Glimpses of Spain, 7

I know this isn't a picture of Spain. It wasn't even taken in Spain. This is the airport in Germany where I spent 10 hours before flying to Barcelona.

I'm a bit of an interesting traveler, and I tend to meet interesting people. (Just ask my students.) On my flight from Miami to Dusseldorf, I struck up a conversation with my seat mate. He's an Italian scientist on his way home to visit his family, and he ended up being my buddy for the seemingly endless day in the airport.

We spent the day searching for Internet, sleeping on airport benches, watching each others bags and talking. Lots of talking.

I took this photo after I was enlisted for bag patrol. Before he stepped away, he threw his jacket across both our bags. The image you see here struck me because it is a beautiful symbol of humanity. Stranded in the midst of a new world, I was embraced by someone who stood by my side and helped me pass the time. I cannot help but feel blessed.

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