The Real Beginning

(John) We got off to a late start due to thunderstorms in Chicago. Once we were in the air all went well. I am so very glad I had my PDA. The air got bumpy on several occasions. Once, we dropped so quickly I thought I thought my stomach had suddenly relocated to my throat. I kept myself distracted with music and reading E-books.

The trip from Chicago to London was VERY long - and I really didn't sleep for more than 10-15 minutes at a time. My butt was tired from sitting for such a long period. No matter how comfortable our 777 aircraft was, I was exhausted by the time we landed at Heathrow. Then it was a hot 75 minute ride on the underground into Victoria Station. Thankfully we didn't have to wait for luggage, and we were not screened by customs. The hotel was exactly as I expected: old, small rooms, but clean and updated furnishings.

As I write up to this point, we're sitting in a place called Cafe Nero on Warwick Way, drinking iced coffee and sharing a panini. Not a bad beginning for our London adventures.

Now I'm leaping ahead - the end of the day has come in a pub called the Hedgehog & Pheasant, just three blocks from the hotel. We've been walking around Pimlico and Belgravia. We've seen Buckingham Palace and Westminster Cathedral (the RC cathedral). I'm drinking a Guinness and eating bangers and mash as I finish today's entry in this journal. Tomorrow will be even bigger than today.

Anxiousness is in the Air

(Gene) I too have noticed and especially today that feeling of anxiousness. It's not just the trip or the long flight overseas. It's a combination of things.

Perhaps it is the unknown changes happening at work while I am gone. Will I have a job when I come back? What about my co-workers? I am also feeling withdrawal pangs from our house, yard, our pool and most certainly Amy and Maggie.

I have never been away so long from them. I will miss not waking up with the Schnauzer wanting to play. I wonder if I can rent a Schnauzer in Germany?

Now this will sound strange, but...

(John) Near the end of this school year, I got my usual short summer haircut. My students, as second graders often do, reacted negatively to the change. I guess new and different is the same as bad to a second grader's mind. Actually, I suppose I could say that about many adults as well.

By now you are probably wondering, what that heck does this have to do with the trip? Just bear with me please. Some of my students might get a kick out of this!

Today, I realized that I often change my hair when I travel, and that includes my beard. So here I am on the eve of my departure, and I've changed my beard again. It's gone!

Here is the story of my facial hair during travel: (is this an esoteric subject, or what?)

The top left picture is me in 1986. It was about 5am and I'm about to depart on my first independent vacation without parents. I had turned 21 just one month prior. I had been living on my own since I was about 18. In my new Ford Escort I was headed for the San Francisco Bay area.

The top right pic is Christmas of 1988. I had moved to Seattle the previous year and I flew home to San Diego for the holiday. It was the first time I had ever flown on my own. The facial hair began that year with a moustache. I wanted folks at work to take me seriously. I thought a moustache would help. Besides, guys in Seattle have a reputation for looking rugged. Did the moustache do the trick? Apparently not...

Flash ahead to 1994. The bottom left picture has me with a full beard. Gene and I celebrated our first anniversary in New York City and Boston. It was the first time either one of us had visited "The Big Apple." This pic was taken on top of the Empire State Building. By the year of that trip, I had worn a full but closely trimmed beard for about six years.

Finally, bottom right - that pic was taken in February of this year, 2005. We were hiking through Joshua Tree National Park near Palm Springs. The full beard is gone and I have what is known as a Van Dyke - a moustache and goatee combination.

If you want to know what I look like now, you'll have to wait until I post a pic during our travels in Europe. But, with a little imagination, you can envision a preview. Take the first pic from 1986 and add 19 more years and about 20 pounds. Otherwise, for the real thing - stay tuned...

Feeling Nervous

(John) I noticed today that I'm experiencing some strange feelings. It's a mixed brew of anticipation and fear. For the last day or two, we've been concentrating on our final preparations. The yard work is ready, the house is prepared for our housesitter, and our bags are nearly packed.

I suppose it's normal to experience some fear prior to a momentous event like this trip. I'm worried about what will happen while I'm gone. I'm concerned about my dog and cat, not to mention my house too. I really have nothing to fear. I know everything will be well cared for.

I think I have a generalized fear of things I cannot control. Will my hotel reservations be OK? Will our flight go well? Will we see everything we are hoping to see? Or, maybe I'm just CRAZY!

Though I know every vacation has it's problems, I will remind myself that I can handle just about anything. I'm going to focus on what I can do and leave the rest to fate.

Getting Ready

(John) In just a week, we are headed to Europe! This will be my partner's second trip, his first being the traditional post high school backpacking tour. It's my first time outside North America.

To say I'm excited would be the ultimate in understatement. I have long wanted to "see the world" and it finally seems this wish is beginning to unfold. For the first time I am leaving North America.

Planning is half the fun of any vacation, and we have been planning and saving for more than two years. We have done copious amounts of reading and research. In that time, I have become a devoted disciple of the Back Door travel style promoted by Rick Steves on PBS. I travel light, actively, and close to the ground. No tour buses or groups for me. Hilton, Hyatt, and Sheraton are not on my list of hotels. We are staying in family run hotels, inns, and B&B's. The trip is 31 days long and covers five nations: England/Wales, Republic of Ireland, Belgium, Netherlands, and Germany. Some highpoints: London, Bath, Dublin, Kinsale, the Rhein river, Rothenburg, Munich, Berlin, and Amsterdam. We are renting a car in Ireland and Wales. While on the continent, we are traveling exclusively by train - including London - Brussels through the Chunnel on the Eurostar train.

In order to stay mobile, we are limiting ourselves to one carry-on bag weighing 20 pounds or less. That must include all cameras, books, clothing, and other accessories.

Here is my packing list:

CLOTHING
1 pair khaki slacks, no wrinkle
2 pair zipper pants/shorts
2 seersucker short sleeve shirts
1 microfiber short sleeve shirt
1 striped long sleeve shirt
1 colored T shirt
1 Tank top
4 pairs of underwear
2 pairs of color socks
3 pairs of white socks
1 pair black walking shoes
1 pair black/white cross-trainers
1 pair sandals
1 black belt
1 pair workout shorts

TOILETRIES
1 Toothbrush w/cap
1 Small tube of toothpaste
Dr. Bronner's Liquid soap
Small First Aid kit (Band-Aids, ibuprofen, moleskin, etc)
Pepto Bismol tabs
Deodorant
Melatonin
Tiny sewing kit
Lip balm
Electric razor
Earplugs
Comb

ACCESSORIES
Plastic fork/knife & small tablecloth (for picnics)
Small LED flashlight/compass
Electric plug adapters
iPaq Pocket PC w/earphones & charger cord (itinerary, wireless internet, music, E-book, games, etc)
Money belt
International driver permit
Driver's license
Passport
Credit card
ATM card
My own pillowcase
Small daypack
Mini fan
Hotel confirmations
Train tickets
Theatre tickets
Digital movie camcorder w/extra battery and small charger
Select pages from guidebooks
10 Seattle postcards (to give as thank you gifts/notes)
2 tiny packets of SBC Coffee (again, to give as a gift from my hometown)

YES! all of that, including my backpack/rucksack (but excluding 1 outfit which I'll be wearing) weighs just 2o pounds! It's hard to believe I even got the mini-fan, tablecloth, and phrase book into the mix.

Travel Teaches

(John) "I never left San Diego until I was 45," she said. My 10 year old mouth dropped to the concrete floor of the patio. Now, 30 years later, I still list that statement as one of the most shocking things I have ever heard in my life.

It was made by a family friend during a summer party at my childhood home. Mind you, I was no great world traveler! But I had been through the Midwest, and up and down the Pacific coast during family vacations. My experiences were as diverse as backpacking in the Sierra Nevada, a wealthy aunt's home on Russian Hill in San Francisco, a lakeside cabin in Minnesota, and RV trekking through British Columbia, not to mention visits to what is my current home on Puget Sound.

There are far too many American's who have never seen the world. I never want to be listed among those who are happy to stay at home. Such limited experience robs one of the opportunity to gain knowledge of different people, places, cultures, and belief systems. Even if one only travels within North America, there are a plethora of opportunities to gain insight. From Oaxaca Mexico, to Quebec Canada - folks are very different and yet all the same.

Now, in the middle of my life, I have seen many different places between the Atlantic and Pacific. In Mexico, I've been from the boarder towns of Juarez and Tijuana to the resort city of Puerto Vallarta. I've hiked through the Colorado Rockies, toured the patriotic sites around Boston, and sweated through the heat and humidity of South Carolina and Georgia. I've enjoyed the performing arts on Broadway and in Carnegie Hall, and I've herded cattle on a San Antonio ranch. I've also enjoyed the similar yet distinct culture and attitudes of western Canada. Finally, the tropical paradise of Hawaii, and the fun and fantasy of Florida are two of my favorite destinations.

Sadly, I have never been able to leave North America for Europe or Asia - never until now. In one week I will settle into a cramped coach seat on American Airlines for 12 hours. While my body will be uncomfortable for half a day, my perspective and my experience will finally broaden to include the continent that has had the most influence on my American life. I think I'll be a better man for the experience.