Sabbatical Day 7: COVID

 Sabbatical Day 8:  Covid and trying to take the high road instead of dissolving into grief and despair. I so hate this virus. I have to say, though, that everyone I encounter in the UK is unmasked. It’s no wonder I got it. 

I let the retreat people know that I had COVID. And, I called the travel insurance company to find out what I needed to do. They were incredibly helpful and kind. Thank goodness I paid for the insurance. It wasn’t cheap, but now it’s totally worth it. They referred me to a local medical center where I called and got a same day appointment for an official COVID test. It too was expensive, about $130.00 US. But they were a short walk from the hotel and easy to work with. That COVID test came back last night, also positive. 

Thankfully I packed Aleve Cold and Sinus. That has helped with the congestion. Hopefully I have enough to get me through the congestion part of COVID, although, who knows how long that will last - a few days? a week? Longer? And, what I know from my FB friend who lives in Scotland, Aleve Cold and Sinus is not available here. It works well because it has pseudoephedrine, a better decongestant than the kind used now which doesn’t contribute to meth….However, it really dries me up, so I am drinking a ton of water. That’s probably a good thing anyway. 

Now that I think about it, I think I was experiencing mild COVID symptoms on Monday, or maybe even Sunday? I woke one, or both of those days with slight congestion and a mild sore throat. It was an extremely mild sore throat. I thought I was just thirsty and when I drank water it went away. I also thought my allergies were reacting to some red wine I had the night(s) before. Oh well. I can wonder forever where I picked it up, but I’ll never know. The medical person who administered the COVID test was very nonchalant when I told her I had been careful, masked, vaccinated and twice boosted. She basically said, you’re gonna get it anyway. So, all I can hope for is that masking and vaxxing will keep the symptoms mild. 

This morning was a little rough, emotionally. I am struggling with the idea of spending all of this time in the hotel. I wish I were in the country, some place beautiful. Some place I could see the water and the landscape. Instead I look out at a parking garage. And mostly, I wish I were home. This is no fun and very expensive way to be sick. (But again, thankfully I have travel insurance which should reimburse me for some of my expenses). 

I spent the morning googling short bus trips to the highlands, if I test negative soon.  I also considered heading over to Ireland and looked at short day trips around Dublin. What I’d really like is to not be in an urban center, I’d rather be on the coast. But, not sure I can make that happen. My hope is that I test negative by Monday or Tuesday, and I can travel somewhere besides Glasgow. 

This morning I also decided to not have the awful machine coffee in the hotel and instead walked to Starbucks for a cup of good coffee, which I brought back to my room to have with some yogurt. Then after a fruitless hour of googling places I’d like to go, but probably won’t, I headed out to walk to the Glasgow botanic gardens. It was a long walk 50 minute walk through an interesting neighborhood. 

The neighborhood was very ethnic, college student and maybe working class? Not sure. But I was on a main road. The shops were: grocery stores with out side fruit bins, vintage clothing stores, laundry services, Chinese medicine, and lots of cafes where people were eating outside. I also walked past St. Mary’s Cathedral, a Scottish Episcopal Church and another “cathedral” that looked like it was now a theater place. Or maybe it was multi-purpose because there were vans that said Cathedral Services, like some kind of social service agency. 

The botanic gardens were okay. I didn’t go inside to any of the indoor gardens, I just walked outside. The world rose garden only had a few blooming roses. And the walk along the river was peaceful. 

I walked back along the same route, and then down the street from the hotel to pick up some food. I bought a bunch of grapes and then in a small school supply store I bought some colored pencils and a coloring book. I almost brought mine with, but decided that I wouldn’t use them and I wanted to travel light. 

It’s not yet 2pm here. The days feel long. But I’ve written this, had some of the grapes and a handful of salted peanuts I bought a few days ago, long with a cup of tea. I’ll spend the rest of the day killing time. I’ll knit and listen to my audible book (the latest in the Outlander series, it’s a bit tedious and bounces all over the place between characters, but at least I don’t have to listen to it carefully to get the gist of what is going on). I’ll color. And, I’ll practice French. I may run across the street to the little grocery store for a salad for dinner.