3/31/23 - Preparing for a trip of this magnitude is always challenging. Striking the right balance between being spontaneous and over preparing is key. Today we are discussing what luggage to bring. I used Rick Steves convertible carry-on last year in Germany and was very happy. Cindi is looking at purchasing her own bag from Rick S. I have also been encouraging the boys to do some research into where we are going, but so far have had limited success in getting them to do it. I have to curb my own enthusiasm and just accept that others will find their own path to enjoying this trip.

6/18/2023 - Three weeks to go until we leave. Cindi recently got her Rick Steves carry-on bag. It is the same bag I used on Germany last year and it worked great. Unfortunately when hers arrived, it had a broken clasp on the backpack. As expected, a quick call to Rick Steves resulted in them sending out a replacement. Now with a bit of ingenuity and effort we should be able to repair the one with the defective clasp and that can be Tavis' bag for the trip.

On another front, I found out that the rail pass that we bought does not work for our travel from Zurich to Interlaken. Not really a big issue as we will have plenty of opportunity to use the pass days in Austria and around Munich.

Cindi and I also are now officially "known travelers" with the TSA. We went down to Sacramento International Airport to sign up for TSA Pre. It was a very smooth process and the agents who we worked with were exceptionally pleasant; once again re-enforcing my opinion that the TSA folks at SMF are the nicest.

7/3/2023 - Today we pass the one week mark until departure. Cindi has been busy gathering documents and making notes on what to definitely not forget. Tavis has completed his packing list and begun to set aside clothing and other essentials. I have continued to look at various place to potentially check out and started looking at train timetables and routes. Owen has... not really done much yet. I think he is excited but apprehensive about the long flight and being away from his animals so long.

Last night we booked a night in Bern. We had not decided where to stay after arriving in Zurich enroute to the Berner Oberland. After looking at prices and availability in and around Lauterbrunnen, we decided to look farther afield. Bern proved to be the best combination of price and proximity. It is only about a hour and 20 minute train ride from Bern to Lauterbrunnen so we can get up in the morning and get there with plenty of time to have a day exploring and getting our bearings. we also bit the bullet and purchased a 3 day Swiss travel pass for the time we are there. After adding up the cost of individual tickets on all the trains, busses, funiculars, and cable cars, the pass made the most sense - especially considering Tavis is a freebee in terms of the pass as long as he is traveling with one of us.

We are in the final stretch of preparation and trying to tie up all the loose ends at the brewery as much as possible before we go. Everyone is excited and looking forward to getting there (at least I think Owen is). I am sure everyday from now until the 10th will go by quickly and preparations will continue apace.

7/10/2023 - The day has finally arrived. TSA Pre-check was a breeze and we are not sitting at gate 13, terminal A in Sacramento waiting to board Air Canada flight 8595 to Vancouver. Packing was accomplished with minimal issues and we left the Brewwery in the capable hands of Chad and Todd. Hopefully all will be well when we return. Christian and Sharon will be flying out of Seattle about 6pm Pacific time. We depart Vancouver for Dublin at around 3pm. We arrive in Dublin at 8:00 am local time - three hours ahead of Christian and Sharon.