Getting Close

   I must be channeling either Dianne and/or Dianne’s mom because my suitcase is packed, it closes easily (there is actually more room in my suitcase 😳), I leave on Thursday, and now I am wondering, “What am I forgetting?”  I have no plan to stress about whether I have everything or not, realizing full well that I will be in Germany and will be able to purchase anything I may need for my travels. My flight is in the early afternoon so I will get a ride to BART and then take BART to SFO. When I arrive in Munich for my body it will be 12:45 in the morning. Local time in Munich will be 9:45 so I expect I will be living in the wonderful world of jet lag for awhile. The flight itself is supposed to be 11 hours and I hope to catch a few winks perhaps somewhere over Greenland or the Atlantic. I am not well known for my ability to sleep on planes although, were Dianne here, she would undoubtedly dispute the first clause in this sentence.   

    I have heard from my niece whose family I will be visiting in Garmisch Partenkirchen that we may be blessed with decent weather the day after I arrive. Since this will be my first Fall visit to Europe, I am trying to anticipate whatever Mother Nature has in store for me. I did have some old overshoes for rain that I decided to try on to see if they were still useable, but they expired as tried pulling the shoe up so my heel fit in the overshoe. Alas, the effort was too much for the adhesive that was holding the sole to the body of the shoe and I had a flapping in the breeze heel. TravelSmith to the rescue. New overshoes arrived this past week and I believe I am now prepared for the vagaries of weather. 

    I am looking forward to this trip, reconnecting with family in Bavaria, and seeing parts of Europe I have not seen before. Of course, Dianne will be on my mind, particularly because we both loved river cruising so much; but the memories will be joy filled because I will be doing something we loved and I know she will be smiling as I continue to live and love my life as I continue to try to choose joy each day. 

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Winding Down

Image
 My stay in Europe is winding down and, much as I love to travel, I am ready to go back home. It is Sunday morning and here in The Hague, we may have unsettled weather today. My trip has been blessed with good weather. The first two days were rainy, but since then most days have been sunny and pleasant.* *by my standards which are possibly different (definitely different according to some people I know) from the standards of others. Often while other passengers were bundled up as if heading to Antarctica I was in short sleeves.    On Friday I took the short 12 minute train ride from The Hague to Delft, home of Delft Blue Ceramics. With the help of Greta Google, I made my way from the train station to the old town center with its large market square. The square is book ended by the old Town Hall and the New Church. The square is lined on both sides with restaurants and shops. I am sure if the residents from centuries past could see their present market square, they would o...
Read more

From The Hague

Image
   This morning I faced the monumental task of getting my luggage down 4 flights of very narrow, very steep stairs from the attic to the ground floor of the VRBO in which I stayed in Amsterdam. I succeeded without breaking a leg, arm, my neck, or my ass, so I felt quite accomplished, ate breakfast next door at the little brasserie and UBERed to Amsterdam Centraal for my train to The Hague. I was quite early but found that my ticket was good for any train headed to The Hague, so I boarded, switched at the airport, and had a smooth uneventful train trip to the Hague. Where I am staying in the Hague is an aparthotel that is literally multiple steps down from my attic accommodations in Amsterdam as I am on the ground floor, but since it has a small kitchen, table, private toilet and shower, and a separate bedroom, it is quite a step up for me. I have dubbed it the James Bond Suite since, you guessed it, I am in apartment 007. I have not really gotten a feel for The Hague yet as I ...
Read more

Apologies To Peter, Paul, And Mary: My Bags Are Packed, I'm Ready To Go, And Here Are Some Random Thoughts

Image
My flight from Amsterdam to San Francisco leaves today at 2:50. I am at a hotel close to a train station that will get me to the airport in 4 minutes. It will take me longer to walk to the station than it will for the train to get me to the airport.  Checkin for my flight at the airport won't be available until 11:50, so I have some time. I will leave myself plenty of time since I'd rather have time on my hands at the airport rather than rushing to get there to make my flight. Random thoughts: For beautiful scenery and warm hospitality, put a visit to Garmisch-Partenkirchen on your list of places to see and stay. This trip was my second visit there and it will not be my last. German and Dutch trains are convenient, affordable, and efficient as well as smooth riding. You can get  many places by rail or bus, and if you miss one train, another will be along soon. It is very easy for English speakers to communicate in both Germany and The Netherlands. Like many Europeans, German a...
Read more