It is that time of the year again! The planning for the 6 weeks and 1 day in Europe is almost at an end and the reality of actually being there doesn't seem so far away anymore. The yearly flight allowance (danger money for a year of teaching in Nutsville) has provided us kindly with most of the funds to travel to England, Italy, Croatia, Greece and Turkey. With 9 days to go, I've already amassed a huge folder of flight, boat, train and rental car documents, maps and accommodation details. Only a rental car and travel insurance is left to sort...
The thought of travelling to Europe again makes the insufferable boredom of the last 5 weeks at school worth it. The girls left in early June and besides the occasional day spent marking or doing PD (now that's another blog awaiting!) we've pretty much been left to our own devices to manufacture things to do. Luckily I had a big holiday to plan...so once again much time has been taken in the planning and re-planning of it.
I learned a lot from last year's experience and this year we booked our major flights early. Thank goodness I did that because the flights now are around 3000 AED more than they were when I booked. So words like: expedia.com, booking.com, cheapoair.com, cheaptrip.com, rumbo, skyscanner, aegean, greeceferries.gr and airbnb have truly become absorbed into the daily lexicon. I have spent hours upon hours just working out which combination of flights were cheapest...of course given the caveats of two small children travelling with us! I'm sure that if I ever get unceremoniously axed from my day-job (as does happen here) I could build quite a business as a travel planner.
So where are we headed?
Last year we made a big decision not to go to England due to the Olympic Games. That, we feel, was a wise decision. Not only did we have an awesome, amazing and out-of-this-world time in Port de Soller (Palma de Mallorca), but we managed to leave the sites of the motherland for when they would be a lot less busy. We're headed to London then for 4 nights. Airbnb has supplied us with East Croydon accommodation 15 minutes by train from the central sites. Plans are afoot to do all that would be expected; 'that' castle, 'that' tower, 'that' bridge and 'that' theatre! An
expensive city, but has to be done...
Then its driving off in a rental to Dover. Jason's parents originate from Kent, and so we've found the perfect place to peruse the area. We've already investigated such attractions as the local castles, the local walks, seaside and more importantly a place called "Diggerland" which might just keep the lads excited for a morning. Ramsgate of course will be a special place to visit and all surrounding areas. I can still hear Pam's voice mentioning these...they will finally come into reality for us. We managed to secure a neat chalet in a holiday park with indoor pool and all amenities you might find in such a place. Strangely that woman's voice from "Hi di Hi" springs to mind...
We're very lucky to be able to visit our friend Andy's sister while in England too. Walton-on-Thames will be a nice respite before the onslaught of Venice, and Italy take over.
Four nights in Venice is just too exciting for words. We've recently had dinner with friends Andrea and Brad who lived in Italy for 7 years. They have prepared us well for where to stay, which sites to see and what food/drink is the best to sample. They even prepared a full Italian meal and wine to give us a taster! If they could climb into our suitcases too, they would.
As with all intrepid journeys around Europe, one is expected to travel via all manner of trains, planes and automobiles. The trains through Italy will give the kids something different for a couple of hours. Florence also beckons for three nights; an absolute must for Lily who desperately wants to see the Leaning Tower of Pisa. Another train and we will arrive in Rome for 5 nights. Totally exciting. The Vatican and the Basillica are booked, the Colloseum is booked and plans to see the Spanish Steps and Trevi Fountain are all underway. The only regret will be that we can't head down to Pompeii...maybe we'll save it for another trip.
Jason's choice comes next. Four nights in Dubrovnik, Croatia. We're situated in an Airbnb apartment 500m from the beach and 100m from a children's park. We're lucky enough to be meeting up with friends from Al Ain during the time we're there. The Dubrovnik Old Town will be the highlight, especially at night. Time to relax and unwind and rest.
The next leg is Greece. Athens awaits us for 3 nights. We can see the Acropolis from the apartment and we're not far from the city centre. One of the highlights for the kids will be taking the ferry from the port to the Greek Island of Crete! The ferry is in fact something akin to a cruise ship. With a pool, a children's play area, a movie theatre, a slot machine alley, and a variety of restaurants and cafes on board we shouldn't have too much trouble keeping the kids busy for the 8 hour trip to Heraklion, Crete.
And so we come to my choice. When we considered where to finish our holiday, the biggest consideration was that it needed to be a beach destination. Last year we left Amsterdam quite exhausted, so this year we decided that before heading back to the land of desert we needed to relax first. After much research I settled on Crete. We're staying at a lovely house with pool 500m from one of the nicest beaches in Crete. The plan? To see the sites and just 'chillax' at the beach. A week doing this in Rethymnon should do the trick.
After a flight back to Athens and overnight stay in a gorgeous BnB, we will head out to do a whirlwind 12 hours in Turkey. This taster may just give us the impetus to go back one day. The Old Town will be all that we can tackle in this short timeline, but really a great experience all the same. Even better...Kiwis don't have to pay for visas to leave the airport. Late that night we'll head back to Abu Dhabi and back to sand and muted blue skies. The power of the internet and 'dotcom' sites has come to fore again...Trip Advisor has given me good information about a FREE tour through Istanbul (all expenses and food paid for) over 7 hours. What better way to see a slice of some of the best Istanbul has to offer.
So much time has been spent at the Rugby Club with Kiwi friends exchanging ideas and possibilities. Where the conversation in New Zealand for the summer holidays would normally include references to camping at Kaitoke or a beach house at Waiterere, we are forever astounded as to where the conversations in Al Ain lead us...
...to Milan, Rome, Cyprus, Cinque Terre, Crete, Paris, London, Nepal...
There are places I definitely still want to see in the world. There's so much of that world still to experience. I never dreamed we'd have the opportunity to see so much of the world and experience things previously only read in books or seen in movies. The reality for me is so much better than the writer's pen and the director's lens.
Having said all that, planning the trip and exploring the world has drawn me back to a television campaign once aired on New Zealand television. The catch-phrase used, implored that Kiwis "don't leave home until you've seen the country!" and now I understand where that came from. It isn't until you leave home that you realise just how beautiful and amazing home is. New Zealand is a very, very special place and I'm so proud to call it home. I don't think I appreciated what I had when I had it. Who knows, maybe we'll be going on those family camping holidays in the not-so-distant future...and cherishing every minute of it!
Until then...London here we come!
The thought of travelling to Europe again makes the insufferable boredom of the last 5 weeks at school worth it. The girls left in early June and besides the occasional day spent marking or doing PD (now that's another blog awaiting!) we've pretty much been left to our own devices to manufacture things to do. Luckily I had a big holiday to plan...so once again much time has been taken in the planning and re-planning of it.
I learned a lot from last year's experience and this year we booked our major flights early. Thank goodness I did that because the flights now are around 3000 AED more than they were when I booked. So words like: expedia.com, booking.com, cheapoair.com, cheaptrip.com, rumbo, skyscanner, aegean, greeceferries.gr and airbnb have truly become absorbed into the daily lexicon. I have spent hours upon hours just working out which combination of flights were cheapest...of course given the caveats of two small children travelling with us! I'm sure that if I ever get unceremoniously axed from my day-job (as does happen here) I could build quite a business as a travel planner.
So where are we headed?
Last year we made a big decision not to go to England due to the Olympic Games. That, we feel, was a wise decision. Not only did we have an awesome, amazing and out-of-this-world time in Port de Soller (Palma de Mallorca), but we managed to leave the sites of the motherland for when they would be a lot less busy. We're headed to London then for 4 nights. Airbnb has supplied us with East Croydon accommodation 15 minutes by train from the central sites. Plans are afoot to do all that would be expected; 'that' castle, 'that' tower, 'that' bridge and 'that' theatre! An
expensive city, but has to be done...
Then its driving off in a rental to Dover. Jason's parents originate from Kent, and so we've found the perfect place to peruse the area. We've already investigated such attractions as the local castles, the local walks, seaside and more importantly a place called "Diggerland" which might just keep the lads excited for a morning. Ramsgate of course will be a special place to visit and all surrounding areas. I can still hear Pam's voice mentioning these...they will finally come into reality for us. We managed to secure a neat chalet in a holiday park with indoor pool and all amenities you might find in such a place. Strangely that woman's voice from "Hi di Hi" springs to mind...
We're very lucky to be able to visit our friend Andy's sister while in England too. Walton-on-Thames will be a nice respite before the onslaught of Venice, and Italy take over.
Four nights in Venice is just too exciting for words. We've recently had dinner with friends Andrea and Brad who lived in Italy for 7 years. They have prepared us well for where to stay, which sites to see and what food/drink is the best to sample. They even prepared a full Italian meal and wine to give us a taster! If they could climb into our suitcases too, they would.
As with all intrepid journeys around Europe, one is expected to travel via all manner of trains, planes and automobiles. The trains through Italy will give the kids something different for a couple of hours. Florence also beckons for three nights; an absolute must for Lily who desperately wants to see the Leaning Tower of Pisa. Another train and we will arrive in Rome for 5 nights. Totally exciting. The Vatican and the Basillica are booked, the Colloseum is booked and plans to see the Spanish Steps and Trevi Fountain are all underway. The only regret will be that we can't head down to Pompeii...maybe we'll save it for another trip.
Jason's choice comes next. Four nights in Dubrovnik, Croatia. We're situated in an Airbnb apartment 500m from the beach and 100m from a children's park. We're lucky enough to be meeting up with friends from Al Ain during the time we're there. The Dubrovnik Old Town will be the highlight, especially at night. Time to relax and unwind and rest.
The next leg is Greece. Athens awaits us for 3 nights. We can see the Acropolis from the apartment and we're not far from the city centre. One of the highlights for the kids will be taking the ferry from the port to the Greek Island of Crete! The ferry is in fact something akin to a cruise ship. With a pool, a children's play area, a movie theatre, a slot machine alley, and a variety of restaurants and cafes on board we shouldn't have too much trouble keeping the kids busy for the 8 hour trip to Heraklion, Crete.
And so we come to my choice. When we considered where to finish our holiday, the biggest consideration was that it needed to be a beach destination. Last year we left Amsterdam quite exhausted, so this year we decided that before heading back to the land of desert we needed to relax first. After much research I settled on Crete. We're staying at a lovely house with pool 500m from one of the nicest beaches in Crete. The plan? To see the sites and just 'chillax' at the beach. A week doing this in Rethymnon should do the trick.
After a flight back to Athens and overnight stay in a gorgeous BnB, we will head out to do a whirlwind 12 hours in Turkey. This taster may just give us the impetus to go back one day. The Old Town will be all that we can tackle in this short timeline, but really a great experience all the same. Even better...Kiwis don't have to pay for visas to leave the airport. Late that night we'll head back to Abu Dhabi and back to sand and muted blue skies. The power of the internet and 'dotcom' sites has come to fore again...Trip Advisor has given me good information about a FREE tour through Istanbul (all expenses and food paid for) over 7 hours. What better way to see a slice of some of the best Istanbul has to offer.
So much time has been spent at the Rugby Club with Kiwi friends exchanging ideas and possibilities. Where the conversation in New Zealand for the summer holidays would normally include references to camping at Kaitoke or a beach house at Waiterere, we are forever astounded as to where the conversations in Al Ain lead us...
...to Milan, Rome, Cyprus, Cinque Terre, Crete, Paris, London, Nepal...
There are places I definitely still want to see in the world. There's so much of that world still to experience. I never dreamed we'd have the opportunity to see so much of the world and experience things previously only read in books or seen in movies. The reality for me is so much better than the writer's pen and the director's lens.
Having said all that, planning the trip and exploring the world has drawn me back to a television campaign once aired on New Zealand television. The catch-phrase used, implored that Kiwis "don't leave home until you've seen the country!" and now I understand where that came from. It isn't until you leave home that you realise just how beautiful and amazing home is. New Zealand is a very, very special place and I'm so proud to call it home. I don't think I appreciated what I had when I had it. Who knows, maybe we'll be going on those family camping holidays in the not-so-distant future...and cherishing every minute of it!
Until then...London here we come!
Sounds amazing Jac! Having seen your London photos already, I'll be watching out for the rest - Dubrovnik is a favourite of mine. Enjoy! :-)
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