60 Days and Counting
Just writing that title gave me a rush of adrenaline. It’s been seven months since Tom and I decided to take this trip to Europe. There have been both discoveries and disappointments. One discovery that much of Europe is in the Schengen Area, a group of countries that allow unrestricted movement across borders. As for disappointment, well we also discovered that we cannot stay in these countries longer than 90 days, without a visa.
Click on this link if you’re curious and want to learn more about “Schengen Area”. Also, beginning in January of 2024, ALL visits to Schengen countries will require a visa, in addition to passport, regardless of length of stay.
Initially we wanted to go everywhere in Europe and stay at least four months. After many discussions, we decided we wanted to have enough time to explore each country. This meant longer stays and fewer stops. Once we found out about Schengen restrictions, we pared the countries down to six: Greece, Croatia, Italy, Germany, Switzerland, and France. This means, of course, that we’ll be returning to visit many of the other places, such as Spain and Portugal, in a couple years.
After a visit to the AAA store where we picked up a dozen maps, we began our planning. A travel agent helped us obtain airline tickets to Athens and then home from Paris using miles. The rest of the travel, lodging, rentals, and all planning has been done by ‘yours truly’. It’s been like a full-time job, but one I love. Learning about all of the countries, their history, foods, and the many sites to see and places to visit – it’s all been enthralling. And definitely more work than I expected. Lucky for me I love planning!
More to come….