Finding Finland: Surprise Package

Our plane touched down late Sunday night followed by a round of applause from eager Finns ready to return home. It is only on a rare flight that the entire plane erupts in spontaneous applause. Although I never initiate, I always join in and relish these magical travel moments. The energy was higher on this return flight than on the outbound flight. Although we can escape to paradise for a short while, there is no place quite like home. The ice and cold of Finland have graciously welcomed us back to reality. Our sunny vacation, just a distant memory. Now, we must rely on our heavy coats and island memories to keep us warm.

This vacation to Tenerife, the largest of the Canary Islands, was a bit different from our usual vacations. It was an *All Inclusive Package*. There were plenty of buffets, tour buses and crowds but little authenticity. This vacation was also different in that I did not spend hour upon hour researching our destination. Instead, I could just mindlessly hop on the tour bus with 60+ of my fellow tourists and get on the beaten path. I do have to say, I was surprised with how well these beaten paths were maintained.

First, Loro Park, was easily one of the nicest zoo type parks that I have been to. I saw animals that I had never seen before and the sea lion show was especially entertaining. Siam Water Park was also a pleasant surprise. I surprised myself by going down the steepest and fastest slide (the Bonzai had nothing on this) I have ever seen. It ended in a shark tank but I had my eyes closed the entire ride so I missed it.

My biggest surprise came with a "thud" on the 5th day when Lane decided to walk on the narrow ledge INSTEAD of the stairs that led to our villa. He had about an 8 foot free fall. First, I am surprised he did it (he didn't go on any of the water slides the day before because they were "too scary") and second, I'm surprised we didn't end up in the hospital. Surprisingly enough, he is OK. His leg remains a bit sore and he walks with a limp. We were overwhelmed by the genuine concern and kindness that we were shown by our Spanish hosts. Later that day when we were hobbling to the pool, the maintenance man spotted us in our distress and drove us the rest of the way in his golf cart. "Muchas gracias" was all I could say. The sweet lifeguard, Kevin, who came to the accident scene, bought Lane a bag of treats when he saw us at the pool. Lane was so amused when he referred to him as "mi amigo". Lane asked if we could do something nice for Kevin in return. When we saw the American flag t-shirt the next day on our shopping excursion, we knew it would be perfect for our new amigo.

Traveling, for me, is not just about experiencing new things, but for connecting with others and experiencing life from another's perspective. *All Inclusive Packages* often do not include this. It is a bit ironic how a near tragedy resulted in such a connection. We have good memories of our time in the Canary Islands. We continue to be warmed here in frigid Finland by the warm thought of our Spanish amigo wearing his American flag t-shirt.