Itinerary: Fall 2022 to Winter 2023

So many of you may be wondering where are these two running off to in such a hurry? Good question. As long as Lucy and I have known each other we have always discussed travel aspirations: both simple vacations, and the possibility of exploring retirement destinations. Early on we realized we are both not cookie cutter vacation folks. We hate trying to squeeze a month of vacation activities into a 10-day vacation, and then try and rush back to work. Until recently we have even limited our travel so as to save for future travels abroad. Now we are finally at a point in our lives where we can travel slowly, take our time, and travel the way we have discussed over these many years.

 

Lucy is the more well-traveled of us (see previous blog), but I have definitely picked her brain about the favorite places she has visited. Over much discussion we both have come up with a few indicators of desirability: access to local fresh food; wines and spirits; a desire to inhabit a space that fits us (small for just the two of us, larger if we have friends dropping by); access to local cultures and traditions; a pedestrian-friendly location (preferably car free); a desire to stay away from more traditional tourists; and maybe most importantly within our budget. You may be surprised how many places we have come up with that fit those criteria. [Lucy here: also libraries, cemeteries, archaeological sites….]

 

First of course we are going to start by renting a car and traveling the states to see friends and family! That may sound counterintuitive to what I have previously described but we also realized while making our lists that we also wanted to try and see as many friends and family members as we could along the way, so that is where we start. We’ve missed seeing you during the pandemic. Many of us have had plans delayed the last couple of years and Greg and Erica are certainly one of them. We start off heading to Steamboat Springs for their nuptials. After that we plan to spend a few days in Denver visiting Christine. Then we are off to Chicago, via train. Finally, our last stops in the US will be the Eastern Seaboard. We are currently reaching out to folks that range from Maine to Virginia. After 4 more weeks traveling on the East Coast we will finally get to leave the country. Next stop Spain.

 

In November we land in Madrid for a month. After visiting many museums, maybe a Real Madrid game, and all the cemeteries for Lucy, we will head south to Granada for Christmas and the New Year. Sometime in January we will again head south, this time to Morocco. Tentatively we will spend 6 weeks in Morocco and then head back to Spain for the month of March. Early in April we have Lucy’s 36-month checkup for her Long Covid study in Seattle to attend. Shortly after that we expect to head back to Anchorage for the spring and summer of 2023-ish.

 

As with all things these days, these are plans written in jello. But we are sharing our itinerary in hopes that those of you wanting to be visited will let us know, and that those of you with flexibility consider meeting up with us along the way. We definitely have an extra bedroom in Granada, 😉 but it has bunkbeds…