That was a statement overheard from Ian to Eli at the playground last week when Eli was attempting something. We laughed and said that it was going to become the motto for the trip.
Rob and I have our own- quieter- motto for when things go wrong “Shit on it”. This is a line muttered, frequently and furiously, by a character on a British sitcom we started watching when we arrived, Friday Night Dinner.
I have been on a loop of those two statements for the past few days. I currently have my annual case of laryngitis, so nobody can hear me mutter them, which is good, because anyone who knows me personally can guess which one I say more often.
Don’t get me wrong- we ALL know how privileged we are to be able to take this long off work and travel this way. It’s just that over the last few days, having a regular job and normal life sounds like the easier option. This stuff is particularly hard right now.
To explain: COVID is still kicking us in the arse.
And just for fun, Brexit has joined in the madness.
As vaccinated Americans we could travel to almost all of the places on our itinerary now, I believe…
If we had travelled to them directly.
Or if we had travelled through another EU or Schengen nation.
But NOT as persons who have recently been in the UK.
We cannot go to the Netherlands.
Or Belgium.
Or Germany.
Or Hungary.
FOUR of the first seven places we are scheduled to visit.
Places that we have train tickets and hotels- not just planned, but already PAID for. And almost all of that is non-refundable.
Some of the countries scheduled for later state that they will allow Americans but will require a Green Certification to check into hotels, eat in restaurants, or see any sites. So far, NO country has listed clear rules on how an American can get a Green Certification, as they are for EU citizens exclusively in most countries. Greece says they offer one to Americans but then they ask for a Greek ID to get it. Italy requires and will issue the card for Americans but you need the Italian code given to you when you got the vaccine. With no instructions on what to do if you got the vaccine outside of Italy.
It is the stuff of nightmares. To make it even more stressful we are now in the Scottish Highlands with plans to go glamping for three days… and it looks like I will spending a large portion of it trying to reschedule the next few weeks. I’m trying to figure out what we can do next- so stay tuned for the new itinerary! I think this is version 5.0.
I’m including some pictures of the last several days because we have seen some amazing things!
1 Comment
Karla & Joe Peskuski · July 27, 2021 at 1:09 am
It’s amazing that some places are nice lush and green and then the pic of the lake or body of water looks like desert. I am sorry things are not working out as you so diligently planned. Is there a way you can come back home and postpone for another time. Things here are not looking up either. USA is looking at a 4th wave with the new Delta virus, and those that are not vaccinated. Those that are still get it just not as bad and lower death rate.
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