The Lancaster’s Great Europe Adventure

Addendum 08/04/24 by Johanna: OBVIOUSLY THIS LIST IS ENTIRELY FABRICATED BY TOSH!   For an extended trip that crossed several climates, I found that we still packed too much. Below is a list of what we packed and whether we should have: Tosh: Items I'm glad I packed: 2 quick-dry T-shirts 2 Henley T-shirts and one cotton Tshirt 2 hiking pants, both convertible to shorts:  Great pack 1 Jacket (Arc-Teryx Atmos-type; crushable, warm, and good against wind and light rain) Emergency Poncho, warmth retaining: didn't use but could have if I didn't have rain jacket 1 bathing suit 5pr Socks (4 crew and one hiking pair) 5pr undies 1pr Hiking Boots 1pr trail running shoes Electric toothbrush & charger: carried Johanna's attachment, too 2ea 32oz water bottles Pill case with meds Empty duffle bag: super useful 1 water filter/purifier:  This was an MVP! Deck of playing cards:  Co-MVP 1 large camping knife 1 pocket knife Noise Canceling Earbuds; note: I wish I'd checked to ...

Update: We were allowed into Turkey, after all! Tosh:  Istanbul has been at the top of my travel list for a while; the city’s history as Byzantium/Constantinople/Istanbul is beyond fascinating to me. As we land, you can see the city spreading over the two continents, Europe and Asia, and understand why it’s such a strategically important place. After landing, we get introduced to Turkish bureaucracy when the officer turns Tut around for not having 180 days before her passport expires. We have to go back to another window to get a special visa. It’s a pretty entertaining charade of being sent from one station to the next, and we end up, literally, in a janitor’s closet (mops and all) with an officer sitting in a window who asks us to pay him $165 euro. We do, and surprisingly, it works to get us through customs.  I’ve booked a two day tour. We’ve only got a short time here; so, I wanted someone to help us navigate around town efficiently. We wake the next morning, and Barish, o...

 Jo: One thing that requires mentioning is how we’re all getting along after almost six weeks of constantly being together for every. Waking. Minute…  I am the kind of person who truly values alone-time and usually requires a daily dose of it to stay sane. This trip is the opposite of alone-time and I will admit it has not been easy.  The kids are at each others throats most of the time (at least perceived), Tosh’s main purpose in life seems to be to annoy the fuck out of me (which he succeeds in 99% of the time) and I am often too exhausted to actually make the effort to get some alone time.  I think summer breaks are always interesting for parents and moms especially, handling our kids way more than in a regular work-school schedule, everybody getting on each others nerves. This summer we opted to not have the normal routine of summer camps but to go backpacking across Europe for two months instead. This involves daily planning by Tosh and me, discussing, arguing a...

 Jo: We just finished our last 2-day hike in the southern Carpathian mountains close to Brasov. The mountain range is called Piatra Craiului and holds several high peaks in the 2500 m range and a long ragged ridge of spiky lime stone. This time I planned the hike and arranged an overnight stay at a mountain hut (cabana Curmatura) to break up the days. My hiking guides for the area describe the peak ascent as 'tough', 'alpine' but 'managable if in good condition with sure footing', it also recommends to avoid the ascend if afraid of heights. I compare the routes with our hikes in Slovakia and the Fagaras range and come to the conclusion that we can manage it, despite multiple steep sections with rope guides. We park our car at the trail head and make our way up a 1500 ft incline through the forest. Forest here is dense and lucious, reminding me of fantasy movies with fairies and trolls. Tut is in a relatively good hiking mood and only complains a few times, despi...

 Tosh:  This is a general post about some of the other places we went in Romania and just traveling around. Brasov:  Brasov is where we landed in Romania, and it's a small city with a charming downtown/old-town area. The city walls no longer stand, but the main gate is still there, which was built in the 1400's. It's a bit galling that someone decided to spray-paint tag it with their name recently. It's a bit nutty to me that folks will deface a 600 year-old monument to their own history.  Bran:  Bran is a small village not to far from Brasov and the location of the famous Bran Castle, which contrary to popular belief, was not Dracula's residence. The town is overrun with tourists and for good reason; the castle is immaculately preserved and an architectural gem. Standing in the towers, it's easy to see the advantages of it's placement to control trade along the road through one of the major passes through the Carpathian mountains. Of the royals who last liv...