It's been nice knowing you!

Rick, Shelley, Michael, Judith and Ginny at our apartment


Michael and Judith before reality hit!


Taking a break from the travelogue to report on the craziness in Europe right now due to the volcanic eruption in Iceland and the spread of a huge ash cloud over European air space. This started last Thursday and now it is Wednesday and airports are starting to open up. People, schedules and things have been so disrupted that it has been amazing. It is a sign of our total interdependance at this point. At some point, the "experts" were saying that it could continue to erupt and cause disruptions for months! (We were starting to think about the possibility of living here permanently!)

We were enjoying a visit with Michael and Judith, friends from New Jersey- two doctors with busy practices at Summit Medical Group. When we told them what had happened on Thursday we all laughed, thinking everything would be fine by the time they were supposed to leave on Sunday! Hah! Joke was on us! By Friday and Saturday, it was clear that they were not getting out, so they came over to our apartment and spent several hours online on our computers trying to get through to British Air. They finally got a reservation on Wednesday, through Heathrow and thought it would be ok. They were having some trouble enjoying things around here since they did not know what they were going to be able to do. But they did get to see more of Vienna than they originally thought! They also made friends with another couple at their hotel who were also stranded. Another doctor- from Bethesda, MD- also trying to get out. The two couples took a driver to Brataslava on Monday and then they all came back to our apartment for a party- why not!

On Tuesday, it became clear that they were not getting out on Wednesday, so Michael and Rich went to work on the computer and found a flight to Israel! Not exactly on the way, but planes were at least flying in that direction and likely to be able to head over the ash back to the US. Even tho the Vienna airport was open, it was hard to get flights to the west where things were still uncertain. As it turned out, their flight to england was cancelled for this morning so leaivng to Israel seems to have been a good idea. The airlines are taking reserved flights first, so to get another place would probably take weeks!

We have heard that they landed ok in Tel Aviv and are enjoying another day of sightseeing there before boarding another flight late tonight. It will definitely be a trip to remember, but Michael may never travel again! Be extra nice to them when they get back everyone!

Otherwise, the weather here has been beautiful and that is part of the problem, because the ash cloud is not moving away. But the stories of deprivation that are circulating are really heart-rending: People stuck in airports without food, money and medications, sick kids, and others who are not getting their organ transplants, to say nothing of businesses not able to operate because they can't get parts, or food or other perishible goods rotting in warehouses. It feels like we live in a house of cards that is so fragile. Everything affects everything else and we should not forget that!