Going to Europe

We might fly, instead.

We had been talking about visiting my wife Sirena’s brother Aaron in Germany since before he left last April. Tomorrow we are actually going.

But preparing for this trip has been anything but easy. We went through about 20 different versions of an itinerary, trying to coordinate with my aunt in Germany and Aaron, who was gone on assignment for the last month. To help Sirena keep up with all the changes, we made a big schedule on a large dry-erase board.

To plan our trip, we read and watched everything Rick Steves had to offer. We picked some of the coolest-looking hiking spots in Europe to visit. And like Rocky Balboa, we started training to get into peak physical condition, using the T25 workout program. Then Sirena broke her toe. That meant no more T25, less hiking planned, and a reworked itinerary.

Anyone want an itinerary?

We were able to get our documents without much problem, apart from learning that Sirena’s driver’s license had expired. However, that whole situation was more than redeemed when a person who started reprimanding Sirena for her negligence discovered that their license had expired, too!

We all got sick. Our son DJ started being more independent and mobile, which also means more frustrated and irritable when sitting still. We had to change our flights around Aaron’s availability, leading to countless hours of customer service roulette. We booked, cancelled, and rearranged lodging. Plus, we are trying to go for as cheap as possible (our lodging total will be under $35/night per person). It has been anything but easy.

But tomorrow we are actually going to Europe.

We will visit Austria, Italy, Switzerland, Germany, and the Czech Republic. So Czech back to hear more…

The Big Board