Monday, August 30

Here are the things accomplished yesterday and today:

• Picked up last batch of meds at pharmacy
• Took cat to sitter
• Completed last community volunteer event and turned in keys and files
• Cleaned fridge
• Charged and replaced camera battery
• Started putting electronics in carryon bag
• Paid last bills received and transferred money to online accessible account
• Finished with dental appointments
• Washed car and placed bounce sheets everywhere to keep away mice
• Covered and parked convertible
• Wrote note for neighbor
• Sent flight itinerary to brother
• Picked up ziploc bags at store

Better finish the rest of the list!

Saturday - August 28

I had another good day - got lots of things done, don't know how I would be faring if I was working! 

I started the day by "cleaning for the cleaners".  I also left a note letting them know when we would be gone and when we would be here, suggesting a schedule for the  time we are gone. 

Then I went off to the local cafe for breakfast and to say Ta Ta to my friends there.  From the cafe, I went to town to pick up my meds.  There I found they did not have enough of one to fill the order, so we will go back again tomorrow.  I also talked to the pharmacist there about the one year purchase that we are working on with the insurance company.  He said he had heard of such a thing, that made me more comfortable. 

When I got home, I packed!  I have all of my clothes in bags, except for a heavy winter sweater, wool socks, and a dress coat.  I DO still have to pack my "personal" things like computers, meds, and other stuff I will keep with me at all times. 

I left a space for my larger laptop in my back pack and will carry my smaller notebook in my day pack.  I also need to remember the camera, phone, and associated chargers.  That could take some space.

In the afternoon I went to the local community center and dropped of some books for the library and some files I had when I was on the board there. 

Next on the agenda:  Dinner with brother and wife, then a visit to Mom.  So far I am on or ahead of schedule.  I still have some files on an old computer I want to transfer, including some music.  We probably won't have either radio or TV in our apartment, but we can listen to tunes on the PC, so want to take our favorites.

I got to dinner early, so went to the store there to pick up some supplies requested by the cleaners - mark that off my list!

So much for Saturday - two days to go before blastoff!

Friday August 27 - More Errands

Today I drove the two hours from the lake to our primary home in time to get to a hair appointment in town.  While in town, I ran some other errands including dropping off the recycling from both houses and dropping off my paper prescriptions at the pharmacy. 

I had a bit of anxiety when I got ready to leave the lake and realized I won't be back there for a while.  The burning question:  Did I leave anything there that I will want to pack on Monday?

Well, I can't think what it might be, so I gathered up the cat food and the cat and got in the car. 

After the hair and errands, I dined with my husband, then went home and did some straightening up so the cleaning people can find a place to clean.  Also put some reading materials and cook books on a book shelf, rather than on the floor beside the bed. 

I have been putting what I want to pack in boxes, so I can judge the amount/size of the load, and those and my books to be donated are all over the bedroom.  Tonight I separated the clothing by casual (which I will need right away) and dress (which I don't anticipate needing right away). 

I also did a sort of simple prioritization - the goal is to know what to pack in my carry on luggage and what to pack in my checked bag. 

Have I mentioned before that our experience is to make certain you have a couple of days clothing and other needed items  in your carry on, so if your other bag is lost or misdirected, you can survive.  For example, put part of your underwear in each bag. 

I think I will start packing the highest priority items in the carry on bag and fill it, then move on to the checked bag.  When that is full, any remaining items must wait until the October trip. 

Sounds like I am really organized, but let's wait and see how this really plays out.  For now, I am out of here for the evening.

Thursday, August 26 - More Cleaning

Today I cleaned at our lake cabin - the whole 9 yards - vacuum, dishes, dust, cleaned area rugs.  I don't very often do that all in day, but wanted to get it cleaned well all around before we leave. 

It's not likely we will cook here again, so I unplugged the small kitchen appliances - just to be safe.  Also took one last look in closets and drawers here to be sure I take all that I need from here.  I will be leaving the lake on Friday and won't be back before we leave for France.

I have another blog, WahlTeskePoland.blogspot.com/ (see link on the right) that I have been trying to update daily with info on our trip in June.  However, I have been battling with the internet - everything has been running slow the last few days, so uploading photos was next to impossible. 

I am not sure how long it will take to get good internet in the apartment in France, but that is definitely high on our list.  So, I am also trying to get all bills set up to pay online for most of September, just in case.  Online banking and bill pay makes trips like this one much easier.

I sent Fred a list of questions for the new landlord.  He is going to email them to day to set up a time to meet on Sept 1. 

At end of day, I took the Kayak out again - it was windier than last night, but at the far end of the lake it was pretty quiet.  I stayed out longer that I should have, I had to bring the boat in by moonlight, but it was worth it. 

Wednesday, August 25 - Time is Getting Short

Not a lot to check off our to do list today, but a few important things.  My husband is making great progress at school, getting his classes here up and running.  

He called the health insurance company today to ensure we know what is required to get prescriptions filled.  Previously he had talked to the HR person at work, but we had some questions, so now I think we have arrangements made to pick up meds just before we leave.  I need to drop prescriptions off on Friday.

He also called our property insurance agent and found there may be some special conditions for insured property if you are deemed to be not actually living in it.  One or both of us will be back quite a bit, and we do have people checking on our house, so we think we are OK, but it is a good idea to understand your insurance carrier.

I took my car in for a few "fix em ups" that I wanted to get done before we leave, then picked up some travel size containers of liquids for the trip.

I also picked up some cat things, so our volunteer cat sitter is all equipped. 

Lastly, I took my kayak out on the lake - it was a beautiful night - no wind - and I had really wanted to get out again before we leave.  Perhaps we can find a place close to Clermont-Ferrand to kayak in France.

Tuesday, August 24 - Making Progress

Today was another big day - lots accomplished. Last week I saw my doctor and got updated prescriptions, today I say my dentist and got some needed work done, but must go back the day before we leave.


I also did laundry and dishes and started my house cleaning. Our house cleaner will continue to clean while we are gone, one of the things we do to be sure someone is inside keeping an eye on things while we are away. Anyway, I had to get some pick up work done so they have room to clean! You know all my historical novels, my travel France, Germany, and Poland books, maps, etc, have overrun my office and taken over the bedroom as well. It's hard to vacuum when the floor is covered with books.

Since I am moving on to a new phase in my work life, it was also time to get rid of a lot of "stuff" in my office. Now I have piles of books, papers, and magazines everywhere - for donating to various organizations, for recycling, and for just plain trash - it's a good thing we do this extended travel from time to time - provides motivation to get those kinds of things done.

In the process I found some old papers from elementary school that my mother had passed on to me.  It seems I was an exemplary student (in the first grade)!

I also did laundry as prep for packing and found some of the shoes I plan to take. I had a sweater that needed some mending and got that done as well.


It was a full and very productive day, finished off by meeting my husband for dinner - now I'm ready to read a bit to relax before calling it a night.

Monday, August 23 - Baggage, Trains, Money

Today I folded up the clothes I will be taking to get an idea of how much luggage space I need.  I did a test pack in my roll aboard bag and decided I need a larger bag.  I will take my backpack and a small day pack, so really don't want to have to drag 2 other bags around.  

Then I went to the mall to look and found a roll aboard duffel at Eddie Bauer that holds 77 liters.  I also looked at a larger bag that holds 150 liters.  It just looked too large, so I purchased the smaller bag, knowing I might need to exchange it for a larger one.  

When I got home, I found I can get most of my clothing in the bag I bought, though I have not put shoes or underwear in the "stack to pack" yet.  

I did the research online and found that I can check one bag with outside dimensions of up to 62 inches on this Continental overseas flight with no checked baggage fee.  A second checked bag would be $50. If the total dimensions (length, width, height) add up to more than 62 inches, the over size fee is $150.   This I better tell Fred, as I believe what he is planning to take could be more that 62 inches.  The bag I bought today is less than 62 inches, but I don't think the larger bag I looked at would be.

Anyway, I think I am set for now on luggage.  I do need to attach luggage tags to all my things - I got a couple of tags free when I had visa/school/passport photos taken on Friday. 

Today I also completed my school application, attached photos, passport, verification of my undergrad degree, and a scan of the signature page and returned the app via email to my school contact.  

We also decided to order euros to take with us.  We need to open a bank account and then write some checks for rent, etc. immediately, so I went to http://www.bankofamerica.com/ and ordered currency.  I received an email last night that the order had been shipped to a local bank office and will be available there in 1 - 3 business days.

This evening I checked the schedules for trains from Paris to Clermont and almost decided to reserve now, then thought better of it - better talk to Fred first.  Usually we take the Air France bus from Charles DeGaulle airport to Gare de Lyon, then the train from there, but with a lot of luggage, that can be tricky. 

We have tried taking the RER into Paris, but you only need to get stuck in the entry gates once to decide to not do that again. There is also a TGV to Lyon from the airport, but then we would have a layover to change trains for the trip on to Clermont and it is quite a bit more expensive and doesn't get us there any earlier.  We will most likely plan to do the usual bus to Gare de Lyon. 

It looks like we should get 2 one-way train tickets for the most reasonable tickets with some flexibility.  There doesn't really seem to be a price advantage to getting two way tickets, AND we would pay quite a premium to get the option to easily change times on the return.  On the one-way ticket from Paris, the upcharge for a more flexible ticket is $10, considerably more on the return. 

I did also compare prices at the http://www.sncf.fr/ website and at RailEurope.com noted as the Official U.S. site for the French railway (SNCF).  There IS a $10 premium per ticket for using the English language site.  With google translate and a currency converter, I will use the French site. 

Tickets from Paris to Clermont require reservations these days, so we have to consider all the possibilities before purchasing.  One year, we came within a few minutes of missing our overseas flight and COULD have been delayed an entire day.  It's not likely, but could happen.  The challenge we have is that if we stand in line to purchase train tickets at the station, we have run pretty tight on time - this year we should learn to use the self service kiosks to save time.

I got all that done after my two hour volunteer job at the local community center.  So all in all, it has been a great and productive day!

Friday, August 20 - Have Tickets, Deadlines Approaching

Yesterday I worked on to dos that need to be complete in the next few days, including a presentation for my travel program this Sunday.



I am also working on cleaning off my PCs (3 of them) and backing up files. Usually I back up on different PCs, located in different places, but now I am putting files I might need on stick drives so they are more mobile. Also making sure I have everything I need in at least two places. I have been into genealogy for a number of years and unfortunately have not been very good at organizing files and deleting old ones, so this is a bit of a job.

Today we will also get some extra passport size photos - it's possible we will need several before this is over. If I am going to get this all done, I had best get at it!

Wednesday, August 18 - Telephones

We will need phone and internet service in Clermont-Ferrand.  Most likely, we will purchase simple mobile phones and pre-pay/pay by the call rather than by contract.   For internet, it will probably be France Telecom's Orange service, but that is a guess. 

For calls to the U.S, we will use Skype.  We have set up Mom on Skype so she can call us and we can call her, PC to PC for a few cents a minute.  We can also call our home phone and check messages for a similar rate, rather than pay $.99 per minute on our U.S. cell phones. 

That is my best guess for now - getting those things set up will be high priority when we arrive in Clermont-Ferrand.  We have already started a mental list for the first few days:  Get into apartment, open bank account, start utilities, phone and internet - we will be busy! 

Wednesday, August 18 - Bought Tickets

Well, it was a trial, but I bought the first set of plane tickets - it is a bit late, so there are not many seats remaining and they are going fast.  As I described before, I use Kayak.com to check general rates and find the most likely carrier with the best rate.  

I found some sort of reasonable tickets, but when I went to the airline website, it was showing a layover time of 20 or more hours!  In other words, we would leave home on Tuesday evening and arrive in Paris on Thursday morning - with the 20 hour layover somewhere in the states.  So I tried another carrier and by the time I entered all info, the price had jumped by $1000 for the two tickets - so... on to carrier 3.

I got tickets on Continental for a sort of reasonable price, booked them without selecting seats so I could get the transaction done before losing the price.  Then I went back to select seats and found none available (except for the exit row seats, which are not assigned until check-in). 

I know the airlines overbook flights, just like hotels overbook to compensate for no-shows.  Anyway, they sold me the tickets, arriving on September 1, which is better than the original itinerary I looked at that would have me arriving on Sept. 2 after the 20 hour layover!  We'll see what actually happens.  I grabbed seats on the return flights then as well.

I also heard from my contact for my program at ESC and started to complete the application - I need to gather a few bits of information yet and will send that back tomorrow.   I need a passport type photo for the application, so that is next on my list.     

Tuesday, August 17 - Making Progress on To Dos

I know some of you may have difficulty opening the Packing Checklist.  Thanks to feedback from followers, I have also posted the checklist at Scribd.com and added the location to the link titles.

Status Update:
Went to doctor today - obtained prescriptions for the year - Check
Moved casual slacks to my staging closet - Check
Sorted travel books and maps into Give Away, Keep at home, Take to France - Check,
Put way too many in the Take to France stack - Check (Whoops!), better go through that stack again in a few days. 


I also cleaned some recently added items out of my closet so I can at least see my other luggage.  We typically travel with only a backpack and a day or computer pack.  Because we will need school and dress clothes as well as casual, we will need to check a bag or two each.  I say two because we do not even own large luggage - our mantra is Carryon or bust! 

I do know to be sure to pack only items that I won't need for a few days in the checked bag and never check anything that is really required or that has sentimental value.  Once a bag leaves your hands, you never know where it will actually end up.  Because we know that, we have been pretty fortunate - never really lost a bag, only received them a few days delayed. 

I also visited the post office again and the snow bird "premium" service will not work for Europe, but I may have found an alternative that will work for us.  If you are planning such a trip, check with your local post office, then brainstorm alternatives.   

I hear my sudoku calling - that's it for tonight.

Monday, August 16 - To Do List Time

Nothing too exciting today - did some research on options for getting back and forth to the airport here at home. We are about 90 minutes away and there are not many options that don't cost an arm and a leg. Looked at a shuttle service, but for 2 people its a bit pricey and we would still have to cab it back to our car or house from a drop off point. Looked at car storage near the drop point - pretty pricey as well. Now we are considering using a hotel lot near the airport - park and ride their shuttle. This may actually be the most reasonable, We will be back at least 3 times in 10 months, probably 4, so maybe it is the hotel for the shorter durations and find someone to drive us a couple of times as well.


Also made contact with postal service about "snowbird" service - they hold mail for say 2 weeks, then forward 1st class items.

Fred is working with our health insurance carrier to learn what we need to do to get meds for the trip. We should have had some forms in the mail today, but did not receive them, so he is back to the phone tomorrow.

Beyond that, I am finishing up some commitments I have here, including scheduling a travel program about the trip we took in June to Poland and eastern Germany. See http://www.wahlteskepoland.blogspot.com/ for that story. I got that started before we left, but am now trying to update it to document the trip. Ideally before I forget things.

I  also started passing off info for a family reunion so someone else can maintain the minutes and send out invitations. Tonight I worked on cleaning up the address list.


Also started cleaning out the fridge, saving some of that for the weekend, closer to trash day. I have some other cleaning and straightening to do before I leave for the duration as well.

Now time to read and relax at the end of the day.

Saturday, August 14 - More Prep

Last night and today I have been reviewing my packing list with Fred and with travel savy friends.  Fred and I have also been trying to remember how we managed to get everything we needed to France the last time we stayed for a year. 

On that trip, he took 5 bags and I took 3 bags on our first trip in September.  There are some differences.  One or both of us will be back every 45 days or so, that means, for example we don't need to take our heavy winter things on this trip. 

Do we want to "hold" some of our things and bring them the second trip, this year in October?  With airline baggage charges that may be a smart move.  On the other hand, it is really handy to make a return trip with just our notebook PCs and our toothbrush and meds, no other baggage. 

Right now, I am thinking I will go with the "hold some" idea.  I will however, make a good list so the packing is easy for the return trip and I don't keep adding things to the list. 

Till next time!

Friday, August 13 - What to Pack

What to do, what to do??? I started my packing list today. I have a list I have shared with others on previous trips - I'll start with that.

I will need all of the "necessaries" that I usually take - passport, ID, money, debit and credit cards, meds/prescriptions/claim forms, personal hygiene items, back pack and day pack, camera/battery/charger, flashlight, watch, wallet, book, note pad and pens, sunglasses, PC/adapter/cables.

Then I need outerwear: hooded rain jacket, hat, sweater/light jacket, wind pants. To this I will add: dress coat, 2 additional outer sweaters

Casual wear: Long pants - 3 or 4 pair, short pants - 1 pair, tees - 3 long sleeve, 3 short sleeve, sleep shirt, wool socks - probably need 6 pair, hose or tights - 3 pair, underwear for 2 weeks, hiking boots, walking shoes, slipons for in the house

Dress or school wear: slacks - 4 pair (?), sweaters - 4, other tops - 8 (?), jackets - 3, dress - 1 casual and 1 dressy (do I even own such a thing?), scarves - 6 (everyone wears them)

The clothing part may be fairly simple - I have bought a few sweaters over the last months from the bargain bin - $5 each - those I will take.

I think the challenge will be in the "other stuff". For example, I am totally into maps and have numerous guide books and maps, including hiking guides for many parts of the country - how to decide what to take? They are heavy, too, so I can't take too many.

Any way, here is my action plan:
1. Create an excel doc packing checksheet --Draft done - See link in the sidebar on the right
2. Go through maps and books and select a FEW possible takealongs
3. Decide what bags to take
4. Pull possible clothing from closets and do a pre-pack so I know what I need to ditch
5. Make sure all are clean and in good condition
6. Decide how/where to pack two PCs

That ought to keep me busy for the weekend!

Thursday, August 12: Preparation

We have actually been preparing for this trip for the last ten years, building relationships with our ESC colleagues so this year would be possible. The ESC is a graduate school of management in Clermont-Ferrand, France, about 4 hours south of Paris by train.

Clermont has a city population of about 140,000. Adding in the surrounding towns and suburbs brings that to over 400,000. Clermont is the regional capital and a center for commerce and education. With the world headquarters for Michelin tires and several universities, there is an abundance of activities and lots of opportunity for international experience.

My husband had an exchange teaching position at ESC in the 2000-2001 school year and we have both been teaching there for a week in the spring each year since. This year he will be teaching some marketing and management short courses, doing research, and doing some committee work while I plan to pursue a masters degree (in English) at the school. We know this will be a very busy year, but we are so looking forward to it.

I have been on an extended vacation this summer and we have done some other traveling, preventing us from getting too caught up in prep for this trip, but NOW is the time. We are away from home a lot anyway, so we know how to prep our home. We also have good neighbors and relatives who will help us by keeping an eye on things here at home.

So, today, I am scanning documents that I may need for admission to the school program and researching travel options. It appears today that plane tickets will be a bit expensive, so I am watching several departure and arrival cities to make this more reasonable. I use Kayak.com, which searches the other travel sites and compares the results. I have set up fare alerts for 4 or 5 most likely itineraries and will purchase tickets in the next few days.

That's it for today - see you tomorrow!

Background

I've always loved to travel. My first trip to Europe was to Austria in 1970. It took a number of years to get back there, but now travel is a priority for my husband and me. We have also traveled extensively in the U.S., both for work and on our own time. I think I am missing only one state, Alaska. Europe, however, holds us in her spell. We like the feel of lots of older cities and buildings, but better infrastructure that allows easy travel within and between countries. This spring we were in eastern Germany and Poland for 3 weeks, visiting the villages where our ancestors lived.

Now we are preparing to return to France for a year of work and study. We have lived in the Auvergne before, in 2000-2001 and loved it. The region is a lot like home for us and we feel quite comfortable there.

On our previous trip, we were able to travel quite a lot, hopefully we will have some opportunities to do so this time as well. Here's hoping you enjoy our reports - we enjoy sharing our experiences with others!