Well, we almost cancelled the trip. The weekend before the day we were scheduled to leave, I started with a fever, horrific cough, and just felt exhausted. I went to the walk-in clinic where the Dr diagnosed bronchitis. She set me up with an arsenal of meds in the hopes my fever would break 24 hours before we were to due to leave on our journey, which thankfully it did.

Armed with my medicine cache, we embarked on our journey, and waited at Newark for our Lufthansa flight, which was delayed. We had a tight turn around in Munich to catch our connecting flight, so we were a bit worried we wouldn’t make it.

We arrived in Munich and had to sprint to the next gate, which of course, was literally the furthest gate in the airport from where we had landed. (If you haven’t sprinted with bronchitis, you don’t know what you’re missing.)

We made the plane and arrived in Madrid.

Our checked bag did not.

We had to wait on a long line to file a claim to have our luggage delivered to the hotel. But I knew our driver was waiting for us outside, and we couldn’t go out to let him know because they wouldn’t let us back in. I texted our guide who told the driver we would be there soon.

We finally filed the claim, but didn’t have high hopes the lady really understood that it was imperative our luggage arrive at our current hotel, as soon as possible, since we would be leaving it on Sunday and then who knows how they would get it to us.

We met our driver, in the pouring rain, and we walked to his car. It was like a monsoon when we exited from the terminal – strong gusts of wind, local flooding, and over an inch of rain was forecasted, much of it already on the ground. We had to walk thru puddles since the road had streams of water pouring by, so now my ballet shoes are soaked. And I’m coughing non-stop.

The driver gets us in the car in the parking garage and proceeds to go out the gate, but of course, as our luck would have it, the gate won’t open. Fifteen minutes waiting for help.

We finally get underway, I’m coughing up a lung, only to be stuck in traffic because there’s a major accident ahead. The rain is pelting the car and the wind is raging. (Our guide later told us they actually had to close the park since tree limbs were falling and the place was flooding!)

We arrived at the hotel, met our guide who is very nice and funny, and had a meeting with all the group to introduce ourselves and to find out the information we needed to know for the next few days. I had told the guide when I arrived, since it sounded like I had tuberculosis or worse, not to worry about my cough. I told him I have bronchitis and have a note that I was cleared for travel. I had the results from my COVID, RSV, and flu tests plus my negative chest x-ray results with me. He said no worries. During the meeting I had to excuse myself because of the cough and Allan told me our guide was very kind and told everyone I’m not contagious, I have bronchitis, and will no doubt be coughing during the trip. Everyone has been very kind and understanding, and they ask how I’m doing. It’s a nice group of folks.

Our friends Kelly and Jim are with us, so after the meeting we had a quick dinner together and then it was to bed for a much needed sleep!