Showing posts with label blog. Show all posts
Showing posts with label blog. Show all posts

The countdown is on...


Getting super excited about our trip!  Less than two weeks away.  Yesterday I was able to grab some toiletries and packing items.  Still need to grab a few last minute clothes, which will be done this weekend.  And decide what to wear on the plane!  We'll be flying out in the early evening, then when we arrive it'll be early morning in Berlin so we'll have the whole day ahead of us.  So choosing plane attire will also bleed into our first day in Berlin.  So I need to choose appropriately. :)

The photo here is of Prague - one of the stops on our tour.  I have no idea if Prague really looks like this, but I assume we'll see something sort of like this at one point at least!

The crucial stuff: shoes and a day bag for trekking around Europe!

I've stressed about this.  A LOT.  It's important to find the perfect day bag and shoe for Europe.  Here is the advertisement of requirements needed to fill such a role:
SHOES
Must be...
  • Comfortable (huge deal breaker here)
  • Not look ugly
  • Match almost everything I'm going to wear
  • Not give me blisters (refer to point 1, above...)

DAY BAG
Must...
  • Fit my huge Nikon 1 camera with both lenses
  • Hold a sweater if I decide I'm not cold
  • Be able to fit all the crap I buy that I don't want to lug around
  • Zip closed at the top
  • Work as a cross-body bag (for bike tours, etc.)

As you can see, this is a big deal.  Those are big lists!  Added to the fact that I don't care for cross-body bags on me, this made it a tough challenge.  Last night I determinedly marched into the mall with the single thought in mind that: I'm not leaving here without a day bag or shoes.  Tonight's the night!

And voila, I found the two items above at Aldo!  (Which incidentally is the same store I vowed never to buy shoes from again... but I'm desperate.  And they're cute...).   The shoes are super comfy!  And look cute on!  The day bag is amazing because the bottom expands for more room if needed, and the top flap can stand up to hold even more of my crap if I need to really shove it full!  And I can convert the strap into a shoulder strap or cross-body on the fly.  It's amazing.  Oh, and has lots of pockets - the cup holders of day bags!

Aldo store lady was very very nice and patient and offered to order my size shoes and new day bag online and ship to my house for free.  So I'm eagerly awaiting their arrival.

Countdown to our Contiki is 21 days!  Exactly 3 weeks!  Aaaaanndd... I still have stuff left to buy. :P  But, I'm getting very close to being ready!

Contiki planning! Berlin to Budapest, here we come!


I'm doing it, I'm going on another Contiki!  (...before I'm too old!).  Yes, that's right.  To do a Contiki you need to be between the ages of 18-35.  My sister and I have talked about this for a few years now.  The summer when she turns 18 and just before I turn 36, we're doing a Contiki together.  My last hoorah (how sad is that).  And the summer of 2014 happens to be the date!  So our planning is in full swing.

I've done two other Contiki's before: London & Paris extended, and the European Magic Tour.  This time we've decided to do Berlin to Budapest.  This has been on my bucket list for-ever!  I'm so excited my youngest sister is going to do it with me.  Contiki's are amazing, and I'm excited to show her this whole new world of travel.

As for planning, we're booked and the flights are booked as of yesterday.  A lot of prep work has gone into this, including two years of saving Aeroplan points so that I can get my flight free through Air Canada (well, 'free' turned out to be a relative word... I guess 'discount' would be more aptly appropriate).

Rewind 6 months ago, and I had a constant nagging craving to revisit London again.  Any time in London is never enough.  And Europe is a long flight.  So we decided to tack on a few days in London on our way home from the Contiki.  And it just so happens that Contiki offers its own London-based excursion with hotel and a few options, as a self-guided package (no tour guide).  Which is fine because I know my way around.  So on our way back from our Contiki we'll also be doing a London Contiki!  This is really going to be an amazing trip!

Right now I'm looking into Berlin info, getting from the airport to the hotel, what to do on our free days in Berlin.  I'm completely lost.  And looking at all those German labels makes my eyes gloss over.  I can't read them let alone pronounce them!  But I've always wanted to go to Berlin, so I need to figure this out, or spend my time asking a lot of German people for English directions. :)

I'll post more info on my planning as I go along.  If you have any good Berlin suggestions or words of wisdom, please leave some comments!