My 2018 Trip to Gibraltar, Spain, and Morocco

6 Days with Nicola

It occurred to me during one of my trips in 2017 that I had accidentally become The Doctor.

That is, I took various travels through alien worlds along with various and shifting companions. We had adventures, but there was never a clear story arc or clear message.

To be honest, I’m not a big Dr. Who fan. I remember vaguely seeing a few episodes on PBS when I was a kid. That was with Tom Baker as The Doctor (for those of you for whom this means something). This was around the time of Star Wars and I read a lot of science fiction, so one might expect me to like Dr. Who.

Instead, I just found the show confusing and boring. I was, in this way, I’m afraid, probably a typical American boy.

What I remember of Dr. Who from that time was a few adults in awkward clothing standing stiffly while talking, and the occasional self-animated metal cylinder that they inexplicably seemed to be afraid of. I wanted impressive special effects, spoon-fed story lines, clear heroes and villains, and a minimal amount of work as a viewer.

In my 40s, after my divorce, I watched a few full series with Doctors Christopher Eccleston, David Tennant, and Matt Smith. I can’t say that I became a fan, but at least I came to have more of an appreciation for the series, and this laid the foundation for my insight that I had become The Accidental Doctor.

Anyway, I find myself reflecting on this as I recall my 2018 trip with Nicola. We certainly had an adventure. A great deal of the time was spent in conversations, we faced multiple scary situations (at least, they were scary to me, though I doubt they concerned Nicola as much and there were no evil villains or explosions), but I have a sense that someone watching from the outside may come away having expected something more.

Perhaps unlike the real Dr. Who, in my version, it’s my companions who often drive the plot.

On this trip, Nicola chose our destinations (Ronda in Spain, Chefchaoen in Morocco, and Gibraltar). She had specific ideas for our photo sessions. My role was mostly facilitator. I booked accommodations, rental cars, and ferry trips. I took (most of) the photos and did all of the driving. Nicola had a vision for the dresses she should wear in Morocco and stubbornly kept looking for them until she found them in a tiny shop in the blue city. In other words, a very effective collaboration.

Many of these pictures then ended up in the book, 404 Days of Nicola, that I created to share my experiences with her from the day we met to the end of this trip. I included a few of the pictures that Nicola took of me in that book, which Nicola complained about, saying the book did not seem to have a clear purpose.

It took me a while to understand that this might well have been because, for me, the book was about this Accidental Doctor’s experiences with one of his companions. In other words, I put myself in the starring role, even though the book otherwise appeared to be about Nicola. I think once she understood this, she was able to accept the book for what she had considered its faults, although maintain her opinion that it was not the book she would have preferred.

I guess this just supports my idea that I’m The Accidental Doctor.