Friendly Skies to Chicago

 

It's the city of my family's American roots. Both of my parents were born here. We have several cousins who grew up here.

Chicago was recently named second among the most beautiful cities in the world, first in America.

But wait! 

Bill and I are not exactly experiencing all that Windy City ambience cuz we stayed last night at a motel located near O'Hare International Airport. 

The stay marked my first night away from home in two years. Bill has one overnight stay under his belt during that period from a birthday trip to Seattle earlier this year. 

In spite of our location out here west of the big city, we did experience a literally delightful taste of Chicago last night while dining at the nearby Harry Caray's Italian Steakhouse. 

My steak and Bill's chicken parmesan delivered on our server's promise of high quality. 

We had a great flight to Chicago yesterday and happily navigated the Covid protocols, even feeling somewhat relaxed about the fact that everyone on the plane was doing the same.

We are here in Chicago until this afternoon when we HOPE we meet the required Covid documentary protocol for boarding an Aer Lingus jet to Dublin, Ireland. 

Our plan with this trip, which has involved so much research to ensure that we've crossed our t's and dotted our i's, has been to keep going forward until someone tells us we can't go any further.

If we make onto that plane, we'll spend two weeks in Ireland, probably stessing out again toward the end when we have to have a Covid test with negative results to return to the United States. 

As we did on the plane yesterday, we feel comfortable that we are going to a country with a rate of more than 70 percent of its eligible citizenry fully vaccinated. So, we feel optimistic AND excited as all get out.

This trip was originally planned for March-April 2020, with our family. We had hoped to celebrate Bill's 70th birthday in beautiful Malin Head, the northernmost point of the Republic of Ireland and in Donegal, the home of my mother's ancestry.  Well, we all know the rest of that story. 

So, here we are, at last, giving it another try, sadly without the kids but hoping for the best.

If we make it to Ireland, Bill and I will still take some time to raise a glass of Guinness to his 70 plus a few hundred days' birthday.

I hope to post on the blog as often as possible but know that the timing might not always be good. Plus, my old laptop may not always be reliable.  So, if the blog doesn't appear, check on Facebook for photos from a magical land that we so love!  Next stop Dublin. 

If that doesn't work, our contingency plan is to fly home, get in the car and head off on a road trip because our wonderful friend Elisabeth is watching the Lovestead and the beloveds. 

Happy Wednesday. 

 

Waiting to board our flight from Spokane Airport.