Big Trip

We have a big European trip planned this summer, with kids. It's been at least 2 years in the planning - my dear Uncle Ken in England, the one with whom I stayed with all those summers in high school - is turning 90! Since he's always been a substitute grandfather to me AND an all around nice guy, I wouldn't miss the party for the world. Unfortunately for us, his birthday is at the end of June, also known as high travel season, and this year jet fuel costs are soaring, and the dollar cannot keep up with the stiff-upper-lip of the British pound or the brawny proletariat strength of the Euro. "Ah well, it can't be helped," as Uncle Ken would say. We've been saving our pennies and our vacation time and are going anyway.

In the past we've had pretty good luck waiting until about 4-6 weeks before our departure, watching the travel websites and catching a good deal. Our tickets started out at $1400 EACH a few months ago. Its a gamble to wait, but we have been waiting and watching, noting that the planes are empty. My dad figures no one is traveling this year due to cost, not even school groups, etc. The prices did dip down to $1100, then agonizingly went back up. This weekend, 6 weeks out, the prices went down to $1100, so we bit the bullet and bought tickets. (Please note we saved about $300 X 4 tickets = $1200 by waiting.)

Each decision is fraught with indecision. Do we sit 4 across or 2 in front, 2 behind? Do we opt for 1 stop or 2, when the total travel time is better? Will kids sleep better if we leave on the trans-atlantic overnight flight at 6 pm or 9 pm?

We will be arriving in London and driving to the Stratford-upon-Avon area, famous for that wordsmith Shakespeare, where we'll spend a few days on a canal boat with my parents (more on that later), then on to Wales for the birthday party weekend. Then we'll fly to Frankfurt and spend four days with Anthony's uncle Volker. We're staying in a renovated 12th century (built in 1135) castle turned hotel on the Rhine, where we'll be drinking wine, riding trains, and teaching Volker how to use his new MacBook. I hope the weather on the Rhine during summer is better than the constant drizzle we experienced in the off-season! Then we'll hop another flight to Milan for the best part of the trip.

We have 10 days of vacation in Italy with my friend, Romina, who used to run a gelateria here in Austin, but has returned home and started a family. She has kindly offered to take us either to her family home in the mountains, or plan lots of day trips from her home base near Milano, to destinations like Parma (ie the town where parmeggiano reggiano and prosciutto comes from). After a nice long stay with her, we're taking the kids to the beach, Italian style, in Cinque Terre.

Man, we are all so pumped about this trip! We are talking about it daily at the dinner table. Anna is excited because we told her every day in Italy she can have gelato, cappucino, and really really good pizza. Colin is excited to experience so many forms of transportation in one week - jet planes! boats! trains! buses! Anthony and I can't wait to get back to the continent he practically grew up on, eating marvelous foods, drinking wines, speaking languages we aren't at all comfortable with, seeing dear friends and family...