A Fine Day To Be Travelling...

Authorities are closing the Holland tunnel and beefing up security in DC, and I'm checking to see if I packed enough Mach III razors. New Jersey is in lock-down, and I'm wondering, khakis, jeans, or shorts for the 8 and a half hour plane ride to Amsterdam. A fine day to be travelling indeed.

I wonder, as I take stock of reading materials for my backpack, what if something happens while I'm out of the country? What if I can't get back, when I plan? My thoughts range from the serious; (Madrid train bombings earlier this year), to the mundane (thank God I don't have to arrange for the care and feeding of a pet or person while I'm gone) The practical; (how much money to bring, when/where to exchange it) to the absurd (I will feel better if there aren't 14 Syrian musicians on my flight) These are the times we live in. No more fool-hardy jaunts overseas for the free-spirited. No, now you worry about things like contact information, next of kin notification, State Department travel advisories. You worry about looking too American, becoming a target. You wonder, how many metal detectors will I pass through before I get to see the Mona Lisa, and will that be enough.