Week 16, 17 & 18 of 2024 (In Review) – Summer Trip Plans!

The last few weeks of April were odd ones for me as I was ill (the one-two punch of a flu followed by a cold) there was snow and just getting over the jarni unava (spring fatigue) I surely had at the beginning of the month. With the coming of May, it’s certainly all good now but the photo (above) perfectly illustrates the frustration and just overall meh feeling. Just trying to throw on purposely the weirdest winter coat I own to run out and do errands because who cares. You know the “idgaf” vibes.

Between all of the illnesses I unknowingly went to Costa Coffee (in our town) for the last time as a few days later I found out it had closed down… to make room for another Starbucks! I have written about my delight that a Starbucks opened in Budejovice in March but it’s sort of funny (in a sad way) to me now because they clearly realized they should’ve done that ages ago and are now making up for lost time… even if that means taking over our only Costa Coffee to do so. Do we need two Starbucks? No, but it’s happening. The wave of the future, the plodding onward of progress and all of that. A lesson in “be careful what you wish for”?

Summer Plans

The good news is we’ve figured out our summer plans at long last. Has anyone else been planning a summer holiday in Europe this year? I don’t think it’s only my own personal adjustment buying plane tickets for three people instead of two from now on that came as a shock to me – the prices to fly anywhere this summer, unless you’re taking a cheapo airline and not checking bags adds up tremendously. Adding to that our wish to take Ferdie along with us eliminated the cheapo option (both Ryanair and Easyjet do not allow dogs onboard).

In the end, we are taking an overland train journey to Germany’s North Sea coast, islands and southern Denmark! We couldn’t be more relieved about the idea of avoiding airplane travel with a two-year-old this summer. Germany’s Baltic Sea coast (or Ostsee) has long been on my mental summer travel list and although we are staying closer to the North Sea (or Nordsee) on the northern Frisian peninsula the two coasts are close enough to drive between (and we’ll be renting a car) so I’m looking forward to discovering them both as well as the Frisian Islands in Germany and Denmark. Beach, islands, Germany, a slow pace of life – I truly couldn’t think of anything better this summer.

So that means Berlin, we’re obviously coming for you too. I haven’t been back since pre-pandemic during my intensive language course experience and any time there truly fills the soul, not to mention that it will be so surreal taking Small Man for this first time to this place that has been so influential for me. Optimistic that it’s going to be a great summer!

Have you got any summer plans nailed down yet?