FIRST, I NOTICED the owl.

“Peter! Did you see the owl?!”

Our last Airbnb in Spain had a ceramic owl. So, when I found a similar owl—in a similarly inconvenient location—I took it as a good omen.

“What owl?” my husband, Peter, said.

Then I found four more owls, bringing our tally up to five.

“Five owls! Now, I know this is going to be a good trip!”

“Huh,” Peter agreed. (Sometimes Peter’s not as effusive …