The Reminder is making its archives back to 2003 available on our website. Please note that, due to technical limitations, archive articles are presented without the usual formatting.
It's always nice to come home after a long vacation, but two local couples felt a particularly strong sense of relief last month after returning from Madrid after the deadly terrorist bombings. Although Roberta MacKinnon and her partner, Ralph Bouvier, of Flin Flon, and Sally and Arnie Stephansson of Denare Beach were not near the commuter trains that were bombed, they were understandably shaken from being in the city when the attacks took place. Vacationing in Portugal and Spain for three weeks, the travelers were preparing to check out of their Madrid hotel on March 11 as the bombings killed more than 190 people and injured nearly 2,000 others. The couples learned of the tragedy while on a flight out of Spain to London, where they would have a 24-hour layover before returning to Canada. "It kind of made you weak in the knees," recalled Roberta. "We never did go on the commuter trains, but we were on the subway the day before, and it made us think, 'What if (the terrorists) had decided to do that yesterday on the subway?'" Sally's thoughts turned to the employees whom the group had met at a restaurant they frequented during their stay. She knew some of them took the train to work. "What we thought was, hopefully nobody we had met was on those trains," she said. "And I mean you're just appalled, but this is the reality of the world today, unfortunately." Ralph said the reality of the situation Ñ and his feeling that they too could have been at the wrong place at the wrong time Ñ took time to sink in. Prior to their flight, the group had seen signs around them that something terrible had happened but because they speak no Spanish, they did not immediately hear of the tragedy. For that, Roberta is grateful. "The language barrier proved to be difficult sometimes when we were ordering meals, but in this case, it turned out to be a blessing," she said. "We really didn't have any type of reaction to it because we were already on our way before we realized what had taken place." On their way out of the hotel, the group saw a hotel employee walking over to comfort a co-worker who was in tears. At the airport, they spotted another woman being consoled. At the airport, everyone was asked to observe five minutes of silence. The local couples presumed that the observance marked the anniversary of a previous tragedy. They didn't learn of the situation until they boarded the plane and an English-speaking pilot announced that heavier security measures would be in place due to the train bombings. The travelers, who would later realize that just the previous day they had been near the area that was targeted, were relieved to be on their way out of the country. "I think I would feel very nervous being there now because I don't think this was a one-time thing," said Roberta. "I think if I had my trip booked now, I would probably be canceling it." During the flight, the passengers were informed that two special agents would be in London to question anyone who may have seen something suspicious. Heavy security, including police and armed guards, also greeted the passengers. Once they were on the ground, Sally remembers the unsettling sight of several Spanish passengers frantically dialing on their cell phones, presumably to ensure the safety of loved ones. See 'Chilling' P.# Con't from P.# Roberta recalls a chilling news headline on TV screens at the airport. It reported that Al Qaeda, the terrorist group linked to the bombing as well as the 9/11 attacks, had stated that Britain would now be a target. Unsettled, the travelers did not take advantage of the many sights the British capital has to offer. Instead, they stayed in their hotel rooms. Ralph remembers a great sense of relief overcoming the group the following day when they landed in Winnipeg, far removed from the terrorist strike. For Roberta, the whole experience has brought home the harsh reality of terrorism. "When 9/11 happened, yes, you felt terrible for the people it happened to, but us being so far away, it was almost an unreality," she said. "Now I just feel that, yes, it is a reality."
