Well, condo. It’s all packed up, and we passed the keys on yesterday. I am now officially living out of a pack. 6 days to go!

I took my cats to my parents, who will babysit for the next few months (thanks mom and dad!!). They seem to be doing better this time – I’ve taken them for visits a couple of times before to try and reduce the shock. Other than some growling and hissing, there has been a lot of exploration, and hopefully with the number of stairs in the house, they might actually lose some weight!

The rest of the week will be spent doing last minute things (updating addresses and insurance, making sure bank accounts are all set up and accessible, etc), and resting up and reading up on our destinations.

I don’t know about anyone else, but I’m excited!

Well, most of the preparations necessary for this trip are well underway. We’ve jumped through bureaucratic hoops and optained our Syrian visa…the only visa we can’t obtain on the road.

On other fronts, I’ve picked up some foreign cash, though my Egyptian pounds had to be ordered in, and haven’t arrived yet. And we’ve started packing up Kathy’s house. Hardly my favourite task, but one that needs to be done, and a hundred times better than painting.

And I’ve given notice at work…4 more days and I’m free and clear. It’s getting close now.

Today we actually booked the flights to Cairo. It was a bit of a decision to make, as the original plan taking us through Copenhagen is no longer an option (go figure). So we had to decide on direct from London, which wasn’t our first choice, because we want to relax and shake off the jetlag before we arrive in Cairo (and London being so expensive, we didn’t want to layover there); or layovers in France (Paris or Marseille), Athens, or Malta. Malta was the more expensive of the layover options, but also the most appealing. We will hit Athens, and hopefully Paris (which both of us have been to before anyway), on the way back.

Malta! It’s such a beautiful place!

So much has happened in a week, I’m having trouble keeping up! Next on the list of things to do, booking a room in both Malta (Valletta), and Cairo, and purchasing the insurance. We’re leaning toward this place in Cairo called the Canadian Hostel. The clichéd name is what originally caught my attention, but after seeing what it offered, and reading a very generous review, we’ve decided to go with it.

I think the next month is going to fly.

So we bought our first leg’s tickets yesterday. Round trip Edmonton to London. And, wow, were they ever expensive. I’m glad I budgetted more than I expected to spend for the transatlantic leg, because we almost spent it.

So we depart Tuesday, April 4 at 11:20 AM, have a quick stopover in Toronto, and then on to London, where we arrive at 6:35 AM, April 5. The return is booked for November 7, but it’s easily changeable (flat fee of $50), so we’ll see what the trip brings.

Kathy is looking over a couple of insurance options…worldnomads, or the travelcuts insurance. And then we’ll buy that. We should also arrange our flights to Cairo soon.

So much to do, so little time.