Think Easy

Today marks one month since we left home, or to be more accurate, since we left our motorhome.  Today we are resting up for our next months travels through France and Italy. 

Terri found a Saluki to pet in the train terminal.  Just like a big Eva.

We are learning lessons as we go.  The most important lesson is to take some days off from being a tourist.  We have had some pretty high mileage days and we pay for those days with sore muscles and weary feet.  Also we old people need time to recover mentally from the overload of visual experiences.

You can only see so much before your brain turns off.  (very scientific Mr. Ranger)

Next we are learning to do our research and planning in smaller segments.  About a week out is too far to remember details.  So why plan ahead.

If it's important, write it down.  With all the space age electronics we carry you might think a pencil is an antique.  Here's a fact: the battery on a pencil never goes dead.

Here's another amazing fact:  You can turn a paper map in the direction you are walking.  Try that with a GPS when you come to the intersection of two winding roads.  Maybe it's our age again, but a paper map is reassuring.  It gives you the big picture.

We have been using our son Matt's home as a base between outings.  That will be changing with a one month adventure.  We have to pack differently because we won't be back in a week.  Weather will be changing as we go South to Italy in June.  It could get HOT.  We hope it does.

So you might be curious how our budget is going.  Since the first few days of financial shock at London prices things have calmed down on this side of the channel.  We will finish the first month under our planned expenses.  We've been in London, Belgium, Netherlands and Germany.  We are not scrimping but are careful to match our regular lifestyle with our travel lifestyle.  We Ranger's might call it, "tight but not cheap".

Our budget for Europe was to spend only our usual monthly income.  We did save up a reserve fund while in Mexico this winter in case my estimates did not match up with reality.  So far we haven't touched any of that money.

Still smiling.

It really has been a month of learning.  Most of the challenges are in my head.  I am trying to apply a principle I learned during my years in business.  Think Easy.  When too much was going on and my workload was too heavy I would tell myself to relax and take one problem at a time.  The world never came to an end and soon enough life was back to normal.

So with almost nothing big to worry about in life I can just..... Think Easy.

Life is good.