One down, one to go, just one more jab and we’re free to go. Yes, I am taking a little liberty with the Yes song, and dating myself at the same time :-), but so be it. As of today, I have had the first shot of the Covid vaccine.
While l had previously thought it would be a lifetime before l was called, it turned out that they were correct in their estimation. The vaccination for Federico’s age group started a week or so ago, and since he was in the ahem, upper region, he was one of the first to receive the text which is how we are all being notified.
One down, one to go: At least for me!
Federico also lucked out and happened to draw the Janssen one-shot (what l had been hoping for, but no luck!). All that remains then, is my second shot which is scheduled for this weekend. I have to say that l am impressed at the way Spain really stepped up the whole process when they figured it out. Most are in and out within 30 minutes, and that includes the 15 minute wait time post jab.
As l had mentioned in past updates, I am a bit hesitant to start traveling with the same gusto as before the lockdown. While we definitely want to visit his family in Rome (all of them vaccinated) and mine in Nigeria (most of them vaccinated), we are going to take a wait-and-see attitude for now.
The main reason for this is mainly due to the PCR tests and other requirements for visiting most countries at this moment, requirements that seem to change on a daily basis, not to mention the insane amounts of canceled flights to and from Spain which just makes things further complicated.
We never got reimbursed for our canceled cruise of last year, and l see lots of people are also having trouble getting their money back it seems from what I’ve read, especially from the low-cost airlines which dominate the traveling landscape in Europe. I see lots of train travel in our future.
Once they settle on some sort of vaccine passport, we will make plans to visit. Hopefully Nigeria first, then go to Rome from there, and then back to Valencia, at least that is my train of thought for now.
In the meantime, we will be making little weekend trips to the surrounding cities and towns to get our feet wet. I am excited about that because it feels like a lifetime ago since we traveled. I hadn’t missed it until the vaccine rollout, now every day, l add another country to my list.
A little nervous, sure, but excited all the same. It is my hope that these places won’t be as crowded as they are during the “normal” times. From what l am seeing during my searches, the hotel prices are certainly not cheaper by any means, not a good sign. Everyone l suppose is probably thinking the same :-).
Some of the places we would like to visit include Denia, Javea, Alicante, and maybe even Benidorm. These are all places that are very popular with the British people seeking sun and fun. We would also like to start seeing more friends because you know, the lockdown really did a number with regards to friends and keeping in touch.
While Brits are free to come to Spain without any more restrictions, they have to quarantine for 10 days once back home as Spain is not on their “green” list. We would therefore like to take advantage of this lull before it changes and we get to see, and actually enjoy some of the most beautiful resort towns before they are overrun by drunkards :-).
Life in Valencia now:
We are definitely seeing more life in Valencia as things start to return to normal. I am hearing and watching more wheels scraping the sidewalks. The restaurants are back in full swing thanks to the lifting of most of the restrictions. We have definitely been eating out more to do our own little part. Even the nightclubs are allowed to open again, but dancing is forbidden which l think is silly.
We still have to wear masks though when outside, and now with the hot weather, I am back to mildly hating it. I switched to black masks though, so my sweat is not noticeable anymore :-). My understanding is these measures will hold until at least 70% of the population is vaccinated. Shouldn’t be too long now. I think Valencia currently has the best numbers in the whole country.
The latest restrictions in Valencia are:
- No more curfew.
- No more limit on the number of people that can meet at homes or outside.
- A maximum number of 10 still per table at restaurants and cafes.
- Indoor seating at 50% capacity, and outdoors 100%.
- Bars and restaurants can stay open till 1 am, and nightclubs 2 am.
Fallas is back in some form for 2021:
The powers that be have decided that Fallas needs to happen this year. It will be shorter than the 3-4 weeks of yesteryears and will instead be from August 31 through September 5. For sure, I will find us another place to be for that week. I think it will be insanely crowded as people are looking to let off steam.
Learning the language: How goes it?
My Spanish classes have ended for the year and on a high note too. The two of us that remained from the original 16 will both be coming back for the next school year and we have assured placing.
The teacher is also moving us up to the conversation-only class because she says that’s what we need the most. In the big league now… haha! Our last class was with that class, and we also went out for drinks with them so they could suss us out and all eight of them unanimously voted for us to join them next year, so victory!!! I still suck, but l suck less :-).
So, one down, one to go and we can start making things happen. It’s starting to get real as it gets closer and it feels good. I can already feel the difference now on social media as people are posting about trips again. I think the world needs some sort of normality. Will it get crazy like in the past? I hope not.
How are things in your end of the world? Travel plans in the making, or are you taking a wait and see attitude?
Congratulations! Getting the shot is a game-changer, for sure. Malcolm and I just returned from an 18-day road trip from Florida to Rhode Island and back, with stops in Georgia, Kentucky, New York, DC, and South Carolina. We hit the road less than two weeks after our second shot. We will resume international travel in November, with a trip to London/Cotswolds, and then, if all is still well in the world, we will consider getting on a cruise ship – unless it becomes cost-prohibitive, which is likely, considering our current situation.
Our daughter is traveling to France at the end of the month, and her flight was canceled last week. The new flight costs significantly more, and because it is one day prior to her original arrival date, she had to rebook the rental car (they wouldn’t let her add an additional day). The rebooking price was double the original contract. I’m seeing a nasty trend….
Also, when you do get back out there, pack a lot of patience and don’t expect much in terms of hospitality. It’s a brave new world!
Yes, the shots have given us a shot in the arm so to speak. It is a whole new world out there l am discovering, in terms of hospitality and the prices are insane. I am already gutted to discover that we would still have to quarantine for seven days currently in Nigeria upon arrival which severely cuts into the time to be spent there, so we have a wait and see if they discontinue that :-(.
It was fun reading about your awesome trip. I would have enjoyed the corvette museum and those steamed crabs. It’s great to discover things in our backyard (far and near). That sucks about your daughter´s cancellation and the domino effect. Sadly, l think you’re right that this will be the way things go, at least for the foreseeable future. They will squeeze every last cent from us. Let’s hope things get better by November so you can visit England. No cruising for us for a long time :-).
Kemkem, congratulations to you and Frederico for getting your vaccines. How fantastic that Frederico got the one dose Janssen one…good for him. Spain is indeed doing very well with the vaccination and so are many other countries around the world. Unfortunately here we now have the new “Delta” variant to contain with, but it does sound like the vaccines work against this variant…good news.
I am so glad to hear you are starting to make travel plans again, there are so many great places to visit in Spain that you don’t really need to go international. Make the most before the British arrive back on your shores…lol.
Thanks Gilda! It’s funny, I told him he would draw Janssen and he thought for sure it would be a two-shot one. From what l can see in his age group, he really did get lucky, a lot more have the twofer. Sucky news about the variant in England. The beach towns are definitely feeling it. I am trying to get to Benidorm before they all come down… haha!
Yeah, we are definitely going to visit more parts of Spain, and maybe train to Paris or Porto… fluid plans for now. Enjoy, and stay safe.
Great update, Kemkem! Happy to hear that the vaccination is going as planned. Fede was indeed lucky to get away with just one shot. But the most important part is that, one dose or two – the vaccines are coming 🙂 The feet do start to itch a lot more after :))
Everybody I know is talking about traveling or going on vacation, which is probably a good thing. This is why most of the people I know actually got the vaccine – to be able to travel freely. Based on research I made, it’s still not as “free” as it used to be, but definitely an improvement to last year.
We were out and had lunch at our favorite restaurant for the first time since late February 2020 just last week. We’ve had 0 new cases in our county for a couple of days in the past week, and just 2-3 new ones otherwise. So hopefully this thing is starting to get under control. I hadn’t realized how difficult and strange it was until I sat at the table at our favorite restaurant and though that I hadn’t been there for more than a year. Pretty crazy.
It definitely feels weird to be out and about again, doesn’t it? I remember feeling the same. I am so glad that you are venturing out again post-vaccine. Haha… it’s true that a lot of people got the vaccine just so they can travel which is definitely a crazy reason. I would have thought the fear of a ventilator being shoved down your throat might be a prevailing reason.
The prices seem to be high though once you start adding it all up, and l think in the near future, travelling might, again for the rich while the companies make some money. I had been pricing tickets so now l see ads for Shangai starting from €4332,00 for the flight. All l did was look up a local restaurant too!😂.
I am so looking forward to reading about everyone’s little adventures. It’s been too long!
It’s a big relief to get vaccinated! We’ve heard about the Jannsen one shot in the news and it was approved in Canada, but due to quality control issues hasn’t been made available. At least not in BC. I just got my second dose of Pfizer. Canadians are really after the Prime Minister to open the borders for tourists to come in and for Canadians to travel. Air travel to and from the states has always been allowed, with 14 day quarantine, but people want the land border to reopen so visitors in cars can go back and forth. Apparently not enough citizens from both countries have been fully vaccinated so that can happen. Hopefully later this summer we can drive across the borders. It wouldn’t be so bad if Trader Joes was in Canada!
It certainly is a big relief. I got my second one finally. I hope they get the Janssen in Canada. He was one of the lucky few in his age set as they had determined it would be used for the older people only prior to this. He has had no symptoms whatsoever. I also hope more and more people get vaccinated soon so that they can open the land borders. I have no idea why people want to stretch this fiasco much longer than it needs to be. Flying l predict, is going to become so frigging expensive like the days of yore. It’s going to be interesting. Trader Joes… haha! I used to have one on top of the pharmacy l worked at in West Hollywood. I don’t really miss them much :-). I can get the two buck chuck here too… hahahahha!
Kemkem,
Great reading your update and knowing that you’ve both been vaccinated by now. How sad and stupid, in my opinion, there are so many people not taking advantage of getting a ‘shot in the arm’ in the US. Getting the jab has become such a political divide instead of helping oneself and being considerate of neighbors
Congrats on being less sucky at your Spanish conservation classes – woohoo! I hope you get to explore more of your beautiful adopted country since travel to Nigeria and Rome isn’t yet in the cards for you just now.
Steven and I are almost one month in on our close to a 3-month-long road trip of the US that has and will take us up to the upper Midwest including North Dakota, Steven’s last continental state, the Midwest, Northeast, New England, and then all the way down to the Gulf beaches in Alabama and Florida, than back home to Denver via Chicago. Then, we’ll be home in Denver for just two weeks before our first international trip since the pandemic – heading to Italy for an extended vacation after a few weeks in the Benelux countries and Switzerland. We’re excited but also hoping flights don’t get canceled as there’s such mayhem in the travel industry now.
All the best to you and Federico,
Annie in Providence, RI
Hi Jetsetter Annie! 🙂
It feels good to be vaccinated. I also can’t believe that this has become such a hot point. People refuse to believe in science and instead embrace conspiracy theories and all that. Can you imagine what would have happened to the population if the older generations had disregarded getting vaccinated for all those pretty much extinct diseases? Insane.
I am determined to keep learning Spanish, but every time l feel l am one step closer, l keep getting knocked back… haha! I had a full-on 5-minute conversation with an old man on the bus and felt proud of myself. Then the next day, one of my neighbours came by to borrow something and l swear l only connected like 30% of the conversation and l was gutted! :-). She kept looking at me like l had 2 heads and of course, all my words went bye-bye.
I bet you’re looking forward to your European travels after your equally amazing trip around the states. I also hope your flights don’t get cancelled. I think l will end up going to Nigeria by myself because the visa costs are just outrageous! I was already balking at the $330 visa cost plus jabs (we’re talking about $600 before ticket costs, then 1-week quarantine cost on top of that!), and this morning woke up to an article about this woman who was thrilled to get her visa for Nigeria at $850!!!! Yeah… so not worth it! I can’t wait to read about your adventures, we will remain here and explore. Have fun, but l’m sure you will anyway.