We are leaving in just two months. Those words are both thrilling and terrifying. To say we are not ready is absurd. We will never be ready. No one could take care of all eventualities even if they were far better organized than I. So, I am trying to accept the fact that most of the trip will be a matter of "winging it". While I usually do not have an issue with a lack of reservations, not knowing even what countries we are visiting stretches beyond my comfort level. My husband is fond of saying that I consider "plan" a four letter word, and this trip will be challenging all of us.
There are lots of health considerations for this type of trip. Because of the area we plan to visit, we require yellow fever and typhoid vaccines. Polio, tetanus, and all of the hepatitis shots were also recommended--and it's not really a recommendation you can ignore. My kids have become quite good at accepting the shots. We recently got the necessary pills for the trip. You can't believe the number (or size of some of the pills, my son points out) of the pills. Malaria, food poisoning, altitude sickness. I'm certainly going to be carrying more medications than the local drug store. And, we won't have to wait the typical 30 minutes to get them. The warnings are dire, but, then again, the warnings even on the most innocuous over the counter medication tend to be dire.
And, so, the reader might ask, where are you going that you need all of this??? I will do my best to keep you informed as this changes, but, as of today, our itinerary is as follows.
We leave July 1 for London. We are planning on spending 3 weeks in England and Scotland. No definite plans for where we are going, staying or seeing. All ideas of absolutely not-to-be-missed locales will be considered. Late July has us flying off to Oslo. A week in Norway, then we board a boat for a cruise up the coastal fjords to north of the Arctic Circle, where Ethan (see picture) will celebrate his 13th birthday. We will then train to Stockholm, before flying to Russia. For those who haven't had the chance to apply for a Russian visa, I would like to state that we are no longer sure the Cold War is over. The hoops and red tape are extraordinary. The fees and odd questions interesting hurdles. But, I digress from the trip itself.
From Russia, we fly back to Berlin. We will travel in the same general direction as the Danube (feel free to hum the tune; it is hard to even say "Danube" without "Blue" in front of it...). Prague, Vienna, Budapest. We have no idea how we are traveling here. It may be train, but we haven't ruled out bus or renting a car. Again, if any of you has done this, please send us your comments.
From Budapest, we are traveling down the Dalmatian Coast, then across to Istanbul (also, a catchy tune). Next, on t0 Greece: Island hopping from Paros to Santorini to Crete before returning to Athens. This next part is rather sketchy. We are flying to somewhere in Italy. We have a villa rented in Gubbio for a week, but the rest of the trip is cloudy. The non-negotiables are: Rome, the Amalfi Coast with Capri, Siena (my daughter wouldn't ever forgive us if we didn't make it there, her namesake!) Then, up into France, where is even less planned, although we know we are flying from Paris to Cairo December 1st.
Phew, we are only onto our second continent and I am growing weary. More distance, less specifics for now. Egypt and Tanzania will bring us to the end of the year. The family is planning to climb Kilimanjaro while here. For those unfamiliar with the climb, it is a hard trek, but no special equipment or experience are necessary. We are hoping to have some friends and family join us here. Ross is coming for sure, Brenda S and Paul P are maybes. After our climb, we are spending a few days relaxing on Zanzibar before flying down to South Africa for 3 weeks, then on to India.
Because of the nature of the airlines, we have no flights after landing in Delhi. We are planning on seeing India, Nepal, Myanmar, Thailand, Vietnam, Cambodia, Malaysia, Singapore, a brief stopover in Indonesia, almost a month in Australia, New Zealand, China, Japan and then home. We may stop in Hawaii on the way, but it depends on the cost and if we are not too exhausted from the trip to appreciate it.
More later!
There are lots of health considerations for this type of trip. Because of the area we plan to visit, we require yellow fever and typhoid vaccines. Polio, tetanus, and all of the hepatitis shots were also recommended--and it's not really a recommendation you can ignore. My kids have become quite good at accepting the shots. We recently got the necessary pills for the trip. You can't believe the number (or size of some of the pills, my son points out) of the pills. Malaria, food poisoning, altitude sickness. I'm certainly going to be carrying more medications than the local drug store. And, we won't have to wait the typical 30 minutes to get them. The warnings are dire, but, then again, the warnings even on the most innocuous over the counter medication tend to be dire.
And, so, the reader might ask, where are you going that you need all of this??? I will do my best to keep you informed as this changes, but, as of today, our itinerary is as follows.
We leave July 1 for London. We are planning on spending 3 weeks in England and Scotland. No definite plans for where we are going, staying or seeing. All ideas of absolutely not-to-be-missed locales will be considered. Late July has us flying off to Oslo. A week in Norway, then we board a boat for a cruise up the coastal fjords to north of the Arctic Circle, where Ethan (see picture) will celebrate his 13th birthday. We will then train to Stockholm, before flying to Russia. For those who haven't had the chance to apply for a Russian visa, I would like to state that we are no longer sure the Cold War is over. The hoops and red tape are extraordinary. The fees and odd questions interesting hurdles. But, I digress from the trip itself.
From Russia, we fly back to Berlin. We will travel in the same general direction as the Danube (feel free to hum the tune; it is hard to even say "Danube" without "Blue" in front of it...). Prague, Vienna, Budapest. We have no idea how we are traveling here. It may be train, but we haven't ruled out bus or renting a car. Again, if any of you has done this, please send us your comments.
From Budapest, we are traveling down the Dalmatian Coast, then across to Istanbul (also, a catchy tune). Next, on t0 Greece: Island hopping from Paros to Santorini to Crete before returning to Athens. This next part is rather sketchy. We are flying to somewhere in Italy. We have a villa rented in Gubbio for a week, but the rest of the trip is cloudy. The non-negotiables are: Rome, the Amalfi Coast with Capri, Siena (my daughter wouldn't ever forgive us if we didn't make it there, her namesake!) Then, up into France, where is even less planned, although we know we are flying from Paris to Cairo December 1st.
Phew, we are only onto our second continent and I am growing weary. More distance, less specifics for now. Egypt and Tanzania will bring us to the end of the year. The family is planning to climb Kilimanjaro while here. For those unfamiliar with the climb, it is a hard trek, but no special equipment or experience are necessary. We are hoping to have some friends and family join us here. Ross is coming for sure, Brenda S and Paul P are maybes. After our climb, we are spending a few days relaxing on Zanzibar before flying down to South Africa for 3 weeks, then on to India.
Because of the nature of the airlines, we have no flights after landing in Delhi. We are planning on seeing India, Nepal, Myanmar, Thailand, Vietnam, Cambodia, Malaysia, Singapore, a brief stopover in Indonesia, almost a month in Australia, New Zealand, China, Japan and then home. We may stop in Hawaii on the way, but it depends on the cost and if we are not too exhausted from the trip to appreciate it.
More later!
1 comment:
Just stumbled across your blog while surfing. You have my attention and admire your spirit for adventure. I already have your blog flagged, I curious on how this adventure goes for you and your family. Good luck and have fun with your adventure!
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http://kathyjeff.blogspot.com/
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