Well, sadly all good things must come to an end, but merely to make place for better things. We have been home for almost a week now, and while the trip was phenomenal (despite some drama), it is always so good to be back in one’s own space. We have laundry soap, a full fruit bowl and sugar and butter as required. One thing about travelling and the constant moving is that you don’t eat with much detail. Dry toast and eggs became a staple while we were overseas.
After departing Lyon, we were able to make it with very little time to spare to our connecting train in Paris. It was quite interesting approaching the Chunnel, where for almost a kilometer there was a line of fence three rows deep, with razor wire atop each row. As we decended into the darkness of the under-ocean-floor passage, I won’t say my claustrophobia was at it’s calmest. Initially imagine in 1802, at its lowest point, it is 75 metres (246 ft) below the sea bed and 115 metres (377 ft) below sea level. While I played it cool for the kids, the weight of the water and mud overtop of us was palpable, and not the most enjoyable part of the journey.
We emerged into the English countryside, and I took a deep breath. As much as that first plane ride out of England was a fiasco, it’s possible that I wouldn’t have been overly excited to do that Chunnel trip twice.
We arrived at St. Pancras Station, and all reminisced with humour and malaise at the last time we were there: “And that’s where the lady told us we were stuck in London, and that’s where we sat, not knowing what to do next… hahaha. Fun times.” Gag.
JG has always wanted to ride in a London taxi – he’s a huge Bond fan, and I guess this contributed to a love for the very organized Hackney Carriage. Being that we had to get from St. Pancras to Marylebone Station to catch our next train to Banbury, it seemed like this was the perfect opportunity. The cab was clean, quick, and satisfied that itch, but in my mind it was really just a cab with an unusual seating arrangement (three forward facing seats across the rear of the car, three rear facing seats across the back of the driver’s seat).
The train to Banbury was equally smooth. We were very happy to be able to connect with our friends for the two last days of our trip. It has been a few years since we have seen them, and they always come to us. It was so lovely to be able to return the effort, and to see a little slice of their beautiful home that they have made in The Cotswolds.
Our friend picked us up in Banbury, and she very competently did the terrifying narrow drive to their house. I sat in the passenger side (which would be the driver’s side in the majority of the world), twitching and “air-breaking” as we drove along. Road in this part of England seemed to me to be very narrow, with hairpin turns and two way traffic. Not my idea of an easy drive, but she pulled it off without a flinch.
Their home is truly unique. At almost two thousand years old, it didn’t have a straight line in the property (floors included), but was so cozy and comfortable, with space for what turned out to be four adults, five kids and two whippets. Their home is part of an “Area of Natural Beauty” with hugely restrictive development, redevelopment and renovation rules, where any repairs have to be done to exactly the same standards as currently exist – this said, while theres does not, many of the homes in the area still have thatched roofs, and the majority of the properties are built of a golden yellow limestone that glowed in the rare sunlight that we had while we were there. It was also the inspiration for JRR Tolkein’s “Shire” setting; the rolling fields, meandering creeks and ancient churches all fit together in my mind’s eye of Hobbit life.
We were treated to.a beautiful day in the life of our friends. From a children’s football match, to a lovely casual walk along the footpaths (over fences and through gates), a pub crawl with the kids and dogs, and a nice dinner at my friend’s very hip country-meets city respite (including a quick trip to the nightclub, in the middle of the Cotswold countryside) we had a blast!
Upon departure, we left them with the standard host/hostess gifts, chocolate and a bottle of wine; and of course the jug of laundry soap that had travelled from Spain to England with us on no less than three subways, five trains, a few kilometres of walk and a number of wheeled endeavours. Point of note: when adventuring around and staying at Vacation Rentals, never expect any of the basics when you need them – grr.
Sadly it was time for our trip to be over, and our friend drove us back to the Banbury train station where we hopped our last train back to London, took a brief walk from Marylebone Station to Paddington Station, ironically tracing almost our exact same steps as on the day we arrived, and then took the Tube to Heathrow Airport where we boarded our very long, but very easy flight back to Canada. I couldn’t help but feel a sense of relief, and joy as we flew over Labrador. No matter where we would land now, we were home.
It was an exceptional time. Truly a trip of a lifetime. The kids were phenomenal travellers, never once a drama or a breakdown, they were far more solid throughout everything than I felt I was. They were brave, willing, and able to keep up with us through things totally out of their realm (my kids have barely ridden a bus, much less the mob of City transit). They also seemed to have fun, and enjoyed the adventure as much as we did. I won’t say I didn’t have my moments of doubt, and worry that the schedule would be too much, but in all honesty the short duration in each place was great for keeping us on track in our touristing/visiting, without finding ourselves deliberating on what to do next.
We did learn a lot about our preferred travel style, and we would certainly do it differently next time. Our short times in places did keep us from experiencing the culture of any given area, and we all felt that we are better suited to smaller Town exploration than to the big Cities.
Were we to do something like this again, as a family of four, we would very likely not choose the train. Aside from the fact that we had some bad luck, we don’t love the idea of being on someone else’s schedule, and the problems that arise when that schedule fails. We also found that, while there were areas of exquisite beauty that we could see from the train, had we been in a car the opportunities to stop and explore those areas would have been significantly greater. The train was also twice the cost of a car rental (not including gas), and kept us limited to locations where the train stopped, and to accommodation within walking distance of the station, which was also significantly more costly than something on the outskirts of any given area. The other challenges we found with the train was that the booking system with Eurail was a huge, time consuming and very inconvenient way to spend portions of our day. Often times I would be battling with the system for an hour or two, before finally being able to book a ticket that worked. The train would probably be suited to a single, or couple looking to get around, but should you choose this route I would highly suggest that you book your seats when required very far in advance (read weeks, or months), and then be ready to make it on time. Also, don’t leave less than and hour, even two between transfers, as if something goes awry you may find yourself without any transportation options to your next destination.
We would also make the wiser choice of flying into the continent we choose to visit. We are so happy to have connected with our dear friends, and experience their lives for a day, but were we to travel Europe again, we would absolutely fly to mainland Europe rather then England. That was just a poor understanding of distance and time, and we got burned by that choice right at the start with the lack of available train reservations. That said, having connected with our friends, we have no regrets about the extra challenges.
As far as the cost of Europe goes, dollar for dollar we honestly didn’t find it any more expensive than North America. If anything, groceries seemed more affordable, and dinners out would be on par. However, this is assuming that a dollar there is equivalent to a dollar here, which of course, it is not. Europe is very expensive for Canadians because our dollar is shit. But that’s just a reality pill that has to be choked down if you choose to visit basically any other first world country as a Canadian. Thanks for following in your father’s final term footsteps Trudeau. We did find Spain the least expensive by far. Not for a difference in exchange, but simply due to the seemingly lower cost of living (3.50 for a croissant AND a coffee?! Yes please.).
We also learned the importance of connectivity while away, and were grateful to have purchased a Travel Plan from Orange while overseas. The Esim option meant we didn’t have to remove, and possibly lose or damage our home sim cards on our cell phones, and once I figured out the visa fraud security problem (always make sure you have roaming turned on on your home line, even if you don’t plan to use it), and was able to use my Visa for online purchases again, it meant I didn’t have to switch sim cards in and out every time I went to make an online purchase. We bought a 28 day, 50GB plan for $50, which allowed us to have the luxury of getting lost while still knowing were we were. I’m honestly not sure how much data we used while travelling, but I’m sure the 50GB was ample for our three weeks there, and aside from not streaming videos on data, I wasn’t being miserly with my usage. By comparison, using Roaming on my home line would have been $16/day.
There were a number of other things that helped along our trip, and advice to the next traveller goes as follows:
Don’t travel with people you can’t forgive. You will bicker, and differ in opinion at times, and you need to be able to let go of the little things so as to enjoy your time.
Always maintain a sense of humour and wonder. Even the inconveniences can be part of the journey, remember how fortunate we are to live in the world we do, at this time in history.
Expect the unplanned. We had our fair share of problems on our journey, but none were truly horrifying (I’m looking at you cruise-liners stranded at the outset of COVID). I mentioned to the littlest that every time you visit a country, you should expect at least one problem. It just so happened that we visited six Countries in three short weeks, se we were destined to face some challenges. I’m super grateful no one got sick, hurt or worse.
Prepare to be flexible. You may get stranded in a foreign country. You may have banking dilemmas. You may miss trains, or pick up a bug, or get delayed. There are so many things that can happen along the way, both good and bad. Never expect things to go according to plan, and be prepared to make changes on the fly as required. The beauty of living in the digital generation is that we can often do this while sipping a coffee in some piaza somewhere.
Slow it down. No matter if you a bouncing from spot to spot in a few days or lingering in one spot for a week or more, slow it down. Let your brain sit and absorb as much as possible. Observe people on the subway. Watch the birds on the street. Consider the world around you as if it were a jawbreaker candy: dozens of different layers to enjoy before you get to the sweetest part at the core. Bite it and you miss the experience.
Enjoy the journey, even the shitty parts in retrospect. Everything that happens is part of the end result, and it can be good or bad depending upon your outlook. Anyway, the hard parts make for a better story.
That all being said, know there there is only so much beauty, and wonder that your brain can absorb at any given time. We are programmed for routine, stepping out doesn’t make your appreciation for the world around you any more significant. Embrace the small moments, the things that give you chills of pleasure, the times when you can be aware of just how blessed you are to be in that place, at that time. Relish those moments, and don’t be guilty for feeling like a passenger at times; for letting the spectacularity of your experience feel normal. Our brains need banality so we can also have awe.
I should also mention that, despite news to the contrary, we did not see a single bed bug, get a single bite, nor was our pocket picked once in France (though both JG and I noticed zippers unzipped on our bags on two separate occasions in the subway of Barcelona).
People have asked why we chose to do this trip now. It was certainly a combination of factors. The primary reason being that our kids are growing up, and soon enough they will find their own lives too busy for extended adventure. Jobs, friends, school, etc will all begin to become more important, so now is the time to give them as much of the world as we can. I’ve always had a passive wanderlust, but it was really kickstarted when we were all in COVID lockdown. How could this happen that the world, once so large, has literally been shrunk to the size of my house and laptop screen? My inner claustrophobia started to pick at me in those days, and when some associates took their kids across the world on a sailboat while she taught onboard University classes in 2021/22, I began to wonder why we wouldn’t have a similar experience if we could? While a year aboard a sailboat was not in our grasp, a much shorter time could still be something we could give to the kids and ourselves. We had also talked about visiting our Cotswold friends at a property they have on the Northern tip of Scotland this past Easter. That didn’t happen for my lack of followthrough, but it jumpstarted the idea of going to Europe. With the kids at good ages, COVID now endemic, our work in the slow period, and time passing too quickly, it just seemed like a good enough time; because really, is there ever a “right time” to do anything?
Knowing now that the kids are such excellent and willing travellers, and having checked backpacking Europe off the list, our next adventure turns it’s eyes to our backyard. Canada is (in my opinion) the most beautiful and varied country in the world. I have been East, and West, and loved both sides of it, but there is so much to see. I have always wanted to drive across Canada (yes, even the prairies), but have never had the opportunity. So, the next great adventure plan is to take the kids and dogs in a 1990s-era Roadtrek (it sleeps four unlike the newer models that only sleep two or three max), and drive backroads from home to the West Coast, hop a ferry into Alaska, then back down through the Yukon into the NorthWestern US and homewards. We’ve got a lot of figurative bridges to cross before that happens, but there’s no time like the present to start dreaming and planning. We’ll know it’s getting real when we buy a vehicle so, as always, let’s see what happens next!
Thanks for following along on our journey and feel free to reach out if you have any questions. Share your stories of your adventures, or future travel goals. There’s nothing like fuel for a travel bug fire to make little ideas turn into big plans! While this is going to come off as a bit of an acceptance speech (lame and boring) I also want to make sure that I thank some folks that may not have gotten credit in their part in making our journey happen. First off, my Dad and Sister who took amazing care of our fur babies while we were away. Our two pups are part of our family, and having someone we trusted care for them while we were away was a huge relief, and allowed the trip to happen as their care is a higher priority than travel. The lovely Delena who takes amazing care for my other fur baby (Briar, my giant spotted draft horse); she does this every day of the year, but her care means I can be negligent of my responsibility as a horse owner, and escape to do other things on occasion. Our friend Racquel, who got me motivated to buy plane tickets, and subsequently commit to the journey. Our friends Kathy and Jeremy, who talked me down off a ledge with the multiple train fiascos. Our friend Eric, who fed me wine and dinner while I spoke to agent after agent during the Visa fiasco. My banking associate at Scotia Jese, who listened to the issues at hand, and asked the right questions to get the Visa situation figured out (even though it’s a competing bank Visa). And of course our friends Jill and Brent, and their fabulous kids and odd dogs who gave us a soft place to land after our whirlwind tour of Europe, and prior to our long flight home. It takes great people to make a great experience, and we love you all for your help and support when we needed it most. And so, this is me, signing off. Thank you for the adventure.
Fin.
Post script: Air Canada in December 2023 (about two weeks after we returned) launched Air to Rail connections in some major centres in Europe. This was not available during our trip, and I can’t speak to how it works, or how well it works; but for an adventurer from Canada looking for options, perhaps this may work for you:
A twenty year adventure and more 
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