chink of light. Spain was considered a safe destination so our eldest daughter and her friend booked flights. Pam made plans for celebratory meals and booked a special one for the 15th.
That was until yesterday when the UK Government made a U turn and decided that Spain was no longer safe and that passengers from our country would have to self isolate for 14 days on their return. Well thank you Mr. Why could you not simply test everyone arriving from Spain and only make those who test positive go into quarantine. Test them twice if necessary. Thousands are already here and many more have bookings to come here – plans, including ours, are in tatters.
Plan E: We don't have a plan E. As Pam said, we spent our honeymoon on our own, looks like we'll be doing the same for our 50th anniversary. As I pointed out, there is a difference!
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