Back to France

Ted. As Judy and I plan our journeys each year, we consider two lists; those places to which we would like to visit for the first time and those places to which we would like to return. For our summer/fall trip to Europe this year, we chose to do less exploring and more wandering of familiar places. 

We wanted to begin with a little adventure by taking the Eurostar train under the English Channel from London to Paris. In a pandemic, each country has its own rules for entry and as previously mentioned, the UK is a bit tricky. All that France requires is proof of vaccination. The train is a fast (up to 185 mph) and inexpensive ($70) way to travel between London and Paris. It only takes 2-1/2 hours (and that’s downtown to downtown so you skip the journey out to the airport). There is not much to see; a blur of countryside, then a tunnel and then more blur. 

On arrival at the Gare du Nord train station we immediately tried to push aside our Spanish and think in French for the first time in three years. It proved a simple matter to journey by Metro to the suburb of Vincennes, our home base for the next six weeks. We had visited this town in 2011 with grandson Parker to see the famous 14th century Château de Vincennes and vowed to return one day. It is only 20 minutes to downtown Paris on the Metro and adjacent to the huge park, Bois de Vincennes. 

Parker at Château, 2011

Judy at Château, 2021

The next day, we went to a nearby café to celebrate Judy’s birthday. She had steak tartare, a favorite that one can’t find in the US. Of course the champagne was French. The waiters brought her a chocolate mousse with a candle and sang the French equivalent of Happy Birthday. That was followed by two complementary glasses of ice cold Poire William, an excellent pear brandy.

The next morning, it was back on a high-speed train for a special weekend in the north of France. While living in Germany in the 70’s I had become friends with an American named Don and we have remained close ever since. You can read more about Don and his wife, Catherine by visiting our blog archives and reading a post that Judy published on April 1, 2018. Suffice it to say that we would not think of coming to France without a visit with this charming couple. 

As I write this, we are catching our breath before the next adventure. On Thursday, we fly to Stockholm for a visit to our Swedish friends, Mikaela, Björn and Malou. Of course, first we must pass another covid test. Oh dear, is that my anxiety rising again?

Travel Anxiety

Ted. Yep, that is a real term! Per WebMD; “Travel anxiety is the fear of visiting an unfamiliar place. It can also involve the stress that comes with planning your travels.” Well, that second part certainly describes our last week. 

We had a blast in Olympia, Washington where our long time friends, Terry and Sue welcomed us into their new home. The weather couldn’t have been better – cool and sunny. We saw Mt Rainier every day. After explaining the details of the repositioning cruise we have planned for November, they decided to join us, so now we will able to continue our walks and chats in the middle of the Atlantic.

From Washington, we flew to Denver for a Colorado Rendezvous. Our kids and grandkids flew out and we have a few days of joyful laughter with my 91-year-old father, my two sisters, Kathy and Cindy, their husbands, niece, Jenny and her family. We even found time for a long overdue dinner with longtime friends Rick and Margot. 

Looming over our heads, though, were the last minute requirements for our flight to London, which was the jumping off point for our visit to Europe. 72 hours prior to departure, we had to pass a covid test. With variants raging across the US and lots of vaccinated folks getting asymptomatic cases, we were concerned that we might test positive, even though we felt fine. Judy cried when we got the news that we had passed. 

48 hours prior to departure, we also needed to complete a UK government passenger locator form. Sitting in our Denver hotel, I really thought I had blown it. The UK requires a quarantine period for vaccinated visitors with a retest after two days. We needed a confirmed appointment for that test to complete the form. However, we were only staying in the UK for 24 hours! After wading through the UK government documents for two hours, I finally found our loophole. We were “landside transiters” and thus exempt from the quarantine requirements. When I got our completed forms back with the magic QR code, I nearly cried myself! 

Of course, we still had the flight and immigration control in London. British Airways had complicated matters by cancelling our nonstop flight to Heathrow and rebooking us on an American Airlines flight to Chicago, from where they promised we would get London. I hate O’Hare airport and it didn’t disappoint, so we were relieved when we were finally airborne. On deplaning, the stress continued. Would we get stopped at the border for an illegal use of exemption status and slapped in a quarantine gulag? 

Alas, we sailed through thanks to the new passport scanners in place and couldn’t believe how fast we found ourselves in downtown London. We still need to get onto the Eurostar train to Paris and there are more borders to cross in the coming weeks but at least, after three years, we find ourselves back in Europe. Thanks to God and technology, our travel anxiety has subsided. It is 8:30 in the morning here in London and Judy is still sleeping like a baby.