Getting Ready, Getting Set, Going!

It seems I just got home from a  very long trip and am setting out again.  Six weeks between month long holidays is not long enough for me anymore.  This next trip begins tomorrow and again will involve eight flights!  Seems like that is the new magic number for me.  It is a land tour with Overseas Adventure Travel and my good travel friend Elva.  The tour includes Croatia, Bosnia-Herzegovina, Montenegro, Slovenia, but we have added a pre-trip to Albania.  To make it all work out we have added three additional hotel nights, including one at the Grecian seaside, and three extra flights!  This is because we are also flying into Bucharest and home from Budapest which adds two more countries to the journey.  I am counting on the Romania to Hungary leg to be on a very relaxing.  It is Passage to Eastern Europe aboard the Viking Longship Embla. And that is how the story of this amazing trip really begins!

Elva texted my from the airport as she had gotten a text from her brother Allan that he and his wife, Mary, were going on this river cruise.  Did Elva want to go.  Silly question!  Elva always wants to go - me too.  However we do not like to fly to Europe for a week vacation as the travel is becoming exhausting.  Elva wanted to go to Malta but the dates didn't match up.  I found this Overseas Adventure Travel itinerary that we could make work albeit there was a lot of extra time and location management to manipulate!  Did we let that sto us? NO!

Viking booked our transAtlantic flights and Elva found us good deals in Europe to get us where we needed to be.  I set up hotel stays.  Even these minor details had problems.  Our flight from Bucharest to Albania was cancelled - twice but Elva scrambled and booked us through Greece.  Downside - eight flights instead of seven. Upside - beach vacation night. On the hotel side I accidentally booked a non-refundable night in Bucharest at the beginning of the river cruise and then Viking changed hotels on us.  Downside - we will pack up and move one extra time, but no money lost.  Upside - we will be at the right place at the right time to meet our boat.

Here is a calendar of where we will be and some of the things you can look forward to reading about in the 34 days to come!  Enjoy!