What’s coming up in 2022?

It’s that time of year again! That time when I post about what’s coming up in the new year with regard to our travel plans! I love writing these posts, I am so filled with hope and optimism. But didn’t 2020, and to some extent 2021, knock the wind right out of those sails?! I’m gonna write it anyway and hope that by some miracle, it all works out.

By the time you read this we will be at the ranch in Texas spending the holidays with family. All three of our kiddos, one of two significant others, my parents, and a few cousins will be there, our usual gang. We have not been home or seen any family for TWO years. I know it’s the same for many of you and doesn’t it just seem like an eternity?

Last year when we made the decision not to go home for the holidays it was because we didn’t want to possibly bring Covid home with us and make others sick. But also, we were afraid lockdowns would prevent us from returning to Bijou. And for almost all of our European traveling friends, that’s exactly what happened. They got stranded at home and could not get back to their lives of travel in Europe.

This year, with the new Omicron variant or whatever else pops up, we run the same risk. The difference is that this year I don’t care if our return to Bijou is delayed. I mean, I hope we are able to return to her, we have some fun things planned, but being with my family this year is far more important than any Covid-related delay that might occur with our European travels.

And since all of our family are vaccinated, many with boosters, we feel better about traveling home. We ordered CDC-approved At-Home Covid tests which we took upon arrival just to make sure we are all good. Plus, we got our boosters! So with all that in place, we are finally home for the holidays and enjoying being with family.

But this post is all about what’s coming up, so assuming no snafus, here’s the Master plan for 2022. Let’s dig in.

January/February – Pearly whites

By January 6th we should be on our way to Pompeii for a visit. We tried to do it while spending five weeks in Rome, but we just couldn’t muster the enthusiasm for any travel at all, so we put it off until our return. From Pompeii, we will make our way to the east coast to Brindisi where we will board a ferry for Vloré, Albania. From there we will drive to Berat, Albania where we have appointments for dental cleanings on January 14. There will be more appointments after that, as I have a broken crown and who knows what else might show up on the X-rays that will require further work. That’s our reason for going to Berat.

Of course, we usually do all this while we are home for the holidays, but then I read Kevin Read’s blog, Travels With Kevin and Ruth, about the dental work they had done in Albania and well, it seemed silly to waste what little time we do have at the ranch in the dentist’s chair. Plus, the cost of dental work in Albania is far cheaper than in the U.S. For example, an ultrasonic cleaning in Albania is $14. So you can see how Albania makes sense, right? Kevin has kindly scheduled our initial appointments for us so we are all set. Even if we have to stick around in Albania for extra work, it will be well worth the wait. Many thanks to Kevin for his assistance and for sharing all the in-depth research on so many pertinent topics that helps us all.

February/March – Opa!

As soon as the dentist is finished with us, we will make our way to Greece. What exactly we are able to do and see there will largely depend on the weather – and Covid, of course. Greece in the dead of winter may not be ideal, but it is going to be perfect for us. We plan to pootle around the Peloponnese for a few weeks, staying at a mix of marinas and campgrounds. There will be plenty to see, but really our goal is to just take it easy.

We will eventually make our way to Athens and surrounds, before heading north. We had hoped to visit Turkey by taking a ferry from near Athens to one of the nearby Greek Islands, then hop another into Turkey, but those ferries are no longer running. The drive north to get into Turkey is just too far to fit into our plans, so Turkey goes on the back burner for another time.

March/April/May – Aaaaaand, we’re walking……

In early March we will make our way north to Bulgaria. We hope to see the Rila Monastery and then eventually make our way to Sofia. I honestly don’t know what the weather is going to be like, so who knows what we will actually get to see, but fingers crossed, right? In Sofia we will once again put Bijou in storage while we catch a flight to Milan, then take a bus to Aosta, Italy in the foothills of the Alps.

So, remember when we walked the Camino de Santiago and I swore I’d never do another? Like, I was one and done? Yeah, scratch that, ’cause we’re doin’ it again. Not the Camino per se, in fact, not even in Spain. This time we are walking the Italian section of the Via Francigena (VF).

The VF is an ancient pilgrimage route that actually starts at the church in Canterbury, England and ends in Rome. (Well, actually it continues on into Turkey, but that’s really getting into the weeds.) So the route starts in England where one boards a ship to France, then walks across France, then into Switzerland and across the Alps at the Great St. Bernard Pass and down through the Valle d’Aosta in Italy and on to Rome. The entire route is 2,000 kilometers. After giving that route some thought for about a nano-second, we both said, “Hell no.”

Starting in Canterbury would be an exciting way to begin a pilgrimage, but that’s over in a day or two once you get off the boat. France has very little infrastructure for pilgrims, not to mention the route is boring and tedious. So France was a hard no. The route through Switzerland is said to be absolutely breathtaking and it is something we’ll keep in our back pockets for an adventure another time. It doesn’t work for this trip because the route over the Alps doesn’t even open until late June or July because of the snow, and that means pilgrims arrive in Italy during the bug-infested inferno otherwise known as summertime. We could never, ever walk in Italy during the summer. So we will do what most VF pilgrims do, we will begin at the first point in the Valle d’Aosta where the snow has melted and commence our 1,000 kilometer journey to Rome in the cool spring weather. If we are able to stay healthy and walk consistently, we should make it to Rome in two months.

I know I am going to hate myself with the fire of a thousand suns for committing to doing this, especially during the first week or so, but after that, I’ll get settled into the routine and it’ll be alright. We will write more about this as we are preparing for it. Our new Oboz boots were waiting for us at the ranch, so I guess we’re really doing it.

There is one teeny matter that may scuttle the entire walk, and that is the fact that Steven essentially knee-capped himself while getting off a train in Rome. Details of that sad saga are in a previous blog post. Essentially, if his knee is not healed, we will not walk and in that case we will head to Turkey after all! Covid is another thing that could turn our plans upside down, of course, but there is no way to know until the time comes.

May/June – On The Road Again

Whether we have walked the VF or visited Turkey, at this point in our travels we have settled on the general direction we want to go, but we have not nailed down the specifics. I guess this is where we just go with the flow. We’ll take some time to visit a few cities in Eastern Europe, Romania, Hungary, maybe Serbia and Slovakia. It will really just depend on how we feel at this point and if and how Covid is affecting travel in general. But ultimately, we plan to make our way to Calais in France and board a ferry for the U.K.

July/August – A Jolly Good Time

We hadn’t planned on spending time in the U.K., but over the years it has become more appealing to us, particularly if we stay out of the cities and in the countryside. Also, it is difficult to get Bijou anywhere near the city with all the emission requirements, so we will likely skip London, although there are a few folks we’d like to be able to visit while we are in the area.

August/September – Back to the Auld Sod

From somewhere in the UK we will catch a ferry to Ireland. We have already made reservations to stay at a campground in Dublin for the first couple of weeks in August. It is the closest one to Steven’s family and we can ride our bikes and take local transport to get around. From there we move on to a sweet little campground in Arklow that is close to friends we hope to spend some time with.

You may recall that in our last trip to Ireland we walked three of the five pilgrim paths required to earn a Teastas, a certificate of completion, which is the Irish equivalent of a Compostela. We still have two to go and they are the toughest ones. Tóchar Phádraig in County Mayo is a 35 kilometer hike, so either one very long day or two leisurely days. The other is St. Finbarr’s in County Cork, a 38 kilometer journey that is best suited for experienced mountaineers. Not sure how I am going to fare on this one but I’ll give it a go anyway. All I know for certain is that there will be a lot of sheep shite and boggy goodness along the route, such is the fate that awaits pilgrims in Ireland.

September/October – Travel with Friends

If all goes well in the world of Covid and folks are allowed to safely travel, our friends Bill and Kelly are planning to travel to Ireland and spend a few weeks motoring around with us in Ireland and Scotland. We have yet to work out the details, but since they will be at the ranch for a few days after Christmas, serious planning is on the agenda.

October/December – Hard Decisions

It is at this point when Steven and I will give a great deal of consideration about our future travels in Europe. Should we sell Bijou and go home? Should we put her in storage and just travel with her part time? Should we split our time between the U.S. and Ireland? Should we just say goodbye to Europe and consider other parts of the world? Or none of the above? There are a lot of things to consider. We have adult children and my parents in the States. Steven has parents and siblings in Ireland. How will the pandemic play into this decision? And if we do move home, where will we go? Where will we live? Do we continue to travel? It is a lot to think about, so for the time being, we are going to concentrate on having a fabulous year of travel and figure out our next steps when the time comes. Somehow, as it usually does, we think the answers will present themselves in an obvious way.

Whatever the new year brings, we wish you peace and joy in the good times, courage and grace when challenges arise. Happy New Year, everyone!

Next Up: Back to Europe!

…