With retirement looming we decided to start planning a world-wide holiday itinerary by simply listing all the places, things, events, whatever, that we individually would like to visit, see, sample or do.
Unfortunately, the list grew longer and longer and then the logistics took over. When to visit a country is governed by the climate for many locations. Therefore combining a visit to, say, Russia and South America poses problems about when events are happening. The Octoberfest is OK in Germany in Autumn but by this time the Northern European River Cruises stop operating because it is too cold. Conversely, visiting Europe in high-summer means crowds of people all on vacation! Events in South America like Brazil's Carnivale take place in their summer, so combined visits are not possible in a short time span.
Obviously, we have changed our wish-list of places to visit and things to do from the impossible - do it all in one trip - to a breakdown of many smaller, shorter trips specifically designed to focus on one particular area of the world and climate, at a time. Next year we may take a cargo-freighter cruise from somewhere to anywhere where we haven't been but including places we cannot visit this year, eg, South America.
This year, as a retirement present to ourselves, we are planning, in fact have now booked our Itinerary as follows:
16th August: Brisbane to Seoul to Vladivostok. Then to Moscow via Trans-Siberian Express. Three days exploring Moscow and up the Canals and rivers to St. Petersburg by Canal Cruiser. Do over St. P in three days and fly to Hungary, hire a car and drive to the Spa-resort town of Hevis for a week of Hungarian exploring, food and wine plus laying about in the spa? (We have time share access to thousands of resorts!)
From Hevis we fly to Ankara in Turkey, again hire a car to get to the mountain resort of Kostamanu and spend a week exploring the Northen coastal region of Turkey and the Black-Sea coast. Then, off to Istanbul for three days of Byzantine delights before flying to Kuala Lumpur.
After climbing the Petronis Tower(s) (three days to acheive this feat) we journey on for a week's holiday and relaxation in Jakarta where Lynne worked for the last ten or so years...many, many friends to catch-up with, and, finally home to Brisbane via KL again, because that's where the airline flies? Home again by about October Nine.
We plan a daily update to this journal during our trip, with photographs but updates will depend upon Internet Access availability along the way.
