There is a very, very good chance that Rich and I will soon be heading out on another long, nomadic railway journey, with minimal luggage, a couple of Eurail passes, and only the vaguest idea of our itinerary and possible trip duration (maybe four to five months). But if we've learned anything, it's to take nothing for granted and always expect delays. The biggest question mark concerns our Spanish residency permits. We filed for renewal two months ago, just before we left Spain to visit Cuba, Arizona, and California. Normally renewal is a routine process, but as you may have heard, Europe is a bit touchy about immigration these days, and getting residency permits is now considerably more complicated — and more necessary for the kind of long-term travel we're planning. In theory our residency permits will be waiting for us when we get back to Seville at the end of this week. But these days, with regulations tightening so fast no one can keep up with the changes, anything can happen. Worst case, we'll need to start the process all over again, requiring months in Seville to sort things out. But if the travel gods are smiling upon us, we will pick up our residency cards next Monday, have a round of welcome-back-bon-voyage dinners with friends, do laundry, pack, and get out the door somewhere around April 15. We have divided the upcoming train trip into two distinct phases. Phase 1 is all about taking a fairly leisurely route to our first port of call, Albania. We figure that will take about three weeks or so. What's Phase 2? I'll get to that in a minute... PHASE 1: GETTING TO ALBANIA Why Albania? I love going places that have long been off limits, and Albania — cut off from the world from 1944 to 1992 by its strict communist government — remains a mysterious destination on the edge of mainstream Europe. And it sounds like a hoot. For instance, the prime minister (who happens to be an artist) started adding jazzy colors and patterns to grim old concrete high-rises from the communist days, improving the capital's appearance, morale, and even compliance with the law. Brilliant! "Honestly, the more time I spend in Albania, the harder it is for me to understand why people are so skeptical about it," said Larissa Olenicoff, aka the Blonde Gypsy, when I interviewed her for my post Authentic, Affordable, Gorgeous: Why NOT the Balkans? "For sure it can be complicated in terms of infrastructure and at times language, but it’s just as safe as every other European country and there is SO MUCH TO SEE there. It really has everything from beaches to mountains to history to amazing food and all at an unbelievably low price." Best of all, it's not overrun with tourists! What happens after Albania? We're thinking of this trip as our Balkans to Baltics Tour. While even the experts can't quite agree which parts of approximately 13 countries constitute the Balkans, we're pretty sure Albania counts as one of them, and from there we'll likely wend our way north through other Balkan states such as Macedonia, Kosovo, and Serbia. After that we're considering heading up through Hungary, western Ukraine, and Poland to reach the Baltic States of Lithuania, Latvia, and Estonia. But that's only a rough idea; we want to keep our itinerary loose and exploratory. How much luggage are we taking (if any)? Everyone's been asking if we're going luggage-free on this one, and I have to say no, we are each taking a small suitcase. I want a few clean shirts, a couple of warm layers for the mountains, and my trusty laptop for blogging along the way. However I am attempting even more minimalist packing this time; I'll be posting more about that soon. How can you be part of the journey? I hope you'll follow our exploits as they unfold on this blog. If you haven't already subscribed, sign up here and I'll let you know as soon as I have something new and interesting to report. And if you have suggestions, warnings, or tales of your own about any of the places we're thinking of visiting, please share them in the comments below! YOU MIGHT ALSO ENJOY
29 Comments
Polly
3/29/2016 04:13:01 pm
Very exciting! Looking forward to reading about it as you go.
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Karen McCann
3/30/2016 01:05:15 am
Thanks, Polly! I'll keep you posted on our adventures.
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Mike Rose
3/29/2016 05:26:28 pm
Another great blog. In terms of your residency, it might help if Donald Trump could possibly keep quiet about European security issues. He really isn't helping anyone (himself perhaps). Good look with your plans and here's to an open, hospitable and caring Europe for all migrants, not just the entertaining travel writers.
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Karen McCann
3/30/2016 01:08:40 am
Thanks for your good wishes, Mike. As for an open, hospitable, caring Europe for all migrants, all I can say is: from your lips to God's ear.
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Kay Funk
3/29/2016 05:33:53 pm
We will be in Warsaw 10-15 June then cycling the northwestern part of country til the 24th. Maybe ours paths will cross since we weren't able to connect in Spain this year.
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Karen McCann
3/30/2016 01:09:57 am
Kay, I have no idea if our Poland dates will overlap, but if they do let's make it happen! Keep me posted on your travel plans.
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3/29/2016 07:16:07 pm
If it makes you feel better, my renewal paperwork took less time than I imagined it would! Two months for a notification as opposed to three, and my fingerprints a week from Friday! Miracles happen.
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Karen McCann
3/30/2016 01:12:37 am
Thanks for the note of optimism, Cat! Glad to hear your renewal is in the bag, and I hope you're planning to celebrate Fingerprint Day in style. I'll let you know how ours goes.
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Dave Foote
3/29/2016 07:45:39 pm
Color me envious! I'm starting an all American marathon rail trip next week, 8 trains, 34 states, 11,200 miles in 15 days using a USA Rail Pass. Bon voyage, Karen and Rich.
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Karen McCann
3/30/2016 01:14:59 am
Wow, Dave! Going 11,200 miles in 15 days — that's a real railway nomad adventure! Good luck and and I look forward to hearing your stories.
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Stephanie weber
3/29/2016 09:21:28 pm
Prince Charles and Camilla were just in the Balkans. Presidents follow your lead to Cuba and you follow the Prince to the Balkans. Have you been to the Taj Mahal yet?
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Karen McCann
3/30/2016 01:19:20 am
It was fun opening up Cuba for the President, and I think it was very kind of Charles and Camilla to open up the Balkans for us. Yes, we went to the Taj Mahal in 1988, and now I hear Leonardo DiCaprio is following in our footsteps...
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Ed Kazemek
3/30/2016 12:30:50 am
Kris and I have been to Kosovo, Poland, Lithuania (twice-especially Vilnius and Kaunas), Latvia, and Estonia. We loved them all. Have a great trip!
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Karen McCann
3/30/2016 01:22:16 am
Lucky you! When we get a little closer to those places, Rich and I will be in touch to see if you and Kris have any recommendations for places to eat, drink, stay, avoid, or whatever. Looking forward to exploring so many new parts of the world.
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Duane Roggow
3/30/2016 12:32:24 am
Sounds like great fun! We are going to be in Seville this June. I was going to stalk you down and buy you a Chocolate. Next time.
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Karen McCann
3/30/2016 01:23:52 am
Sorry to miss you in Seville, Duane! If we get held up sorting out problems with the residency cards, I will hold you to that offer of a Chocolate.
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Bill Kimball
3/30/2016 12:33:45 am
Karen and Rich: Have a great time and good luck with your Spanish residency permits. Great seeing you in CA, and thanks for finding a way to return me to your Blog! Looking forward to lots of laughs and amazement as you journey thru life. Bill
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Karen McCann
3/30/2016 01:25:42 am
Great to have you back in the conversation, Bill! And good luck with all your travels as well.
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Denise DeSanto
3/30/2016 05:36:18 am
I really enjoy reading about all of your adventures, and dream of the day I can retire.
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Karen McCann
3/30/2016 04:46:50 pm
Thanks, Denise, good to hear from you. I'll keep you posted!
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Jean Bush
3/31/2016 06:16:15 am
Hope it all goes as planned; hopefully you will miss the election palaver here in the US and return to us when all that stuff is resolved! Many thanks for our wonderful Marin Paella dinner and hopefully next time we will meet you for some equally lovely meal somewhere on the road. We are talking about setting out soon. Will check in with you!
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Karen McCann
4/1/2016 06:31:58 pm
Yes, please keep us posted on your travel plans, Jean. It would be fabulous to meet up with you two somewhere on the road. Watch this blog for indicators of where we are heading and let's keep fingers crossed we intersect!
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Susan Jackson
4/5/2016 12:02:56 am
How exciting for you--I can't wait to armchair share
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Karen McCann
4/5/2016 10:16:11 am
Susan, you'll have a front row armchair view of the whole adventure. Good to have you with us as we set off for the unknown...
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Isabel
4/5/2016 11:14:54 am
Karen: I love the colored picture!
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Karen McCann
4/6/2016 08:26:46 am
Yes, the painted buildings are wonderful, aren't they? Just shows what art can accomplish in the world. I was so charmed to hear that when Albania's capital city started cleaning up old buildings with bright paint, people not only enjoyed them, they started feeling optimistic about themselves and their city. Soon they began picking up litter and crime rates actually went down. All that change due essentially to a little paint!
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4/8/2016 02:19:41 am
Hi Karen!! I'm catching up on your blog and see you are soon to be off on another adventure. Buen viaje, amiga. I can't wait to read about your travels in your next book. Say hola to Rich for me.
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Karen McCann
4/8/2016 06:51:52 pm
Good to hear from you, Kara! And thanks for the good wishes, which I will pass along to Rich. I know you're a globetrotter as well, so good luck on all your adventures!
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mary rose de castro
11/24/2021 05:27:37 am
How exciting for you--I can't wait to armchair share
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Winner of the 2023 Firebird Book Award for Travel
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This blog is a promotion-free zone. As my regular readers know, I never get free or discounted goods or services for mentioning anything on this blog (or anywhere else). I only write about things that interest me and that I believe might prove useful for you all to know about. Whew! I wanted to clear that up before we went any further. Thanks for listening. TO I'm an American travel writer based in Seville, Spain.
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