by Shirlee Engel
Every time I've gone on vacation this year, it seems disaster follows me. A dream trip to the Greek Islands last summer ended with a falling out with my brother, whose idea of fun was my idea of misery. (We've since made up.)
When I booked a trip to San Diego in January to visit my other brother and his new family, I laughed at colleagues and friends back in freezing cold Ottawa as I waved goodbye. I went on to endure a week of the worst rainfall southern California has seen in decades. It never rains in San Diego, and there I was in the midst of widespread flooding and chaos, left to stare longingly at the raging Pacific Ocean wondering what I did to deserve such bad luck.
When I booked a last-minute voyage to Europe to see a dear friend this month, I had a sinking feeling in my stomach that things always happen in threes. I took my BlackBerry and laptop just in case, thinking if I ended up in the middle of a breaking news story, I'd be ready to pounce and use my lemons to make lemonade.
Well, after a blissful two weeks which included an unforgettable road trip in southern Spain, it appears my bad luck has once again caught up with me.
Get daily National news
When I first read about the volcanic eruption in Iceland I thought, "Wow, how cool! Maybe I'll visit there someday." Walking into the tube station the next morning, I caught a glimpse of a sign warning anyone hoping to fly out of Heathrow, that they're likely out of luck. That's when I realized it had happened again!
I've met lots of others stranded here in London, hopping from tourist attraction to tourist attraction trying to pass the time. Some have been stranded since Thursday. As expected, my flight was cancelled Sunday morning. My friend has been kind enough to let me stay as long as I need, and I managed to re-book on a flight later this week. Fingers crossed. My colleagues at the Global National bureau in London have graciously reached out to me.
Foreign editor Stuart Greer and Shirlee working hard in Global National's London bureau.
Don't tell my bosses, but I can't help but chuckle to myself. For once the curse hanging over my vacations may actually have turned out to be a blessing in disguise.
Watch Shirlee's video blog (vlog).
Shirlee is one of Global National's correspondents, usually in Ottawa, but temporarily in London.
Comments
Want to discuss? Please read our Commenting Policy first.