Some changes to the plan

So, we decided to delay our plans until the last week of February. We really liked the idea of, and decided to do 2 things: 1) spend a few days in NYC, not only because we'd like to visit there, but also so we can break up the long flight for Kai's sake. And, 2) rent an RV (just a van-sized one) in Europe. (Funny thing: Here they call the VW a "Eurovan". There, they call it the "Westfalia Calfornia". We're not getting that one though.)

We are impressed with some (but not all) of the luxurious campgrounds that one can stay at and they're pretty reasonably priced too. If only petrol/gas prices were! There seem to be campgrounds outside each major city, where you can park it and take public transpo in. So, it should be mostly highway driving. My major contention would have been to drive those narrow city streets of Europe! There are also gorgeous resort-like campgrounds in the country. Since it'll still cold, and we won't have to pack/unpack our cold-weather clothes and lug it on/off trains. Kai won't have to get used to a new bed everywhere we go. AND, it'll be easier on our food allergies (and our pocketbook) to cook for ourselves. I see it as a great excuse to visit local markets and see the locals! I already try to visit farmer's markets here as much as possible. Don't worry to the foodies that said they'd like to read about my dining experiences - we'll still be eating out to get a flavor for local foods.

Unfortunately, the weather gets better the later in the year and campgrounds open accordingly. Hence delaying our plans just a bit, but not enough to change the weather for the rest of the trip. We'll just have to search a little more for places that are open year-round. At least, we can leave a few days earlier to spend in New York. It's kind of bittersweet as far as packing though. I can take more stuff, but that means I'll be lugging more stuff until we get to the RV.

We found a highly recommended RV rental company in Amsterdam. We planned for 6-8 weeks in Europe, but they have a good deal on renting a vehicle for 2 months. So, 2 months it is! Now, instead of arriving in London, we'll be going in/out of Amsterdam. Both of us would have liked to see London, but we aren't heartbroken. Now, we have a good reason to see Amsterdam. Flights to Amsterdam from the US and out of Amsterdam to Asia seem to not be a problem.

At least, this first part of our trip is shaping up! Now, if I could only get the nerve to firm things up with the travel agent and pay for our plane tickets. It seems like it would be to "real" at that point! (I'd do it in a heartbeat if we only had our house rented!)