"I want to go somewhere"

From the time P. was very little, this was the phrase I would hear all the time. She would follow me around and tell me she wanted to go somewhere. It was not something that I ever really stopped hearing. She wanted to go somewhere, though when asked, she was a little unsure of where that somewhere was. Well, it turns out that somewhere meant everywhere.

We sent our want-to-be world traveler off to travel the world today.


Here she is with her Class Afloat duffel (which is pretty heavy) and her Class Afloat t-shirt right before she and J. headed to the airport at 3:45 this morning. Notice Midnight, her cat, who definitely knew something was up and was not happy about it. We're all a little concerned about how he is going to fare with P. gone.

So P. is off on her great adventure. We will have email contact when she is in port, but not much other than that. I'm dying just a little bit inside, and will be counting the days until May when we see her again.

For those who want to follow along with her travels, here is her itinerary:

She flies into Bridgetown, Barbados this afternoon where she joins her ship, the Gulden Leeuw.


They will be in Barbados until the the 19th.

January 21 - 25 -- Dominica
January 30 - February 4 -- Dominican Republic (yes, she has malaria meds with her)
February 12 - 16 -- Havana, Cuba
February 26 - March 2 -- Bermuda (this is the parent port stop, but we will not be flying down and joining her)
March 20 - 24 -- Horta, Azores, Portugal
April 8 - 12 -- London, England
April 20 - 24 -- Gdansk, Poland
April 30 - May 4 -- St. Petersburg, Russia
May 6 - 9 -- Tallinn, Estonia
May 14 - 19 -- Copenhagen, Denmark
May 24 - 25 -- Amsterdam, Netherlands

The dates unaccounted for are the days they will be at sea. The longest stretch is when they cross the Atlantic from Bermuda to the Azores, with the second longest stretch from the Azores to London.

May 25th is the ship graduation day. As I thought about it, I couldn't fathom my baby girl getting off that ship after five months and not having us there, especially with everyone else's parents there to welcome them. So, we're going to make it work, and J. and I will be meeting her ship. We will also take D. with us since he is the only one of our older children who have not had the chance to travel internationally. (In for a penny, in for a pound... )

It is looking as though it will be most affordable to fly into London and take a train to Amsterdam. Significantly more affordable. So we will be keeping an eye on ticket prices over the next few weeks. Once we have our flights, we will need to figure out lodging. I have a feeling that is going to be the most expensive piece of this little endeavor.

Bon Voyage, P.! May you have fair winds and following seas. We love you, are so proud of you, and cannot wait for you to come home.

Comments

Patti McCanna said…
Am I really looking at a picture of P with an almost smile on her face, that she agreed to have taken?
Hugs to you and J - hope that this time moves swiftly and that she is greeting you in Amsterdam with a huge smile before you know it.

Popular posts from this blog

Making bias tape... otherwise known as the Sew, Mama, Sew! Giveaway

Apple picking in the rain

Kenzie on the beach