Yellow Jack

In the old days, ships in quarantine used to fly a yellow and black flag called the “Yellow Jack”. Here in Umeå, I woke up with a new cold, something that will probably make it necessary for me to postpone the Ultra Interval Challenge yet again.

At least I was able to pick up a few novels that I have ordered in case of lockdown, including Christopher Isherwood’s “Goodbye to Berlin” which is set in Weimar Germany and features a story from Rügen. With all real world travels cancelled for the foreseeable future, paperback escapism will have to do for now.

Reading different online fora, there are many stories of travellers stranded around the world, including some who were out on the kind epic award trips that I have done a few of in the past. While I could think of worse things than being trapped on an island in French Polynesia or in the Australian outback, I guess a lot comes down to what kind of job you have and of course what your family situation looks like. Before I became a parent, I would definitely have cherished the opportunity of being in quarantine, of disconnecting, and having time to finally think and work...