8 Days to Go!

Wow, can’t believe I’ll be leaving next Thursday!  I’m starting to get excited…

I’ve been pretty busy in the last couple of weeks – got my International Driving Permit, some Euros and Swiss Francs, a road map of Europe (plastic even, so we can still use it in the rain!), a phrase book for all the Western European languages, tonight I went and picked up some tools from Dad’s workshop that he wants me to bring and last night I went to the supermarket for the things Mum wants me to bring!

My new specs - finally got around to getting some frames that are a bit closer in to my head so I can wear hats with them, and transitions lenses so I dont have to keep changing them with sunglasses

Have also been to the optometrist and dentist, and this weekend taking the cats to get microchipped.  I’m not worried about forgetting anything, just worried about running out of time!

I might go back to the map shop because they had some cool little pop-up maps of city centres for $1 each and I remember there was one for Brussels and I’m sure some for a couple of other places we’re going to.  It must be better than trying to use simplified maps on free tourist brochures – I’ve seen the ones for Christchurch on various tourist publications and they’re pretty useless! When I worked at the service station we were always having to show people how to get to Akaroa, the gondola or even just back into town.   At least we will have use of a GPS navigator too so between all of that we should be ok.

I'll probably get a fondue pot something like this, unless I can find one with a cool fresian cow pattern like on the fondue mix packet Simone had!

I’ve also figured out a full-on itinerary with kms between each place, not so much because I like being organised but because I needed to be able to tell Simone which day we’ll be arriving and so we can book accommodation for other places.  She’s going to take the Friday off work and we’ll pick her up in Winterthur in the morning and then have all day to get down to Interlaken (via the Lindt chocolate factory in Zurich!), then the rest of the weekend based in Interlaken.  She has to be back in Winterthur on the Sunday evening but we’ll probably stay an extra night and then head on to Innsbruck.  While we’re in Switzerland I want to get a cheese fondue pot (caquelon) and burner (rechaud), I think that’ll probably be my heaviest “souvenir”.

Sus has kindly offered to lend me her digital camera (or did Paul offer on her behalf?  Not sure about that!) because I decided I’d better not spend the money on one right now – I want to make sure I don’t run out when I’m away.  I found some majorly cheap deals for getting to and from London on the days when I need to travel by myself to meet people – a £1 bus fare from London to Swindon, a £5 bus fare from London to Dover and a £6 train fare from Gatwick into London so I’m pretty happy about that – great prices compared to £28 (NZ$60) for the train from London to Dover!  Also the exchange rate has improved a lot for me in the last six months 🙂

I’ve sold the bees, bit of a shame but they were taking up a lot of time and the neighbours got worried when they swarmed, so at least I don’t need to find someone to look after them while I’m away.  I did a bit of a trade and so now my supers are away being extracted, should have a poly-pail or two of nice creamed honey ready for me when I get back!  In only five or six weeks I’ve ended up with five 3/4 depth supers and one 1/2 depth super of honey, they’ve been busy little bees.

Right, it’s far too late so I’m off to bed, will hopefully update again in a few days.  See ya!