June 12, 2010

Pics: John and Rob in Verona, Claire in Geneva, Me with My New Gladiator, Rob and Erin in Croatia, the girls on the Ferry from Split, Erin driving the monster (what? Rob was tired!).

We are back from our European road trip.

And, by the way, here's the difference between men and women, with respect to trip planning:

Me: About 6 months ahead of departure date, reserve the apartment, flights, train, rental car, ferry, check into what to do at the destination and by associated tickets. Two weeks ahead, pack four suitcases (1 for the girls, 3 for me), purchase all manner of overpriced containers for makeup, dirty laundry, sunscreen, underwear etc. A week before departure, get haircut, mani-pedi, massage (the planning has been very stressful), buy four new pairs of shoes, go out to a series of dinners with girlfriends since I won't see them for two whole weeks.

Results: flight is overbooked, charged the equivalent of an extra plane ticket for excess baggage, stub toe on said excess baggage trying to get it off carousel at airport (ruining pedicure), rental car is unavailable (see blog from last summer), overpriced beauty product containers leak sending unidentified toxic, sticky gels all over clean clothes. Arrive at rental to find it is a quarter of the size advertised, has bugs and no air-conditioning. At least one child comes down with stomach flu.

Rob/my brother: About 6 days before departure date, start looking for apartments. Find perfect apartment one hour later. Morning of flight: stuff two pairs of shorts, two polo shirts, 2 T-shirts, a swimsuit, toothbrush, underwear and flipflops into a backpack. Get on flight.

Result: Arrive at destination without incident and walk off airplane with carry-on luggage only. Find that you have reserved too small a car to fit the group, but are able to smile and wink your way to a massive upgrade which just happens to be available. Arrive at rental to find it is larger than advertised, has air conditioning and is spitting distance from a private beach. Children are healthy and ecstatic.

Rob/John to Kara: "Why do you get so stressed out about vacation planning? Everything works out fine."

Kara to Rob/John: "Bite me."

A brief summary of our trip:

Munich: Drive-by. We were there long enough to go to a beer garden for dinner, eat wienerschnitzel, drink beer, drive around the city and head out for...

Croatia: Long day. GPS put us on some side roads in Slovenia and we had to race to make the last ferry out of Split for the island of Brac, where we were staying. Made it (of course, since men were in charge) and had a great week in Croatia. Highlights included:

Erin discovering sea glass. She and I hunted the beach every day for new pieces. The locals looked at us, scratching their heads and wondering why we flew across the world to clean up their beaches.

Scooter rental. Three adults, three kids. No problem, right? I took a brief test drive to make sure I'd be able to ride safely with Erin on the back. Good thing. I gave it some gas, then had to swerve to avoid crashing into a couple of pedestrians. Unfortunately, I forgot to take my hand off the accelerator. I veered left, straight for the harbor. To avoid flying into the water I laid the thing down. On the pavement. On my leg. Small scrape on my leg. Large gash on my self-esteem. Croatian scooter owner: "You will now give me back my scooter. You are too dangerous." Well, we knew that already, didn't we? Luckily Claire had not been terribly excited by the prospect of zipping around the island on two wheels and offered to stay home to babysit me.

Overheard in Split: American Dad to his family: "Do the math. Two bucks for a postcard. Two bucks to mail it. Not gonna happen."

Verona: Arrived the evening of the World Cup match between Spain and Germany. Walked all over the city the next day. Fantastic.

Geneva: Took Rob and the girls to the house we lived in when I was a wee child, to the school I attended, and to the house we lived in until I finished 8th grade. Had a fabulous lunch on the lake. Saw the Jet D'Eau, the Clock of Flowers (all natural now, to celebrate the year of biodiversity. It may be biodiverse, but it's pretty ugly). Walked through the old city, window-shopped and back in the van headed for...Paris.

Overheard in a Geneva parking garage (large American to his wife): "If this garage costs more than fifty bucks I am NOT going to be happy."

Rob and John left this morning for the US. My sister arrives tomorrow. We return to the US on July 22nd. I hope to post once more before we leave.

Hope you're enjoying summer!