Two years ago, what seems a bit like a lifetime these days, we had just concluded our first New Year’s as expats in a small hotel outside of the magical hilltop town of Monsaraz. We were the only two non-Portuguese and the future was so bright and happy as we prepared to travel back to the US for a short visit to Colorado; then across the country via car and into New England for a little over a month before returning to Europe: Portugal, Switzerland, Austria, Germany and France. Ah, if only.
That night was lovely. We embraced Portuguese culture and the Portuguese embraced us. The post I wrote two years ago today is still one of my favorites on our “Sunday Journal” page (you can read it here).
As we turn the page to 2022, fresh back from a great visit to San Clemente, California with family and prepare to return to Europe for a bulk of this year, I am hopeful. Despite Omicron, despite divisions and vitriol on tv and in our society, despite the horrible wildfire just north of Denver which upended so many peoples’ lives following on the tornadoes, hurricanes and wildfires which have done so to so many others recently, despite global inflation, despite unprecedented flight cancellations over the past few weeks, despite it all… I’m ready for 2022. I’m ready to be optimistic, and while hope is not a strategy I’m all in on hope that 2022 will be a better year than it’s two preceding years.
As the Davies brothers of The Kinks would say, “here’s wishing you the bluest sky and hoping something better comes tomorrow. Follow all the doubt and sadness, I know that better things are on the way.”
Happy new year.
The Traveling Ridleys 
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