The dreaded Covid test! I had gone twenty months without being tested. Then I made the decision to accompany my sister to Houston for her 87th birthday and that of her twin, our brother, who lives there.
So twenty months without a test and then four in six days. The Canadian re-entry test requirement creates the most stress. The “within 72 hours” requirement is strictly enforced so I spent a stressful 24-hours worrying about getting results in time to travel.
Now, we are going to England. First stop – the Air Canada web site. It sets out the Canada departure / UK entry requirements and then the UK departure / Canada entry requirements. Not confused yet? There are numerous hyperlinked references to various UK and Canadian government web-sites. These will be sure to confuse you.
And then we need passenger locator forms, Arrive-CAN documents and possibly various other bits and pieces. Don’t stop checking regularly to make sure that there isn’t something new that could mess up travel plans.
I am double vaxxed! We are careful! We mask indoors, in public transit, and on crowded streets. The odds of either my wife or I getting are very slim, getting seriously ill very, very, very slim…. So I don’t really dread the test! I dread:
Is the “dreaded Covid Test” worth it? Everyone will have their own answer. The trip to Houston reminded me of the importance of family. My remaining siblings are between 12 and 16 years older than me. Not so unusual – WW II caused long marital separations. My family means something to me. So, not only did we see my brother and sister-in-law but also my two nephews and my niece whom I had not seen in years. I met their families. I hope that I will see them more often.
The England trip is one that I just have to make to rid myself of any Covid-residual, travel-related apprehensions. And we love London and the family that we have there.
I know! I am going to sound like a grumpy old man. Maybe that is because I am. I have been scratching my head in wonderment at the Taylor Swift phenomena. Is she an Incredible song writer, composer, and performer? I really don’t know! A discussion for another time? But probably not. At my age […]
Don’t build it! At least, Not In My Back Yard ! I acted as an advisor in the sale of a beautifully natural, 14-acre urban waterfront estate. Existing zoning allowed for the development of 30 to 35 single-family homes, which after road dedication would leave very little green space. I did not think that was […]
We were visiting Glasgow (literally that Dear Green Place in Gaelic) to see where my father was born, grew up, and went to University. Fortunately for me, my cousin John from Australia had just visited and had met with historians, Bruce Downie and Norry Wilson. So, we too arranged to meet them in the Govanhill […]
Vienna on top again. This week both Monocle Magazine and The Economist unveiled their quality of life / most liveable city indexes. There are differences in the way each publication sets its index. So it is even more impressive that once again, Vienna tops both lists. I am a bit lazy today so rather than […]
Many Viennese went from hot bedding to superblocks overnight. Could they even imagine an apartment complex 1000 metres long built along two streets with even more massive landscaped courtyards? Could they conceive of 1400 apartment units built to house 5000 people on 56,000 square metres or 38 acres of land. Or a vertical build-out that […]
Vienna had been a poor city even before the First World War. “Normal” housing arrangements meant six to eight people sharing one room and a kitchen. Then, in early 1919, just after the Armistice, the cost of living tripled in two months. Bed lodgers could no longer afford their 8-hours a day in a shared […]