As we trespassed locks and visited the carries of yesteryear it became obvious — this river was more than road.  This river that meanders from Porto to Spain carried women and port.  Carried the fruits of harvest.  The roots of history.  The road builders and bridge sculptors left remnants of engineering and construction history.  Each in turn creating the locks and bridges that tied our journey together.

There was the road that led to the floor of the stock exchange.  An abandoned floor.  A way of doing commerce that transitioned from paper to digits.  Went electronic.  It became really clear that on this journey there was no digital escape from rest.  No one was going to carry us around.  Coach class meant doing some real work.