“50 nights!” our house sitter exclaimed, “Well, I guess you’ll know you have a strong marriage if you come back on the same plane after that!” My husband Greg and I hadn’t formulated this nearly two month excursion to test the stability of our marriage, but the more individuals we shared our plan with, the more we began to wonder if we might have signed on for more than we bargained for. Travel savvy friends cautioned us about cultural differences, “They’ll charge you nearly double if you sit down in a café.” Another friend warned us of pickpockets in Rome. “Money belts!” our Belgian neighbor advised. “Watch out for the Vespas!” another acquaintance offered. It suddenly seemed there were so many complications and concerns to consider.
Our plan began simply enough. Greg and I have been traveling together since very early in our relationship. About 10 years ago, early on in our romance, we took many road trips. I introduced him to the wonder of the Sierras, taking him to June Lake, to fish and hike. He delighted in sharing Yosemite with me for the first time, which was one of his favorite destinations. When Greg went back to college and I was a young teacher, we saved for our summer trips all year long. We started formulating a plan to get to Europe. We figured if we could save a bit each month we could get there in about 5 years.
Of course it wasn’t that easy, life happens and in the course of our lives over the last ten years we bought a house, I nearly lost my job due to the budget crisis and of course the unexpected bills (vet bills for sick kitties, a leaky roof, termites, and more). But somehow, this year around December we sat down to look at our savings and realized if we really tightened our belts, this summer we could probably afford to make it to Europe. Then of course began the joyful process of planning. (No, seriously this was the fun part!) Certainly over the last 10 years we had formulated a wish list of places to visit. My love of cooking put Italy at the top of my list. Greg had visited Germany when he was younger and very much wanted to share that country with me. From here, the list grew. He wanted to see Austria and the Dutch countryside. I wanted to see Paris and the Swiss Alps. One of my favorite students had traveled to Denmark for the semester and said it was a must on our trip. Greg and I discovered a local restaurant that served Belgian Beers, so that quickly made the itinerary. We had a rough idea of the countries we wanted to visit by mid December, now we just had to figure out where to begin.
Greg had the brilliant idea of inviting a visiting Italian professor to dinner. (Greg works at Scripps College as the concert manager and had gotten to know professor Andreoni who was a visiting composer from Milan). Professor Andreoni directed us to start in the south and work our way north on our journey, for the best weather. It would be sweltering in Italy at the end of July, so we should begin there in early June when it is more temperate. It will still be cooler in the northern areas at the end of our trip, but too cold to start there in June. His explanation made such perfect sense, we followed his advice and began booking according to this theory.
And so the itinerary was born. We would begin in Italy. Travel north through Austria to Germany where we will volley back and forth until we get to the north and pop up into Denmark. We will trickle down through Holland, Belgium, and France. Finally we will end in Switzerland. It is rather a circuitous path, which is fitting because we are not linear thinkers.
Greg secured the airfare by hunting down the best price, which ended up taking us from LA to Montreal to Rome. Then on the return trip: Zurich to San Francisco then back to good old LAX. After we had the basic path mapped out, we began to search out lodging.
We had already decided we’d be taking the train for most our travels, which helped to shape our search for hotels. Generally, we looked for places 10 km or less from train stations or public transit. Our desire for countryside and nature will sometimes take us off that beaten path and we’ve agreed to rent a car in these areas, or hitch the occasional ride with strangers (Just kidding, mom! These will be prearranged rides with inn owners who we’ve previously met through the internet, only slightly less dangerous.) Due to a bad cold during our Winter Break, I was blessed with a week and a half on the couch and my laptop simply making reservations and e-mailing with the owners of pensions and farmhouses half a world a way. As it stands, we have somewhere to rest our travel-weary heads for each of our 50 nights.
Now that we are nearing the departure date, the advice of our friends and family is starting to weigh upon us. As we went to bed last night, Greg confided, “I’m scared.” Hardly needing to ask, I confirmed, “The trip?” Indeed with only three weeks before our departure, the tasks of putting our house in order and making sure that we had properly planned for all the documents, clothes, toiletries, electronics, etc. that we expect to take with us, was in forefront of both of our minds. In fact, I awoke one morning quite frustrated with Greg because I had dreamt that we arrived in Italy only to find that he had left his passport and home. (Yes, I know it is flawed logic and we couldn’t have event boarded the flight without it, but it made perfect sense in my nightmare). Dreaming about our trip has become quite common for me. In one recurring dream, I am in an Italian restaurant, lose my bearings on the way to restroom and end up in an unfamiliar village asking people from my hometown, who just happen to be there, if they can help me find my husband.
Our worries are most likely unfounded. We are well prepared. We’ve read several guidebooks cover to cover, watched every travel show on public television, and spoken with several friends and family members at length about their travels abroad. Our passports, foreign driver’s license, plane and train tickets are all secured. We’ve practiced packing light by making a list of essentials, and even doing a dry run by packing our selected clothing into our backpacks, walking around the house with it, and even weighing it to make sure we can hall those bags all over Europe. (My bag weighed in at 15.5 pounds but that was without toiletries!) So all nightmares aside, the clock is ticking and in only a few short weeks we will be boarding that plane (passports in hand) launching into the longest travel adventure either of us has ever embarked upon. Wish us luck, if all goes well, we will be returning in early August (on the same plane) with our relationship stronger than ever!
