Sometimes you just get tired of being careful. Life passes by and you feel like an outsider – you are not participating. This is how two grandmothers – myself included – and their teenage granddaughters ended up in Madrid for three very full days when Fall leave began.
Of course, we knew that coronavirus case numbers were on the rise. But who has the time and inclination to worry about this when your plane lands in sunny Madrid?
Our group would have been fine with me walking around in a mask all day. Yet it felt weird to do so, when (almost) nobody else was wearing one. Masks were obligatory only when using public transportation.
Peer pressure is a funny thing. Even when there is no actual pressure, you can create it yourself. A mask tends to set you slightly aside if others are not wearing one too. You feel different whether others treat you as such or not. Unless you are into being aloof, it is not a fun feeling; which is why I chose to join the majority.
As always – this was not our first trip abroad as a group – our trip was a thoroughly positive experience. This time, however, it was a little too much so. Thanks to my silent stowaway, the coronavirus, I tested corona positive upon my return. Still, I have no regrets. I thoroughly enjoyed our maskless foray into Spanish culture at its richest.
However, looking back at our carefree days in Madrid, I can’t help wondering when I picked up my passenger. I guess we all do that once we test positive.
Was it at the Thyssen-Bornemisza Museum where we saw the great Picasso/Chanel exhibition?
Maybe it was when I was scolded by a museum guard for photographing Picasso’s Guernica in the Reina Sofia Museum?
Here I feel the need to defend myself. The museum’s “No photos” sign read as if it referred only to the room that Guernica was in, while I was taking my photo from the next room. In addition, photos are allowed in other areas of the Reina Sofia Museum as proven by the auditorium photo below, which we specifically asked permission for. Immersive art at its best.
Going back to my new companion, did the stowaway hop aboard as we were enjoying the views on the top floor of Riu Plaza Espana? We missed a visit to the Royal Palace of Madrid and the Prado Museum this time, but at least we got a glimpse of the former from the roof top.
Then again, my stowaway may have caught up with me when the girls were shopping through their shortlist of environmentally friendly brands – or on the hop on hop off bus, while I was commenting on the fact that even head post offices look like palaces in Madrid.
Many would consider the flamenco restaurant we visited the most probable breeding ground for stowaways. It was packed, and the tickets cost enough for people to disregard a slight cough or cold instead of foregoing the flamenco experience. An experience that was unanimously voted “best experience of our trip” by the teenagers.
The Picasso/Chanel exhibition and Guernica ended up tied for second position even though Retiro Park was close behind.
The downstairs delicatessen “made our day” each afternoon as we returned to our airbnb for a short recharge. There is no way the virus embedded itself in my cookie! Nothing would be right in this world if that could happen.
However, if I had to bet on where I picked up my silent stowaway, my bet would be on the waitress who managed to sneeze directly at me as we were having lunch in a well-known restaurant. Looking back, there is something so familiar about that sneeze. I found myself re-enacting it – albeit handkerchief at hand – a few days later.
This is how the virus travels. We have to work for a living, we get frustrated with tight rules and regulations, we want to live and experience things together as we used to with friends and family. The virus is betting on us acting as we do and adapting to our ways. The less deadly it is, the more probably we will allow it near us. Silent stowaways are all around us, just waiting for a ride.
The good thing about this pause in my life is that I have less time to worry about the world now that I have to worry about each new symptom. Is that the same headache my sister-in-law suffered from creeping up on me? Do I feel extra tired like many say they did? Definitely – at least, when it’s my turn to empty the dishwasher. Am I loosing my voice like my friend did? Why am I not feeling worse? Can this really be over in a few days? What about long Covid? Is the virus just sitting there, planning a new attack?
There are now two of us. My silent stowaway, who managed to disrupt the world together with its very extended family, and I. Life continues. We will both move on to business as usual, whatever that is, once our quarantine is over.
Niceoldlady 