Alright, reality is beginning to set in - we are leaving in 9 days. Actually, in 9 days we will be GONE! My list of things to do is surprisingly short, yet, as last minute details go, quite important.
One of the most exciting aspects of this trip for me, as the mom, is being able to have this experience with my kids. I have been to Europe twice before, once with a casual friend to London for a week and a few years before that to France with a family friend. Both trips were fun and exciting, but without family. My memories and perceptions were all my own. This trip will be a collective experience with shared memories and I think that will be awesome.
Also, the fact that I have been planning this trip for over a year is wonderful. Hammering out the details for such a long time makes me feel oh, so prepared! (I will probably laugh at my naivete) And now that I have made purchases specifically for this type of trip, I hope that we will continue the adventuring! Bryan is talking about South America next year (exchange rate being so horrible in Europe). Each of us will have a back pack (horrors to Bryanna, who could fill a backpack with make-up and hair paraphernalia alone!) - I imagine it will get old by week 5, but wonderful to think that we can fit all we need into a 22" by 18" bag.
Since my last post we have met two people with good advice for our trip. One is a Catholic priest, Father Farnon, that lived in Rome for 8 years and another a friend of a friend that is a native Swiss. Both have warned us about driving in Europe. Italy in particular sounds like a scary video game, and Christa from Switzerland says that driving in Europe is very stressful compared to driving in the US. She says a European would not consider driving 3-4 hours one way to only turn around that evening and do it again. They would spend the night, she says.
So I am trying to find a Mont Blanc alternative. Mont Blanc is a very expensive excursion, so adding a hotel cannot happen. Earlier in the trip, we plan to leave Paris in our rental car and head to Bastogne, Belguim for lunch to see the trenches and memorials then onto Germany through Luxembourg. Might not happen that way, but we can only wait and see...
wish I had packed that tent after all!
Although, taking away the huge expense that Mont Blanc was going to be, adding a train trip to say Venice from Florence is more do-able. Christa had a few suggestions for Swiss Alps (as apposed to French Alps or Italian Alps) enjoyment that will probably work well too. We are never really done planning, I am discovering!
Flexible. We will have to be flexible. So I am starting now to pray for patience and the ability to adapt to any situation AND to not freak out and scare the kids. That last part will need divine intervention, but He has done it before, so I trust He can do it again. Can you imagine if all the kids remember from this trip was, oh yeah and then so and so happened and mom freaked out AGAIN! No, not the memories I am looking for.
I am also starting to pop Airborne like candy and making the kids take vitamin C. I seem to be developing some sort of sinus thing. Sigh. Never in my life have I had sinus issues, why now? I actually stayed home from church this morning (gasp!) because of this horrible run-down and bruised feeling that lets me know I have a doosey coming on. Praying....
Well, I am going to try out my new pocket camera now. One of those small details that need to be worked out: getting photos from my camera and onto the blog. Very important detail! Wish me luck!
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