This trip started as a trip to Russia and then morphed into the big European adventure that would celebrate Doreen's birthday.
Getting into Russia is not easy but not as complicated as one would think. The Visa is a necessity and can only be obtained through an agency. Fill out the online application form, take the form to the agency, after obtaining an appointment, have the forms checked, pay $172 for each visa and then wait a month. But the important piece of paper that is needed to complete the application is a form called "the invitation letter". Issued by the Hotel that one would stay in it comes via email (the wonders of the internet!).
Anyway back to the itinerary. The cheapest flight into Europe flies into Amsterdam. So off to AMS for a day (we are now slowing down a bit and the airport days need a one day layover instead of hanging around airports waiting for the next leg), and then on to Vienna. The decision to go to Vienna, and Prague, was developed after realising that that the original plan - visit St Petersburg - was too expensive, time-consuming and short. That idea was to go Helsinki and cross to St P on the ferry. A five day visit on the ferry doesn't need a visa. But the price of that visit was prohibitive so changes had to be made. So we asked each other the question, "What do you want to see?" Vienna and Prague came up. So the travel costs sealed the deal and now we fly into St. P from Vienna and out to Prague. Add on the trip to Auzswitch ("I'm not going to Prague without a visit to Auzswich" - Doreen) and the total trip is now seventeen days long.
Flying around Europe on low-cost airlines is easy - go the website, book and then print tickets. But as another decision came into play. We had decided to cut airport waiting times down by not checking baggage. But each airline has its own rules about carry-on. The need to have two pieces of carry-on became problematic. On the two EasyJet flights we had to upgrade to the next grade of seat to get two pieces in the cabin. But that was cheaper than paying for a checked bag. Who would have thought that the size and weight of a carry-on would be a killer?
Anyway with forty days to go we have finalised all of the forseeable plans - right down to the airport shuttles and major sightseeing trips.
So this is what the plan looks like:
Now all we have to do is plan the packing and decide which devices and clothes to take and keep them under twenty pounds for each bag.
