Dusting off the cobwebs

Well - thanks to Martha. In her defence though Maddy, (see comment) the Dyson tools are missing because she 'hoovered' the stairs when she was home because I didn't feel like doing it. She and Matt cleaned the kitchen too. I need her to come back and do it again now!
Just as an aside - isn't it funny that we say 'hoovered' even though that is the brand name and not 'dysoned' - is it possible to hoover the carpet with a dyson? Hey ho.

So!!!
The giveaway I promised a million years ago.
All the last posts have been about my travels with my 20 year old son round Europe earlier this year. It was an amazing trip and I want to encourage all you waverers who might be thinking of doing something similar. Check out the Eurail people because you really can get a number of amazing deals. John and I got the Global Pass. if you are under 26 it is a really good deal, and if you are an old crusty like me it is still much m-u-c-h cheaper than getting individual tickets.
With a Global Pass the list of countries you can visit is really long. The way it works is simplicity itself - you write the date you are travelling on your ticket and get on any train you like (in a participating country.) It really is as simple as that. You can get on and off trains all day long if you like on the same day. For sleepers, the 'day' starts at 7.00 pm the night before!

BUT - bear in mind a few very important tips!

1. Check check and check again to see if you need to book a train journey. This may be the case for a long journey or one where you are travelling between countries - crossing borders I mean.
2. Some journeys require not just booking, but an extra booking charge - I was amazed by how much extra we had to pay to travel from Barcelona to Milan. (Then the guy told me how much the ticket should have been - it was more than the Global Pass - so i was happy!) Sleepers always carry a surcharge - but you won't have to pay for accommodation that night - so it works out ok.
3. Keep your Ticket as safe as your passport - you are stuffed without it! Obviously.
4. Spontaneity is great, but so is forward planning - I think we should have gone to Budapest instead of Salzburg. But we were faced with a five minute decision - and my weariness won over my spirit of adventure. So a bit of forward planning eh?
5. Go East - you won't regret it!
6. Take FAR LESS than you think you need - I thought I had been ruthless, but I ended up carting things that I only wore once or twice and things like books which were really heavy. You can always find the English shelves in bookshops and pay a bit for the luxury of only having one book with you - when it is finished, leave it on a cafe table - we loved doing this. And lucky for us - we both really enjoyed the same books!
7. A pack of cards is a useful thing - we played on trains all the time - when I won - I must have cheated - when John won - it was because of his skill... interesting that!
8. Keep a journal - and take a roll of double sided sticky tape - really useful if - like me you can't throw anything away!
9. At the front of the journal I made a chart with the dates and what number day we were on, this was the most useful thing when planning where to go next.   
10. Going with someone you love is a really good idea - John was the perfect travelling companion - we had a really good time.
11. Mobile phone calls cost a fortune - whether you are making them or receiving them - I got into a real mess when Geoff had to try and top my phone up so I could receive important information about one of our journeys (Split and Hvar) on reflection , I think we should have got an international SIM card.
12. I took hundreds of photographs - but I think I should have taken 5 times as many! Having a spare charged up battery in your bag when the other one runs out in the Alhambra gives you a very smug feeling. So the battery charger and a plug adapter were essential .
13. That will do!
14. Though - here's another - I took knitting - but hardly did a stitch - i thought I would knit on all the trains we were going to be on - but in the event I just didn't - your choice - but that was another bit of excess baggage!

Now - if you need any further encouragement, leave a comment saying which of these you would like and i will send them - and if there are more takers than two, I'll do a wee draw - lets say by midnight (GMT) on May 20th - because that is my brother's birthday. (good enough reason for me)

A word about each of these - Europe By Eurail was great but a bit frustrating - for some reason it does not cover all the countries that the Global pass does - so for some places we were on our own - though this was always fine - I can honestly say we never had any bother finding the trains to where we wanted to go. It is a bit heavy though.
The phrase book we didn't actually take - so this is in pristine condition - we got by. In Slovenia they spoke better English than I do. In other places - we managed by being friendly - it always works.
So - I will post them to anywhere in the world.

Then this part of my blog posting will be OVER and I will tell you about Art Tour, my wonderful hens, my mum's quilt show, the garden, my knitting, and probably ... the fairy capes!
Thanks for reading - thanks for leaving comments if you do, thanks for sticking with me while I was too long over doing all of this -
Thanks

Comments

[Lindsey (ethel and edna)]

Yay!!! It's great to have you back again! WOuld love to do the Europe trip one day but with small kiddie (well 8 yr old) in tow it's not so easy. Hubbie did 2 weeks Interail in 1989 with a load of mates, about 3 months after we met (was he trying to tell me something?). He loved it but couldn't take any more time off work than that. One day...

[Christy]

I have been following your travels and totally enjoying them. Yes I would love to travel with a rail pass. Love all the tips. Know what you mean about over packing.
Eastern Europe is apealing. Thanks for sharing your travels.

[Pat Blain]

Good to see you back here again. Lots of love.
Pat x

[Sue]

Good to know you've surfaced again - no pressure of course! Looking forward to all the latest news when you're ready!

[anita]

Great tips... Really want to go now...

[somewhereoutthere]

Thanks for relating your wonderful journey...it was thrill to read each installment. I would love to travel round Eastern Europe as I have taught so many people from that part of the world how to speak English, it is my turn to visit all their wonderful countries and learn to say more than 'Hello'. Welcome back to Britain...you were missed.

[Helen]

Tell us more about the hens!! About to embark on the adventure too but in a VERY small Newcastle garden - I'm hoping it will beat the usual rabbits that 6 year olds want as pets!

And Interrail rocks - 2 trips in the 80s under my belt (in the days before Yugoslavian civil war....) and you've proved that it's still possible as time marches on.

[Maddy]

LOL OHHHH … I thought No. 1 child was a BOY ... hahaha!!! Of course your daughter would know the “hoover” inside out and back to front. Sorry dear!!

Teasing people in Australia about train trips around Europe is punishment enough for mixing up boy children with girl children!

Have a wonderful weekend, I’m looking forward to photos of said daughter with fairy cape on! :D

[willow]

I have enjoyed sharing your trips with you. Eastern Europe is beginning to hold out a fascinating beckoning hand to me. I read "Trumpeter of Krakow" a few years ago and I was ashamed to admit I didn't know where Krakow was. Then I began reading WWII history and I learned much about Eastern Europe. Some day I'll go... This summer I'll be in London for 2 weeks--an unexpected trip, but much anticipated.

[martha]

Yes. I am a girl.
I may now go and check out those luxury mobile phones. As a respite from writing about creation. Do you care about the metaphysical intricacies of God sustaining the world? No. Neither do I. It's so lucky your commentors can draw my attention to such luxury diversions.

[Jackie]

You have inspired me!

[katie]

I have just deleted the SPAM comment that gives Martha's comment context - you'll have to trust me on that one - it was about mobile phones!

[Gill]

Good to have you back, the trip sounds absolutely fantastic and the photos are wonderful. Interested in hearing about your hens I remember asking your advice about 8 years ago when we first started keeping them. We now have 18 super layers (Light Sussex) not to mention a few rats (you did warn me)

[Joy]

I have loved reading about your adventures, it is the sort of thing I would like to do, and as a friend is moving to spain this may be my only way of seeing her as I hate flying! So it's the Europe by Eurail for me if I am lucky. Now about those hens....

[Lindsay]

I'm planning a similar trip for my daughter and me next year in honor of her 21st birthday. Can't wait! I went on several such trips when her age, but love the idea of sharing such adventures with her. Thanks for sharing your own!

[Lynette]

Have you heard of bookcrossing.com a wonderful way to allow books you are finished with to 'travel'. I loved reading about your journey with your son.