The thing I’ve missed most this pandemic is not being able to travel. I haven’t flown anywhere since February 2020. I think I took for granted the work trips I used to go on. I disliked the tedium of airport security checks, cramped planes and the bland hotel rooms, but oh! the enjoyment of being in a new or different place for a few days, walking around a new city, trying new restaurants, and most of all catching up with colleagues and friends. I really really miss being able to see friends, to go out to dinner, catch up on all the news and just hang out for a bit. Right now, I have no idea when I will travel again.
At least we can dine out locally, though. Someone asked me for a restaurant recommendation recently, and I found I couldn’t suggest anywhere new. Over the last year I think I’ve been sticking to familiar restaurants and eating comfort food and cuisines I like. Probably a security blanket in challenging times, or something. I find I’m not always super keen for novelty these days.
The picture above is something I drew after the last time we went to our local pub for lunch. I like our local, it has a beer garden and you can bring your dog. Peppi the chihuahua loves going there; she enjoys people watching (and morsels off our plates) but mostly ignores the other dogs.
