Gettin Ready

Two weeks from today we will be winging our way across the Atlantic to Amsterdam. Carolyn has had a trial run at the packing. Looks like we will have two medium suitcases to check and two small carry-ons with the camera case and a computer case piggy backed on each. It should be manageable. We will check the two larger bags for the flight, but we have two train rides that we will have to handle it all.  Carolyn looked into shipping the bags, but for $400 each bag we decided we could handle them for the short Channel Train and the Adirondack Train rides. Fortunately all the bags have the spinner wheels and are easy to handle.

All the hotels and cars are reserved. The train tickets are bought. Dick has worked out the details on getting the key for the cottage we have rented in the French countryside. We have the cottage for nine days, hopefully this will be enough time for Dick to get his fill of Verdun and the Meuse-Argonne Battlefields. He has loaded all the GPS co-orindinates for the sites in the GPS we travel with so we shoud be set to go.

Carolyn has worked up her usual detailed itinerary so as usual we now know what we won't do...travel is always an adventure for us as we so often get side tracked...but it is so much fun.

Airport security should have fun checking the bags,,,besides the usual travel items there are a few surprises. We loved fending for our selves in Italy three years ago. That prompted us to get a cottage in France. The one thing Carolyn learned though was there are a couple of staples that are hard to find in Europe...at least in Italy. So, to help with fixing our own food, there are small plastic jars of sweet pickle relish, canola mayo and a package of grits in the checked luggage!

This is going to be a neat trip. The schedule is loose. Our first stop, Amsterdam, is new to us as are a number of the ports of call. We plan to check out a couple of things in Paris and London also that we missed on previous trips. We enjoy driving in Europe and are looking forward to the time in the country side. The last leg of the trip...Albany, NY to home is totally unscheduled...Some motel will have a "light on" when we are ready to stop for the day.