"Order early to avoid disappointment"

These words rang all to true to me recently, after anxiously awaiting my many-pocketed "Spy Jacket", which was going to all-but-replace the need for a purse. The phrase first made me chuckle having read it when applying for the Ceremony of Keys tickets; oh-so politely urging me to send in my dates of request, and to "Order early to avoid disappointment." How charming, those Brits, and so polite!

Well, we all know that the British have a different way of saying things than we Americans do, and the epiphany I had that fateful day last week upon opening my package was the American translation of that phrase to mean; "Get your sh** together, or your going to be sorry!", because sorry, I was.

I've had my eye on this jacket for many months, and in my effort of trying to be prudent about spending $120.00 (crazy, I know!) on a (really cool!) multi-purpose pocketed jacket (it's slimming, and the sleeves zip off!), I waited and looked around for something like it. After reading numerous reviews, deciding there was nothing like it (and there really isn't....), and after measuring myself three times, I finally bit the plastic bullet and ordered it. Now I couldn't get the brick colored one, so I settled with the cement color, but the good news is that after searching for a coupon code online, I saved $20 and shipping! I was feeling so ahead of the game, that is until it showed up last week.

"Order early to avoid disappointment" is an understatement, and charmed, I am not. This thing is HUGE! A smaller size is not going to help this situation, and of course I didn't order early enough to get a replacement, thus major disappointment on top of regular disappointment. I understand that you have to take into consideration the pockets and the items going into them, but really, this jacket could make an elephant look pregnant. Needless to say, I am very disappointed (I can hear you laughing from here, Lori!). This is not how it looked on the website - and they claimed it was slimming!

I have decided to put all vanity aside and post the pictures for you to see for yourself; just in case you're having one of those days where you need a good laugh (and just for the record, I am not pregnant...!). There was no way in H-E-double-hockey-sticks that I was going to trek around Europe even ONE day in this thing! After having already looked all over Tarnation for something like it, I knew then and there that it was time to institute Plan B. My pink two-pocketed Nike wind breaker would just have to do. Maybe I can add pockets? Nah, mesh inside. Oh well.

And so, like my bathing suit top that finally arrived on Tuesday with a nice big hole in it, my advice to anyone ordering items online is, "Get your sh** together early - very early!"

What exactly is slimming about this jacket?
My pregnant looking bottom half makes my arms look like sticks!
(just to reiterate, I am not pregnant!)

Packing...and Re-packing

I've packed my suitcase a total of 15 times now. Just to be clear, this is all by design - call them 'test-packs', if you will. That's when you throw in some stuff with the thought that you are going to need it on your trip. A few days later when you open your suitcase to add some more stuff you're going to need, you see the stuff you already need, then decide that maybe you don't really need it after all because now there is no room. I think that's where the term 'pack-rat' comes from. I knew one carry-on was going to be a challenge!

The challenge is the weather. I don't like to be cold. I HATE being cold. London and Dublin are predicted to be the low 60's this week - and this is during the daytime, people! Ok, maybe not bad for traveling, but by contrast, Italy is in the upper 80's, and Tunisia, a scorching 95! I feel test-pack #16 coming on...maybe a pair of jeans after all...

Kimmie was nice enough to let me borrow some skirts. She went to Europe last year, including Italy where she said, "Only tourists wear shorts. Everyone else wears skirts." Ok, well it can be pretty hot in Italy, so maybe a skirt would be a good thing. Plus, I have to wear something more fancy for the dinners on the cruise - a two for one! Not being a big skirt fan, I decided to do a 'test-wear' for the day. Well, suffice it to say, I'm still not a skirt fan, at least not for every day casual wear. Although I got compliments from Karen's daughter Sierra, (who told me to "pack it!"), It's just not my thing. So count those two out. But the reversible organza-ish one, now that looks promising! And so it's been packed in my suitcase...until today. Realizing that although it's reversible and is essentially two outfits, I didn't want to have to wear the same top with it each time. So instead, I found a black skirt for which I can wear the many shirts I already had packed, and viola! 5 or more outfits, easily!

So with that decision made (again), I've closed the suitcase for now. I'm sure I'll rethink it all again when the clothes I have in the wash are ready...

The Route

From red, to blue to purple...

Anticipation - almost

We've made some progress in our trip planning - just check out that calendar! If you look closely though, you'll notice there still are some blank spots. One would think that everything should be in place by now, what with only just over two weeks before blast-off! Ha ha! That's the beauty of planning it all yourself, and I wouldn't have it any other way.

My immediate goal however, is to get to the place in our planning where all we have to do is excitedly wait; much like the many weeks you spend as a child pouring over the toy catalogs, writing your list, visiting Santa at the mall, and then WAITING for the presents on that Christmas morn. The days seem like weeks, and you can't sleep with the anticipation. This is all very ironic, of course, given that Mike never experienced this annual childhood angst trip. I'm sure he must've experienced something like that...but maybe not. Lucky! (also very ironic...)

Although there still are many more holes to fill, I'm feeling a bit more on track now that the hotel in Vernazza is booked, AND twice confirmed - at least through email. No fancy online booking going on here. Just a simple, "We're booked for those dates, but I have a friend who rents his house" kinda reservation. Which explains why we still have to call 4 days ahead to confirm (again!). NOT a real confidence builder there, but oh well, that's why it's an adventure! Just look at this place - gorgeous!

Constructive Panic

I'm well within panic range. Only four weeks before we leave on our trip. Flattery may get you everywhere, but panic gets you nowhere, quickly. Dan Zadra has a great quote: "Worry is a misuse of the imagination." How true that is.

Speaking of flattery, the order for my Sherpani Iris backpack, not mentioned by name in the last post, was cancelled by the purse web site - they didn't have the Pebble color I ordered. Bummer! At least they gave me $10 off my next order. I decided I'd look around in real-life a little more before placing an order for a different color. For $55.00, the cuteness can wait. Besides, in the meantime I had ordered a new camera backpack...not quite the Caddillac of camera backpacks, but close...the Lowepro Fastpak 250!

Why is it so great? Well first and foremost, you can carry it like a backpack, but sling it off one shoulder and hold the pack sideways to open the camera compartment in a jiffy. My current backpack is really too small to hold my Cannon while it's wearing the wide-angle pants, and I have to take the pack off all the way in order to get the camera out, or to change the lens - a royal pain in the toucas. As a result, most of the time I end up having 4+ lb. camera tugging around my neck even when not in picture mode, just to have it at the ready. (That, and it looks goofy! Bermuda shorts and visor, anyone?!)

The other most important feature for me is that it holds a laptop, which I will need to process my pictures while on the road, and of course, to blog! The Fastpak is the only camera backpack that I could find that had both of these important features. I was sure I made the right choice by choosing the "smaller" of the Fastpack models.

So excitedly I waited for my new camera backpack to arrive, and the one thing I knew for sure as soon as I saw it - Mike is going to be carrying this baby because...it...is...HUGE! Jeepers, it's a good thing I ordered the smaller one! I was sure I had made the right choice after reading all the reviews, and even watching a video on YouTube (ok, so it was in a foreign language!!). Emma asks me the obvious; didn't I look at the measurements? Well, yeah, but it didn't seem like it would be that much bigger than the one I already have.

Now I'm second guessing my choice, since even though the laptop compartment fits a widescreen laptop, we're only bringing a mini notebook. That's alright though, cuz we'll need room for the lappy power pak, along with all of the other gear for the Cannon - extra batteries and charger, card reader, filters and lenses, the video camera and cords, phone, ipod, kitchen sink...even though we won't want to carry all that stuff around all the time, it all still needs to get there in the first place.

I tell myself it'll be fine. Mike will carry the backpack. I most likely will still have the camera tugging at my neck, but at least the new pack will hold all of that other junk, so that we can lose it all at once.

As I've so aptly illustrated, second guessing creates panic. Panic is worry on steroids, and "Worry is a misuse of the imagination." No sense in worrying about it. You can do your best, but you can't plan for absolutely every situation, such is Life. Carpe Diem anyway.

Perhaps the Sherpani in the Canyon color...

The Final Countdown

It's the Final Countdown - it's just over 6 weeks (already!) that we leave on our trip and my anxiety dreams have already started. Probably because there is still so much to plan, book, confirm, purchase, reserve, print, rent, figure out, research.... agh! Funny how months turn into weeks...excitement to alarm!

Have you ever noticed how six weeks seems to be the standard amount of time polite people and businesses use with which to calculate how far in the future something is to take place? Why is that the magic number?

For instance, Emily Post suggests that you send out your wedding invitations 6-8 weeks in advance. Very polite - it gives people a chance to plan; then they wait until the last minute to RSVP and buy your present anyway. Shower invitations are usually sent 4-6 weeks in advance. Super plan-y (organized) people like to receive an invite 6 weeks in advance - however, most people send them by 4 weeks. Seems like it depends if it's a wedding shower or baby shower.

Then there's when you order that awesome $2.59 toy after saving 535 Mallow Cup coupons, and the order form tells you it will be '6-8 weeks for shipping and handling'. All that anticipation and waiting before you're disappointed by it. Maybe it's faster if you're expecting something in the regular mail. Our Ceremony of Keys tickets were supposed to take '6-8 weeks for processing' - surprise! They came in half the time. (Those Brits, so very polite!)

So with two weeks of things to do before I really panic (4 weeks ! Panic Time!), I'd better get down to it. If I get enough done in that amount of time, maybe I can sleep at night. At least I have a fashionable backpack on the way - and I don't have to wait 6 weeks for it!

The Carry-On Challenge - This one's for The TITLE!

It's every man every man, woman and child for themselves when it comes to luggage on this trip. We need to hit the ground running, and more than one bag each will be nothing but a big fat anchor on the Baxendell Fun Boat. Checked baggage takes too much time to retrieve. It gets lost. And it's usually heavy - Heck, if you're going to check it, you're going to (over)pack it. We'll save it for the trip home.

My friend Lori thinks I'm crazy. I told her that I was going to pack in one carry on for the entire 31 days. She says it can't be done. I wonder myself, since I am a very HEAVY packer under normal circumstances. Knowing that we are two of a kind when it comes to being prepared and wanting to be stylish as well (ha ha!), our recent conversation about my trip went something like this, with of course, the most important questions first:

"What, are you kidding? Aren't you going to pack any shoes? You know how big our feet are! That alone takes up half the bag!"

"I already have fancy flip flops - they pack flat," I retort. "I'll wear my heaviest shoes on the plane."


"What about your hair stuff?"

"I'm getting my hair cut short next week so I only need to bring a blow dryer. I'll just pack one little bottle of shampoo and styler gel and use the hotel stuff."

"What about jewelry!?" as she waves towards her ears.

"Not bringing any. I have a silver Tiffany ring I'm going to wear as my wedding band, and a pair of silver hoops. If I need anything or see a necklace I like, I can buy it, like a souvenir! "

"Well, yeah, but...!" she stammers. "But what about your makeup?!!"

"Eh, I'll take one of each of blush, eyeshadow and stuff, and if I need something, I'll buy it - you never know, I might discover something new that I can't live without!"

For the kicker, I told her I also have to stay under 22 pounds with my bag - I thought she was going to faint.

"What about your clothes? Jeans are heavy! A jacket?"

"I'm packing shirts with light materials, like this one." where upon I reveal my very stylish and sheer blouse, which can be worn both casual and dressy, washed by hand and dry by the next day, thankyouverymuch. She acquiesces a bit (ie: hesitates) that is, until I tell her about the jacket with 112 pockets. And zip off sleeves.

"Pockets? What the heck are you going to put in 112 pockets?"

"My papers and stuff! My camera lenses, a pen." Ok, that sounds lame.

"You're going to be in the same outfit in every picture!" she jokes. "Yeah there's that shirt again! Now it's in France! And there's the jacket...without the sleeves!"

"Nah, I'll turn them inside out for a different look!"

"WHAT?!! Inside OUT?"

I'm kidding. Her face is priceless. I'm laughing, but now she's breaking me down - she might actually have me on this one. I can wear less makeup (sunglasses!), cut my hair short (styler gel!) and do without my favorite pair of jeans (skirts, capris, and cargo pants - cute!) but to be documented in the same shirt in all of my blog pictures? This was going to be THE true challenge, and anyone who knows me knows why!

On certian airlines, vanity has it's price - Ryan Air (which we're taking from Dublin to Glasgow), have very specific luggage allowances; and they're not generous:

Strictly one item of cabin baggage is permitted per passenger (excluding infants). Handbag, briefcase, laptops, shop purchases, camera etc must be carried within your permitted 1 piece of cabin baggage. (AGGH!) It should weigh no more than 10kg and not exceed the maximum dimensions of 55cm x 40cm x 20cm.

That translates into 21.7 x 15.7 x 8 inches and 22lbs, otherwise pay up: Of course trying to actually figure out how much it would cost according to their Table of Fees is about as easy as reading the Periodic Table of Elements. Huh? It's the 22lbs max each bag that's going to be tricky.

Even packing lightly, we're going to have electronics, camera, a tripod, a teddy bear, and trolls to contend with. I already know we'll have to check at least one bag (the bag with the dirty clothes!) because of my camera gear and laptop being carried on with me, so this is where that jacket with the 112 pockets will come in handy! Pocket camera, ipod, passports, Nintendo DS Lite, GPS - all in my jacket! Who's laughing now?

Luckily for us (me!), the Ryan Air flight is in the first week of our trip. That leaves us (me!) three good weeks to collect crap for the checked bag home!

{I found this cute little straightener that works awesome, so it's coming with me...}

To the Tower!

"But not off with me head, I beseech you! ...I have a little neck..."

We received our tickets to the Ceremony of Keys on Friday! We got our first choice, Monday, 20th July - our first 24 hours in London.

The history behind the Tower is fascinating, especially the stories of Henry the VIII and his six wives. It gives us a whole different perspective when visiting in July, that's for sure! If you have a chance to watch the video in the link above, it's really interesting. The political and religious story behind Henry is much deeper than the dramatic sibling rivalry depicted in the movie The Other Boleyn Girl.

Our Ceremony of Keys ticket came on Friday. That was quick! We got our first choice, so we will be visiting on Monday, July 20.

Luck 'o the Irish

As if it weren't hard enough to find an affordable hotel room in Dublin at the height of the tourist season, U2 had to go and have a concert, (no make that two concerts!) in Dublin this summer. Hailing from Dublin originally, this is a REALLY big deal to Dubliners; the Holy Grail of concerts.

I love U2. They are the anthem band of my youth. Under a Blood Red Sky is one of my favorite albums. Any songs from War and The Joshua Tree instantly take me back to those first tastes of freedom in high school and college. In the words of William Wallace, "Frr-r-r-eedom!" (Ok, so he's Scottish... and do NOT confuse the Irish with the Scottish, or English or Welsh, for that matter; EVER.)

Now I've never seen U2 in concert. On their 2005 Vertigo tour, I contemplated going, until I calculated that it would cost approximately one month's mortgage payment to go see them in Toronto or Boston, then I realized that's why they named it the Vertigo tour. Ok, I don't live in a McMansion, but jeez! I don't even like The WHO that much. Well, ok, maybe I do.

As our luck would have it, they will be playing in Dublin July 24 AND 25 - the same time we're going to be there. Wow! Cool! Great! What better place to see U2 for the first time than in their hometown of Dublin!

Sure, us and 80,000 other fans; make that 164,000 fans. This is not just any venue either - but the Croke Park Stadium, which holds as many as a concert at Rich Stadium including field seats, and then some, and is the fourth largest stadium in Europe! Yikes, kiss any hotel room goodbye for that matter. Both concerts SOLD OUT in an hour...such swift sales that they will likely will be adding a third night...oh dear.

So, just in case they didn't make enough $ on their most recent "You're Not THAT Old Yet, Tour", U2 kicks off their second "Baby-Boomers and Gen X'ers Relive Your Semi-Punk Adolescence In Case You Missed It Last Time, Tour", this time officially dubbed the 360° Tour. Full Circle, I guess. To be fair about the grinding sound of the money making machine here:

"In keeping with U2 manager Paul McGuinness pledge to allocate at least 10,000 tickets at each venue at a cost of €30 each, the cheapest tickets will be priced at €33.50 which includes the booking fee.


Tickets for both concerts will range from €33.50 to €131.50 and are limited to six person/transactions."

How very thoughtful.

We were enlightened to this amazing clash in the time-space continuum when every and all hotel rooms, from every and all hotel search engines, were sucked into a vacuous black hole in a matter of minutes of plopping in our travel dates.

Our epiphany went something like this:
"Hmm...there must be something big going on in town that weekend, (understatement of the century) ....hmmm, hopefully the Pope's not in town, ha ha!... Ok, Google....Dublin...July 24. Uh, it's much worse than the Pope being in town. It's ...please tell me it's not...a....U2..... CONCERT?!? Aghh!"

I think it would be easier to find a hotel room in Dublin on St. Paddy's day - with the Pope in town.

Happy Traveling Rule #1 (aside from having a DVD player with earphones for the kids) -

Don't Panic!

We were able to find a really nice and CHEAP hotel (Bewley's, as recommended by Samantha Brown of The Travel Channel!) for the 27th, so that is booked and we can rest assured that we have at least one night in Dublin with a bed, pillow, and private bathroom (THAT is a whole 'nother story).

Happy Traveling Rule #2 - Be Flexible!

Our only travel restriction is to be back to to Dublin by the 28th for our flight out to Glasgow. Instead of visiting Dublin as soon as we come over and then heading out two days later, we'll pick up our rental car and bee-line it to a location halfway between Dublin and Cork before the masses infiltrate on the 23rd. When we come back and drop off the car, then we'll do the touristy thing in Dublin, when all the other "tourists" have gone...hopefully.

Oh yeah, and...

Happy Traveling Rule #3 - Always Google for events in the town you're visiting, just in case you need to avoid them!

The Master Itinerary - In Ink!

Yea! We've made our Master Itinerary!

....now we need to work on some of the other minor details; like accommodations!

The Planner, The Bookie, and the Financier

Hurray! Another major leg of the tour has been booked today...and what a relief it is, since now I have one less week of daily plans to make!

Mike says I'm the Planner, he's just the Financier. But he's also the Bookie, and so Mike booked the week-long Med cruise with MSC. I was a little apprehensive about this cruise at first because I didn't know much about some of the ports of call, and even though we would be spending three other weeks traveling at our whim, the thought of giving up places that I wanted to see (Tuscany!) for those I probably wouldn't otherwise visit, (Malta?) suddenly left me feeling...greedy! I took that as a sign and the perfect reason to book the cruise - at what other time would we consider Malta or Tunisia to be on our destination list? (it helps that I did a lot of research on Malta and Tunisia!)

So why not just book a Med cruise with all the ports of call we would want to visit? That's easy - Price. Kids 17 and under cruise FREE on MSC. That, and the itinerary fits perfectly into the plans. MSC also offers travelers the option of getting on the ship at different ports in the itinerary, which makes for more flexibility. So the Bookie/Financier found a cheap flight from Edinburgh to Pisa (Florence) and for $60.00/person we're not only to our embarkation port, but we're close enough to Italy's Cinque Terre to visit for three days before we cruise!

The last little bit of the frame will be figuring out how to get from Italy to Paris to catch our flight home on August 18. Most likely we'll take a train, winding our way through France, but now that the majority of the skeleton is in place, filling in the blanks feels like a cinch!

Valetta, Malta, Maltese Islands
An ancient city


Click for a live web cam shot of Valetta Grand Harbor









This is a nice little video describing Malta and the Valetta Water Front in particular

Have You Ever Seen an IRC?

The Secret Life of IRC's

IRC's are a well kept secret. In the US they are called International Reply Coupons, and are used when you need someone from another country to send something to you in the US, without them having to pay for the postage to send it. Here we call it a self-addressed stamped envelope, and being that I needed something sent to me from England, they don't use our stamps. You'd think you could just send them a bunch of their stamps on an envelope, but that won't work either...thus, the IRC's. Simple enough, you would think.

Now why would I need these things anyway? My quest started when I read that you could request *free* tickets to a *very special* and *exclusive* ceremony that takes place at the Tower of London every night, called Ceremony of the Keys. (How special could it be, if it's every night?...)

Promptly at 9:30 every night, for the past 700 years, there is an official locking up of the Tower. Turn the lights out and lock the door, it's time for bed! At one time Ceremony of the Keys was public, but now you have to request tickets in writing many months ahead of time, especially if visiting in July or August (...so that's what makes it special!).

First you must submit your letter to the Resident Governor and Keeper of the Jewel Tower with your exact date of visit (with a back up date, just in case!), include all the names of those in your party, include a SASE, or in the case of those living outside of Britain, 2 IRC's, send it off and hope for the best.

Well trying to find a "Coupon-Response International" was a small adventure on its own. After my fair share of Googling, I finally found some information on what it was, and was fairly forewarned that many-a-post office clerk would not know what it is. If they did, then be prepared to be told that they are no longer being sold, and haven't been for years. Bollocks! (practicing my cockney there...) I'm here to tell you the USPS does still sell them, you just have to do some digging. Oh, and it helps if you ask for the right thing...

And from the US Postal Service

What are international reply coupons?
International reply coupons (IRCs) provide a convenient method for you to prepay replies from foreign countries. You can send your correspondent one or more coupons. Your correspondent exchanges the coupon for postage in his or her country. One coupon in the United States is exchangeable in any other participating member country for a stamp or stamps representing the minimum postage required for an unregistered airmail letter. If you are sending something that requires more postage than a standard letter, you should inquire with the appropriate foreign postal administration about how many IRCs will be needed to complete your transaction.

For a very funny take on the whole matter of IRC's, you must read this thread. I find British humor very entertaining!

So after making 5 phone calls, talking to 4 different people, 2 of whom had no clue as to what they were, I was able to get them from the HUGE main PO distribution center on Henrietta Road. It didn't help that I was calling them "Coupon-Response International", as is stated on the Tower of London website and clearly on the coupon itself, but go figure, we call them IRC's in the US. Had I Googled IRC, I would've found the info right away. I hightailed it over to the BIG Post Office before they changed their minds about having them, and $4.21 later I have my two IRC's in hand and I'm feeling mighty smart for having figured it all out!

They are very pretty, these IRC's, and remind me of the beautiful foreign money you see in other countries. So I thought I'd scan it to show you. Now you know what to look for. Hopefully I've saved someone else a little time.

Sidebar: Ironically enough, the term "Ponzi Scheme" was coined in the US after the "investment" in IRC's in the 1920's.

I've drafted my letter to the RG and KotJT, and shall be sending it off tomorrow. With any luck, we'll be accepted and get our tickets...now I'll just need to remember to pack them...

Travel Agents...Our Second Career, perhaps

Me thinks by the end of this trip, both Mike and I could be travel agents. Not that Mike doesn't work in this capacity on some level already - he's the go-to man whenever friends or family need a cheap airline ticket.

The latest development in the itinerary has the last fourth of our trip sketched out, and fits in perfectly with our schedule. We're looking at a week-long cruise of the Mediterranean, starting in Genoa and hitting ports in Marseille (France), Barcelona, Tunisia, Malta, Sicily, and Rome - a port a day! We found a cheap flight out of Edinburgh to Pisa/Genoa, which allows us to roam the Cinque Terre (oooo!) for a few days before departing from Genoa.

We cruised with MSC and rang in 2008 on their ship, the Lirica. Most Americans haven't heard of MSC, as they cater to the European market, but it's one of the biggest and fastest growing cruise lines and is just beginning to target the US and Canada. They have a brand new ship being launched in July, the Splendida. It's the sister ship to the Fantasia, which launched in Fall 2008. The Spendida will be right out of the wrapper - by the time we board the ship on August 8, we'll be the 5th public sailing. Not sure if that's a good thing....

The thought of a week of (relative) relaxation after 2 1/2 weeks on the road makes me absolutely giddy! Even though there won't be any relaxing days "at sea", and the cruise itinerary is a busy port-a-day, not having to drive or ride a train to get to a hotel will be great! Dinner will be ready, the beds will be made, the towels will be clean, and we'll have the best views of the coast you can have. That, and we were really confounded as how to visit all the places in Italy we wanted without a bunch of back-tracking. Not sure yet if we can get a reasonable flight from Genoa to Paris, but we can always take the train to the City of Love before our flight home 3 days later.

However, it's not booked yet...I'm having a tiny anxiety attack over whether the ports are worth visiting. So with that being said, I'm off to do some research on Tunisa. Now, have you ever heard of La Goulette?

Gnomes for Sale?

So much to figure out for this trip - really important things - like where can I get 4 plastic gnomes, no bigger than 3-4 inches high? Why do I need them? For the traveling gnome shot, of course!

You'd think this would be an easy Google or something, but try it! They're all garden gnomes, the size of the Travelocity gherkin; and made of plaster, like him. Although he is very cute and quite charming, not to mention a bit precocious, he's just too big for my suitcase and I'm not going to sacrifice my one carry-on just so he can accompany us, no matter how fun he is (jumping on the bed: Travel Wish #52! - very fun, Indeed!).

However, it might be funny to be one of the last people to get on the plane carrying nothing but a 2-foot cement gnome in your arms. As you make your way down the aisle, you pause at each row with an empty seat, glancing at your boarding pass, just for effect. All the people sitting alone suddenly start praying you stop before you get to them, while all of the people you pass sigh in relief.

You make it to your seat, and when the stewardess tells you that you need to ditch the gnome overhead, you protest, telling her that the gnome is the sacred vessel holding the ashes of Dear Departed (insert name here) and you can't let it out of your sight! A small tussle ensues, and you compromise by putting the gnome under the seat in front of you. He doesn't mind - he's checking out the leg room. All in a day's work!

If you want to see what the real traveling gnome has been up to, check out this video for a good laugh. Meanwhile, I'm off to revise my search terms.

Amazing, or Crazy?

Mike and I always talk about trying out for The Amazing Race...
however, not being able to leave the kids for a month prevents me from making that audition tape - that, and I need a haircut. Of course it hasn't stopped Mike from making them... (kidding, Hon!). Actually, I think we would make a really good team and might have a chance at a million dollars if we did get picked because:

• Mike has a built in GPS in his head (which anyone who has ever travelled with him knows)
  

• I have a plethora of trivial (ie:useless) information, on a variety of random topics, floating about in my head (it's just that sometimes I have a problem retrieving them...)
  

However, ultimately we wouldn't win because I'm afraid of heights, and they always make someone jump off of a building or a mountain or something, and there's only so many times they let one person do the crazy stuff.

Anyway,

I've come to the conclusion that planning our overseas odyssey is much like planning for a GIANT wedding; it's way more complicated than planning for a baby, and is almost as scary as having one, or both, for that matter. A moment of excitement comes to mind when a couple brings home their new baby for the first time, and then when the kid won't stop crying, reality hits and they wonder, "WHAT were we thinking!?" (you know you did...heck, I thought it before he even started crying...) Eventually the initial panic passes, and you get on with it.

A month of winging it in Europe is not new to me. Waaaaay back in '88, back in the old days when you didn't even have to prove who you were to get on a plane let alone walk through any kind of security, I roamed around Europe with no particular schedule, a 40 lb. backpack dragging me down, and a plane ticket out of London for 4 weeks later. Ahhh, to be young!

But '88 was also the year everything changed, when four days before Christmas, Pan Am Flight 103 exploded over Lockerbie Scotland. The world would be a different place now, and along with 9/11, this event changed the world forever.

This cowardly act of terrorism stole two girls from our tight-knit program who were flying back to NY. Four of us had been in transit when it happened, and so had no idea. Our parents were worried sick when they didn't hear from us. Some kids had changed their tickets to an earlier date to surprise their families for Christmas, so although we knew someone from our group was flying on Pan Am that day, we didn't know who for sure. You could change tickets with someone and no one would even know.

So, as much as I'd love to live the free-wheelin' life again and "wing it" ala The Amazing Race style, I figure for the sake of the kids' nap schedule (heh heh!) , and the sanity of our family and friends who may worry about us, we'd better have some plans nailed down.

Mike made the leap for all of us when he booked the tickets - fly in to London, out from Paris. If we're going to do it, we might as well go big, so 4 weeks and 3 days later our Amazing Race will cross the finish line, and no matter how many challenges we may lose in between, we're all sure to come out winners in the end!

(Ok, corny, but I couldn't resist...)

I've already started my Powerpoint itinerary and notes...notice how many squares are still empty...

Prep Time

Well, it's official - our Amazing Race begins July 18, 2009. We start in Toronto and fly to our first stop, London; arriving on Sunday 19th July (as dates go in Europe!) at 11:45. They also use military time, so this is going to drive me nuts!