For our third November in a row, we left Sabática in her winter berth (this year it’s in Cartagena, Spain) and set off to visit as many family members and friends as possible within six weeks. Each year we’ve been getting a bit more efficient, and this time we were down to only six flights, one rental car, and eight different beds. We did, however, have to introduce European trains and buses into the mix.
Our round trip:
The only drama
I consider it a miracle that we can travel this far and wide during winter months without any hitches nor illnesses. For which, I’m extremely grateful. The only hiccup we encountered was on Day 1 as we were leaving Cartagena. Depending on how you look at it, though, we could be considered lucky or not. I consider it the former, given the devastation we nearly arrived into and managed to avoid…
The day was October 30, 2024, a day that will likely live forever in the memories of Spaniards, especially those in the Valencia region. Around 6 am, we took our first taxi from our marina to the Cartagena train/bus station and boarded our roughly 5-hour train ride headed for Valencia. (We had a flight leaving Valencia that evening that would take us to Cork, Ireland.) About two and a half hours into our journey, the train pulled into the station in Alicante and just stopped. There was great confusion. The staff member spoke no English, nor did he try to explain anything to us in Spanish, but it eventually became obvious that we had to get off the train. (No one else was getting off.) I showed him our tickets stating we were going to Valencia, and all we got was a “No.”
Eventually, another staff member arrived on the platform and was somehow able to communicate to us that no trains (nor cars, for that matter) were currently able to reach Valencia from the south. We eventually learned that Valencia had received nearly a year’s worth of rain in eight hours, and rail lines and roads were closed due to immense flooding.
Within a few hours, we had managed to book a hotel in Alicante for the night and re-routed our Ryanair flight to leave the next day from Alicante and arrive into Shannon, Ireland. From Shannon, we would get a bus across the country to reach Dublin. Shockingly, the train company completely reimbursed us for our full train tickets, and Ryanair didn’t charge us a dime extra either. I learned that according to EU law, this is the way it works when natural disasters occur. I don’t think that would ever happen in the USA.
Needless to say, while inconvenienced, we went with the flow and found our Plan B, as cruising has taught us to do. Also, put in perspective, this was absolutely nothing compared to what we learned was suffered in the Valencia region. Spain experienced the most deadly flooding in decades as over 200 people lost their lives; vehicles, bridges, and homes were simply swept away; and mud covered everything. Absolutely heartbreaking. Conor was in touch with his friend, Paolo, who lives in Valencia with his wife and son. We had recently spent a weekend with them in Altea. Thankfully, they were fine, but we saw firsthand videos from them of the shocking situation. If you didn’t see footage at the time, you can read about and view the devastation here.
By Christmas, it sounded like Valencia was quite recovered. They are now encouraging tourists to come visit once again, and if you have not been, we highly recommend it! (I still owe that blog post.)
On to happier times…
Once again, I missed many photo opportunities because the focus is always just spending time with family and friends. We’re grateful they let us keep showing up. 😉
Dublin
Visits to Conor’s home in Monkstown (a village in south Dublin) afford us great quality time with his mom, Brenda, which includes great long chats over meals. We can also tackle occasional house projects for her. We meet family and friends for dinners, pints, and coffees, and take plenty of long walks. This trip, I also took a tour of University College Dublin to add to my college knowledge base for work. I was highly impressed and have already recommended it to one American student!
Chicago
Our first stop in the USA was a long weekend in Chicago in order to see Rory perform in his latest theater production, Arcadia. We love watching him on stage, and this weekend was extra special because all my immediate family from Texas came up to join us. Rory was quite honored. We also finally got to see his college apartment for the first time and experience Chicago’s lively Chinatown area.
California
Lots of friends to catch up with here! I also make a point to get those annual doctor checkups done. (Conor opted out this time.) This year, we were based in Menlo Park where we were largely house sitting for dear friends, Howard and Mel. However, we lucked out and their travel plans changed such that we got to spend good time with them as well. Lunches, dinners, pints, walks, hikes along the coast in Half Moon Bay, and holiday celebrations ensued.
Texas
With family spread out, we always like to reach San Antonio, Austin, and Dallas. Rory and Laura joined us for the week, which was awesome. Laura’s amazing birthday dinner was the highlight in San Antonio. Thanksgiving took place in Austin, and Lonny and Nicole were the most generous hosts. It was a special holiday because it was the first time both sides of their families were (almost) all together. Tons of cousins and tons of fun! We got to see some dear friends during our travels as well.
Being blessed with family and friends on multiple continents makes travel a non-negotiable. We are very used to hopping all over the place now, and it really makes the world feel small. It really is after all. 😉
Sailing Sabática 
Wow, you certainly covered a lot of ground over the holidays! Enjoyed the update and photos, as always 😊 – Meghan
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