Zurich: Cheese, Potatoes And Pork

"Please adjust your seat and tray table as we are preparing for landing"' - could there be a sweeter sound?

Lost And Found

Astrologically (another passion of mine) the planet Mercury is retrograde (means it travels backwards seen from Earth) for another couple of weeks, and that usually means that there will be challenges with communication, technology, and travel. Unfortunately, Andy's luggage didn't make to Zurich, and they could not tell us whether it still was in Vancouver or in Zurich. Luckily we were spending a couple of nights in Zurich, and luckily I had a set of Andy's clothes in my luggage - he probably would have been a popular photo opportunity walking around in a T-shirt of mine in Zurich! The luggage was delivered just after midnight  the second day, and just in time for our departure then next morning.

Zurich

Zurich is the largest city in Switzerland, and has around 390,000 inhabitants. The Old town 

has the highest concentration of clubs in Switzerland (no we didn't go!), a shopping mile, and a plethora of cultural offerings. And all of this against a medieval background: contorted, narrow lanes and guild and town halls from the Renaissance period.

Accommodation

We had booked a room in a private house through Wimdu.com, and it was a very convenient location just 10 minutes walk from the railway station, and 10 minutes walk from the old town. Our hosts were very nice and accommodation in every way.

Cheese And Beer

The Swiss food is very sturdy and heavy on pork, potatoes and cheese, but as it was raining both days and we were jet lagged, it was nice with some solid food. One night we had two typical Swiss dishes: cheese fondue and raclette, and we enjoyed cooking our own food. 

We also found a very nice dark beer, we both liked. Andy liked it so much he even learned to pronounce it, "dunkles bier", and he later took this picture!

Lufthansa Flight LH477 To Munich Is Ready For Boarding

and so are we! 

This is it! It is now! WOW!

After 8 months of researching and planning, we are ready to take off on our world trip. It is very exciting, and a little bit scary, as none of us have done something like this before. But I suppose a little bit of fear is healthy, as the adrenaline will keep us on our toes.

Sitting at Vancouver International Airport there is no more we can do, but go with the flow and enjoy ourselves. We have said our 'see you laters' to Andy's family, and it was especially hard to say it to Andy's 87 year old mother, Maud .

So where are we going? Well, we have made a rough itinerary, but it will probably change as we get tempted and inspired along the way:

- Switzerland: Spending a couple of days in Zurich to recover from jet lag,  doing a 3 day hike in the Swiss Alps and visiting friends in Geneva.

- France: Two weeks of volunteering at an alternative retreat in southern France and visiting friends in Cannes.

- Italy: Spending a couple of days in Barolo - yes, the area where the wine is made, volunteering for a week at a winery in Piedmonte, spending a couple of days in Florence, and the heading south to the Abruzzo area, Naples and Rome.

- Egypt: Pyramids, a nile cruise, temples and relaxing by the Red Sea.

- Jordan: Two days hike in the Wadi Rum desert, Petra, a float in the Dead Sea, and a couple of days in Amman.

 

- Nepal: Kathmandu, ten days in a Buddhist monastery, five day Poon Hill hike, 4 days in Chitwan national park, two weeks of volunteering.

- Bangkok: Relax for a couple of days

- Vietnam: Starting in Hanoi, finishing in Ho CHi Min City (Saigon), and hopefully spending Christmas in a cottage on the beach.

- Cambodia: Phnom Penh, Siem Reap, and a boat ride on the Mekong River.

- Time to head homewards probably via Hong Kong and Hawaii.

Let us know if you will be in the 'neighbourhood', as we would love to meet up and see a familiar face!

We have booked a few hotels in Switzerland and Italy, and also in  Nepal as Dorte's sister and brother-in-law are joining us there for 3 weeks. We have booked a flight from Geneva, Switzerland to Toulouse, France and from Amman, Jordan to Kathmandu, Nepal as we have to be there at certain times. Nothing else is booked, and we feel good about that.

So, if you are ready, let's hit the road together.

Twenty years from now you will be more disappointed by the things that you didn’t do than by the ones you did do. So throw off the bowlines. Sail away from the safe harbour. Catch the trade winds in your sails. Explore. Dream. Discover– Mark Twain

Health And Safety

Pin-cushion

Our arms felt like pin-cushions after we had all the vaccinations recommended by World Health Organization at our local travel clinic: Typhoid, Twinrix, and 2 times Japanese encephalitis. Luckily a couple of the vaccinations we had before going to Peru a couple of years ago were still valid. The vaccinations have to be done 8 weeks in advance as some of them have to be done twice. It is important to bring proof of vaccinations as some countries won't allow you entry without it.

Made by Stephanie in Elementary School

Travel Advisories

We signed up for travel advisories from the Canadian and the Danish ministries of foreign affairs to keep an eye on what might be going on in the countries we were going to visit. The travel insurance will not cover us if we go to a country or a region in a country, which the government has advised against going to. We also registered our itinerary with the two governments, so they can get in touch with us should trouble break out in the country we are in. 

The key is to be informed, not paranoid

- Anonymous

Travel Insurance
We do, of course, have world wide medical and theft coverage, as well as emergency air lift, so we are covered when hiking in the mountains.

Banking

All bills were set to automatic payment, and we can easily keep track online along the way. The respective banks and credit card companies were informed of our itinerary in order to avoid not being able to use the cards as the institutions might think they were stolen.

Personal Items

Since we have been lucky to rent out our home while we are away, we rented a small storage locker for our heirloom, personal documents and things of sentimental value. The 'crown jewels' are stored int the safety deposit box in the bank.

Luggage

We will be bringing safety pins of varying sizes to 'lock' the zips of the backpacks when carrying them as they then will be much more difficult to open for possible thieves, as well as a padlock with wire, so we can secure the backpacks anywhere, if necessary. We are also bringing water purification tablets, head lamps, whistles, rain covers, bed liners, emergency blankets and blister packs!

Documents

We have scanned and uploaded copies of important documents such as passports, birth certificates, travel insurance, bank and credit card numbers, e-tickets, itinerary and contact information to Google Drive as they are kept safe and easy to access offline.

You are only as safe as the last person, or fly, to handle your food 

- Mark Wise

With Us In Spirit

Many different events, experiences and dreams assisted us in making the decision and finding the courage to do this trip, and we are especially overwhelmed by all the loss we and so many people we care about have experienced in the last couple of years due to cancer. For all of you our heart aches.

For Andy, it was especially the passing of a lifetime friend, Bryan Kelly in May 2012 after a brief struggle with a brain tumor. Bryan was 54. We met in 1972 at Regina High School in Corner Brook, Newfoundland, had a blast through university at Memorial University in St. John's, Newfoundland, stayed in touch through the years, and visited each other several times. Bryan started off as a front line social worker in child protection, and eventually moved on to become a Senior Manager with Alberta Human Services. Bryan loved cooking, reading, walking, a good red wine and last, but not least, travelling. Bryan and his wife Carol had many plans for their retirement, but unfortunately it never was to be.

We would like to dedicate this trip to Bryan and the family members and friends having succumbed to cancer. May their spirit be with us!

 

Dorte's Walk-with Closet

Most women dream of having a walk-in closet, and I was once close to getting one, but surrendered it to my daughter - maybe another time! Instead, I am now facing the challenge of having a walk-with closet for 7 months.

 

As you may remember, we had decided to travel with check-luggage, which should make deciding what to bring a little easier than just traveling with carry-on - not the case!

When preparing to travel, lay out all your clothes and all your money. 

Then take half the clothes and twice the money 

– Susan Heller

In Dorte's Bag
I did a trial packing to get idea of the space my clothes would take up, and to decided what to bring. We will be doing several 3-5 day hiking trips, so we have to bring hiking clothes and gear for that as well as some nicer clothes for visiting museums and nice restaurants. 

So this is the clothes I will be bringing:

• Two pair of hiking pants; both zip-off as shorts and one pair can also be turned into capris
• Rain jacket and rain pants
• 5 pairs of socks
• Toque
• Long johns; it might be cold camping or hiking in Himalayas
• Fleece
• Five pairs of underwear; hiking and city-wear
• Three bras; suitable for hiking and city-wear
• Gloves
• Two hiking tops
• Two long sleeve blouses; hiking and city-wear
• Three short sleeve blouses; hiking and city-wear
• Two sleeves tops and a white shirt
• A sarongA cardigan
• Silk pyjamas
• A dress
• A pair of nice short
• A nice par of black pants
• A Tilley hat SPF 50

I might change my mind along the way if there it turns out that I won't be wearing some of it. In travel, less is more!

It isn't the mountains ahead to climb that wear you out; it's the pebble in your shoe

- Muhammad Ali

Footwear

A female dilemma and another tough decision; these are my choices:

• A pair of light day hikers, which will also serve as trainers in cities
• A pair of flats for when dressing up
• A pair of sandals suitable for short hikes and city-wear
• A pair of flip flops for showering in hostels and public places

Clothes and shoes weigh 8 kg/18 pounds, and we have a limit of 20 kg/40 pounds, so there is room for more..........

If you wish to travel far and fast, travel light. 

Take off all your envies, jealousies, un-forgiveness, selfishness and fears.

– Cesare Pavese

Carry-on or Check-in Luggage?

Our good friends Sharen and Keith recently did a 6 months trip around the world with only carry-on, and it worked well for them, so during our initial talks about luggage, we could see it might work for us as well. It was certainly a tempting thought not to have to wait for luggage or lose luggage at airports. On the other hand, Andy always seems to bring at least half his closet, and it would NOT fit into a carry-on! Andy note: I am not keen on washing underwear in a sink!!

Hiking Poles

One of our passions is hiking, and the legs are not what they used to be, so we both need to use hiking poles - especially on long downhill trails. We knew for sure we would be doing a three day hike in the Swiss alps, a five day hike in the Himalayas, and day hikes in Italy and Vietnam. We also new we would not be allowed to bring our poles in the carry-on luggage, as they would be perceived as potential weapons. So, the questions was weather we should bring our poles and check in luggage or buy some poles along the way and just bring carry-on? We were leaning towards bringing our own poles, so we would have the freedom to go hiking when we feel like it or the opportunity arises.

Type of Luggage

What type of luggage should we travel with: suitcase? backpack? sports bag? luggage with or without wheels? We would be doing more overland travel by public transportation than flying, some periods we would be moving around a lot and thus live out of the luggage, and we would need a smaller backpack for day trips. We looked at luggage online, read travel blogs, and visited stores selling luggage and outdoor gear. 

So, we finally decided to go with a 55 L check-in backpack with

• Zip-away straps, so they don't get ruined by conveyor belts
• Space for hiking poles in the compartment for the straps
• A smaller day pack which zips on to the big backpack
• A sports bag shoulder strap for staying at 'non-backpacker hotels'
• A separate compartment for wet stuff or shoes
• A full zip a la sports bag, so we don't need to take everything out to find something (a lot of backpacks have top openings)
• Space for (some of) Andy's clothes and shoes

Now we 'just' need to figure out how much and what to bring!

Everyone has baggage! The key is to find somebody to help you unpack!

- Anonymous

Round The World Ticket Or Not?

Once we had agreed on the destinations we would like to travel to, we had to decide whether to buy a Round The World (RTW) ticket or not.

Airline Alliances

We read travel blogs and researched the options offered by various airline alliances, which had many (and different) criteria we had to consider, e.g.:

• Only able to travel in one direction, e.g. from east to west
• Change travel dates, carrier and time of traveling for free, but pay for rerouting
• Travel a certain total number of miles
• Make limited number of stopovers
• Include a limited number of non-air sectors

Via the alliances' travel planning tools, our trip was estimated to cost around CAD$ 8,000 per person. 

Advantages 

• The direction, destinations and timing would be set
• We wouldn't have to decide or discuss where to go next 
• We wouldn't have to spend time keeping an eye on flight prices and booking flights

Disadvantages

• It would cost us between $125 and $200 if we wanted/had to change destination
• We would not have the freedom or flexibility to stay longer or change destination
• We would not be able to use rewards points for some of the flights
• We would have to pay for the flights before we left homeIt is cheaper overall to book your own flights

Freedom and Flexibility
This journey is happening for many reasons, and one of them is importance to experience the freedom to do what we want when we want to do it, and also having the flexibility to be spontaneous, change plans on the spur of the moment and go with flow. Therefore, buying a RTW would defeat this purpose. And we do have the time to wait a day or two for a cheaper flight or catch a flight on short notice. All choices have a price, and we think we will have more fun valuing the unplanned and unexpected. 

And then we booked the flights Vancouver-Munich-Zurich and Amman-Kathmandu - on reward points!

Blessed are the flexible, for they shall not be bent out of shape

- Anonymous