Getting Set

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Formulating a Plan

After much discussion and research we have a plan in place! We originally planned to get to Europe via Dubai but then thought going via the USA and stopping in LA and NYC was an option. However, the additional cost for this was too much as we would rather have the money for Europe, and hopefully have enough at the end of our planned itinerary for Israel / Jordan / Kenya / Tanzania / Rwanda.



So we came up with an itinerary and booked flights to and from NZ as well as a number of internal flights in Europe so that we had some specific places we knew we had to be at certain times to stop us wandering off-course. We also joined YHA and started to book some accommodation and looked at travel options. We decided against Eurail passes as the cost of them is very high and there was no guarantee we would even be able to use them for some of the routes. We also contacted our German "children" so we could warn them we were coming and organise to stay with them for part of the time.

The First Four Weeks

So back to Dubai it was and we are flying out on April 22 to Dubai where we will stay for three nights. From there it is on to London for 3 nights staying at Pax Lodge, one of Girl Guiding's World Centres. Then another plane ride to Rome on 29 April for 3 nights staying at a hostel about half an hour outside of the city. Visiting the Colosseum was one of my must-dos for the trip. From there it is a 4 hour train ride to Treviso, near Venice for a week. This is one of the resort properties we have access to via our membership in the Holiday Club so that was "free" in that there was no additional cost to us. After a hectic start we thought it would be a good plan to have a week somewhere to recharge our batteries. It is only a short distance from Venice and we are looking forward to experiencing that city's famous canals and other sights.



We check out on the 9th of May and then go to another of my must-visit places, Zagreb, Croatia for 3 nights. We are staying in a hostel here also - as a general rule the hostels offer great value - private rooms, usually with a bathroom, for between 70 and 100 NZ dollars a night! I had initially planned to then go through Austria, but a bit of research and thought (and map reading!) made me realise that going to Vienna, while a great idea, was adding a lot of extra travel time and cost, so instead we are going from Zagreb to Lake Bled, Slovenia for 3 nights staying again at a hostel and then a short trip from there to the city of Ljubljana for 2 nights. Our next booked stay is in Zurich, Switzerland where we are staying at the intriguingly named Moevenpick Hotel near the airport for 2 nights. We had the choice of a 12 hour plane trip or 1.5 hour flight for about the same price so we have gone with the plane. That takes us to 19 May where we head to Adelboden, site of another of Guiding’s World Centres, Our Chalet.

The Next Stage

That’s as far as we have booked in at the moment. We are planning to briefly go to Innsbruck, Austria after that before going to Germany. Five days in Switzerland will be plenty. The price difference between there and the other countries we are visiting is quite marked. It is certainly not the place for a budget visit! We will be spending quite a bit of time in Germany before heading into Belgium and the Netherlands then across to Denmark before our next week long stay in Akaslompolo, Finland which is in the Arctic Circle. We get there just after the summer solstice so we are looking forward to 24 / 7 sunshine and pelican sized sand-flies! We leave there on Independence Day and head to Helsinki then ferry across to Tallinn, Estonia and then Riga, Latvia. From there we fly to Warsaw, Poland and also go to Krakow from where we will visit Auschwitz. Then it is Prague, Czech Republic and a flight to Istanbul, Turkey. While there we will take a 2 day tour to Gallipoli and Troy before our final week-long stay at a resort in Izmir. That takes us through to 2 August and we have a flight booked back on 20 August, from London. That gives us the option of going back via Germany and maybe visit some places we missed. However, a better plan (I think) is to travel a bit more in Turkey before going to Israel and Jordan and flying back to Dubai then Auckland from there. BUT, if the house sells between then and now, who knows?



Ed

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