Europe, 2022, travel day one, quick visit to Vancouver, BC

I’m very excited. I’m sitting in the dinky little lounge at the Sacramento Airport as I write this.

I’ve been planning this trip since February and I can’t believe I’m finally sitting at the airport waiting for the first part of my journey to begin. Several years ago I decided I’d like to get to Europe every other year if possible. I’ve pretty much been meeting that goal. And sometimes exceeding it.

Itinerary

Technically it’s 3 countries in 9 days. Really it’s 2 full travel days, an overnight in Canada, and transit through France.

I start by flying to Vancouver. I’ll spend the afternoon and evening there. The next morning I’ll fly direct to Paris arriving around 8am local time. I’ll hop a train at the airport that takes me to one of my favorite spots on the planet, Gimmelwald, Switzerland. That will be my jumping off point to explore the Lauterbrunnen Valley and,perhaps, beyond…

Backstory

You may be thinking, “Wait! Weren’t you just in the Swiss Alps last September?” Why, yes, yes I was. I was also there in 2019 with Mike. Again, one of my favorite places on the planet.

I subscribe to a email newsletter that sends out notifications when there is a good deal on business class seats for international flights. Back in February a deal came up for Air France, direct to Paris for around $1300 for a lie-flat business class seat which is basically a bed on a plane. Round trip. Considering an economy seat runs around $1000 round trip from the west coast, this was an amazing deal. Plus, I love flying in comfort. (Full disclosure, the actual price was a bit more when all was said and done, but still a remarkable deal.)

A question I get regularly: Is Mike going with you? Well, I suggested to Mike we get these tickets for late May and go to Europe together but we were both a bit concerned about the war in Ukraine so we opted to go to NYC for our May trip. I, however, grabbed a ticket for myself hoping Ukraine would be contained or resolved by September.

I would rather travel with my husband, but I don’t mind traveling by myself. I start to get homesick pretty quickly though, missing Mike and Lainey, thus a week or so trip usually is enough.

Steve and Ash (pictured above) did a lot while they were in Interlaken and it really inspired me to explore more of the Valley I’ll be staying in. There is so much to explore that I haven’t seen yet. I plan on doing a lot.

After a very busy summer I am ready for a nice recharge. And after flying with 5 bags and sooo much equipment to Puppet Festivals in Seattle and Iowa, I am thrilled to be traveling with just a backpack and small carry-on suitcase.

I love the challenge of traveling without checking bags. My friend Matt turned me on to it. Advantages:

• No waiting for checked luggage at the airport. (Saves 20-40 minutes.)
• No chance of lost luggage.
• Forces me to pack light. In Europe being able to quickly and easily maneuver through streets and train stations is a must.

Despite the Self imposed “no checked bags” policy I did manage to pack a bunch including:

• Clothing and toiletries for 8 days
• My DJI Mini 2 Drone
• Insta 360 camera and DJI Pocket 2 camera
• Tripod
• Hiking poles
• iPad, iPhone, AirPods
• A book (New Pair of Glasses, Chuck C.)
• Warm jacket, hoodie and umbrella
• Water bottle
• Bose noise canceling headphones. (Takes up some space but really eases travel fatigue, especially on longer flights.)
• Gifts for Tobias and his family (the very kind owner of Esther’s Guesthouse in Gimmelwald.) I’m bringing them lovely espresso cups thrown by Sacramento pottery artist Lindsay Dillon, 2 Folkmanis puppets for the kids and two CD’s, The Toy Box by Francie Dillon and Puppet Art’s Storytime CD.
• Flip flops with arch support for the guest house. (No shoes allowed in the house. These flip flops are amazing!)
• A day pack for hiking. (Folds up to a little 6” by 8” packet. First time using it.)

The plane was delayed by an hour. No biggie since I have no connections today.

For any of my plane nerd friends, I’m on an Air Canada Bombardier CRJ-900. Air Canada still requires everyone wear masks on board. I like this policy as the woman a row over just coughed and hacked into her mask.

Smaller plane so I have a seat all to myself.

After a safe, smooth flight I quickly zipped through customs and caught the shuttle to the airport.

I did a quick meditation to recharge my batteries in the hotel room before heading out to Granville Island. The taxi driver gave me a guided tour of the city as we drove the 7.7km. He immigrated from Pakistan 14 years ago and became a citizen 11 years ago. He loves Canada and loves Vancouver. We talked nonstop for 25 minutes and it was great.

Granville Island reminded me a bit of Pike’s Market in Seattle. It’s got a touristy vibe. Lots of little shops and a nice market to walk around and grab a bite. I grabbed a rather disappointing Lobster Roll.

It wasn’t bad but it wasn’t good either. The lobster was a little over cooked. It was…food.

On my way to the lobster roll place I passed by a long line of people waiting for something. It turned out to be a donut shop. What kind of idiots stand in line for a donut?

After the lobster roll I walked by the line again. There was no line at the lobster place. There was a long line here. I hopped in line.

The line was 30-40 people deep. I asked the guy in front of me what was so special about these donuts. He had no idea. It was his first time, too. His wife had him standing in line to get donuts for her. We started chatting about business and mentoring so the time in line flew by.

The donut was as good as the conversation. Light, not too sweet. Worth the wait.

I took the Aquabus across the water to Yaletown.

The boat driver directed me up the street to the train station. I wanted to take the subway back to the hotel. A couple of blocks up the street I started doubting the directions so I pulled out my little touristy map and started to check. A moment later I hear a woman’s say, “Are you lost?” She said she recognized the list look and kindly pointed me in the right direction. What a sweet lady. I’ve met some really nice people today.

The hotel was a quick 10 minute walk. When I made it to my room the lack of sleep I’ve had last night or two suddenly caught up with me. Nice timing.

As I’ve been typing this I’ve been watching planes land with a spectacular sunset background.

Nice start to the trip.

Thanks for reading.