That day I spent between earth and sky, on the way to my dream destination of the last 20 years: the Faroe Islands. Eight hours, four airports. The bare and almost desolate interiors within Zurich Airport, then Charles de Gaulle, and then Copenhagen Airport added up to a dawning understand for me.
It was one thing to read on the internet that “flights are resumed, but on a limited scale.” It was completely another to see with my own eyes the empty halls, shuttered shops, and the schedule of departures spread across just two screens in one of the busiest airports in Europe.
Mikkeller Bar, where I always stop for a drink when in Copenhagen, was closed until further notice. [Editor’s note: It has since reopened.] Its solitary look evoked an old Christmas ornament, still sparkling, but forgotten on the bottom of the box, sheen dulling. I could never have imagined it being so vacant and silent, absent the clanking of glasses and the lively groups and solo travelers waiting for their boarding calls to be announced. Then again, my imagination would have struggled to picture empty airports as well.
Will things ever return to how they were before, or do we have no choice but to reassess our reality? Travel enthusiasts like me will definitely have to adapt. But I’m still looking forward to buying new tickets and planning new adventures. People are incorrigible optimists, and it’s this quality that urges us forward. Let’s go together (safely).
Words + Photo by Lana Svitankova