More than a Road Trip
Now that we are retired, we have realized a magnificent truth: vacations need no longer be limited to two or three weeks: they can be two or three months if we plan carefully! We put this idea in action by planning and carrying out a visit to Paris from California without ever setting foot in an airport. Our overall itinerary was:
- Drive from California to my brother's home in New Jersey.
- Cruise from New York to Amsterdam on M/S Prinsendam
- Take the train to Paris
- Spend two weeks in an apartment in Montmartre.
- Take the Chunnel to London
- Go down to Southampton on the train
- Cross back to New York on the Queen Mary 2
- Drive back to California via Vermont, Williamsburg, Galena Illinois and the Black Hills.
You can see a sample of the pictures we took by clicking here:
Even better! You can see a
musical presentation of the flowers we saw along the way!
The driving route is shown below. Details are available for the eastbound and westbound segments.
Summary:
- Leave home May 7, 2011. Return home August 2nd.; away for 88 days
- Drive 9,583 miles in our 2005 Prius, using about 212 gallons of fuel (45.2 mpg)
- 27 days at sea
- Visit 26 states and 7 countries
Would we do it again? Not right away, but it has rekindled our interest in making one or two week trips to various sites in the western U.S.