Some countries never change

 

from The Guardian 27 February 2022

Back to Europe in 2022

In 1994 Susie and I took our first trip abroad as a couple. Our travel plan was pretty simple and, as it turned out, would define how we have travelled ever since: find a place to visit, rent an apartment and just be in that place, getting to know the neighborhood, the town. As a result we spent three weeks in June split between two home rentals in Italy. Bear in mind we didn't know Italian, had never been to Italy and didn't know anyone who had ever done such a thing -- so why we decided on such a way to see the country is beyond me. 

But we did. And a good thing we did.

Anyway, our first rental (pictured below) was for a week in Umbria. We then met up with Dick and Dorothy for two weeks in a small village just north of Siena.

While we have certainly stayed in our share of hotels during our various travels since, we have tended toward apartment rentals of a week or longer, often significantly longer. And, to repeat, we've almost always tended to stay in one place, using it as a home-away-from-home as it were.

Not this time. In the spring of 2022 our return to Europe will find us traveling in new and unique ways. Two months seeing parts of Europe we have never visited before, and pretty much all by train. 

If you're keen on knowing the details check out the itinerary below. . . 

a week in early June 1994, close to Niccone in Umbria, north of Umbertide

Susie and me, Fonte Gaia, Siena

with Dick and Dorothy in Siena

One of the very first things we did to prepare for the trip was renew our passports (due to expire in 2023) since we were going to be gone for some two months. We also applied for and received the Global Pass (part of the Trusted Traveler Program).

That done we could then begin to layout the specifics of our itinerary.

In broad terms we wanted to visit Scandinavia, we wanted to see the MacDs in Germany and we thought it would be nice to see Prague. That much we knew. 

As for getting around we ruled out renting/leasing a car (we did that back in 2005). Why? Well, for one thing our trip would entail visiting/spending our time in major cities where parking could be a major hassle. Plus, why have a car in a large city when public transport would do just fine? And taking the trains from city to city would be stress-free!

So we opted for a Eurail pass: we each have a two-month pass that allows us 15 days of unlimited train travel. One thing we learned early on was the necessity in some countries of having to make reservations, which I've already done for several of our longer travel legs.

Next was to lock down where we wanted to spend our time and how much of it in each location. This is how things ended up:

We leave Michigan 20 April and arrive in Munich the following day. 

After spending a week in Munich (with a side trip to Salzburg) we take the train to eastern Bavaria and spend a few days with the MacDs. We hope to do a couple of day trips, one to Regensburg and another to Nuremberg. 

From Germany its on to Prague for four nights followed by an overnight in Hamburg, on to Copenhagen for four nights and then train to Stockholm where we'll meet up with Richard and Pauline. 

After four nights in Sweden it's on to Oslo for five nights (end enjoy Norway's national Independence Day celebrations on May 17). Then Flåm (a popular part of the Norway in a Nutshell Tour) for two nights followed by four nights in Bergen.  

From Bergen we fly to Amsterdam and then train to Gouda for five nights. While in the Netherlands we hope to pop over to Delft and The Hague as well as Rotterdam. 

From Gouda we train to Paris for our final two weeks.

As for accommodations we have reserved apartments (through Air BnB) in Munich, Prague, Copenhagen, Oslo, Bergen and Paris where we return to the same apartment we rented in 2018. We'll be staying in hotels in Hamburg, Stockholm, Flåm and Gouda.

We fly out of Paris on 14 June.

I'll post a final itinerary update before we go and hope to post daily or nearly so while we're traveling. Note that because of the restrictions imposed by Mailchimp (my email program) notifications will probably be sent out infrequently. You can plan to bookmark the blog and visit at your convenience, of course.

Until next time, be well, be safe and happy travels wherever you'r going!