It is ON and changed!

 

Most of my countries are now letting in people who have been vaccinated, and since I got my second Pfizer shot on April 10, it appears that my Sabbatical is back on track!   Several changes affect it:

 Right now, one of the countries, Scotland, is requiring a 10 day quarantine, even if you are vaccinated, so if that is still true on June 9, I will ask for an extra week at the beginning from my community to accommodate the week of quarantine. 

I'm dropping three locations off my itinerary.  All of them were countries that I was spending 48 hours or less in; and the realities of travel in a time of Covid mean lots of Covid tests, and lots of logistics, and I've decided it just isn't worth it for these three locations.    The downside is that I do lose the Congregational history, since one is Scrooby, UK, where the Puritans gathered and one is Leiden, Netherlands, where the American Congregational museum is located, and where they lived in exile before sailing off to the New World.   The third one is Malta, where Paul was shipwrecked.  All three of these locations will go on my bucket list. 

The third issue is that right now Israel is not open.   I am gambling on it opening by October, when I would be visiting, but I am going to plan my flight out of Athens, and book a separate Athens - Tel Aviv round trip.   Just so I can still get home if Israel/Palestine don't open.   

The rearrangement of my schedule and the dropping of the three stops (along with travel days to get there and away) actually leave me with a less rushed and more reasonable itinerary.   

But I am back to dreaming and planning.   Not to mention leaving either July 12 or 19!   So very soon, this blog will start getting interesting!!!!!

Feeling encouraged

 I'm a month out of my Go/No Go day.   But I'm feeling encouraged.   Why? 

• I'm vaccinated.
• Vaccinations in most of the areas that I am going to are ongoing.  (Except Germany)
• Movement in the last month has been huge. I have another month before decision day.
• Greece and Italy have announced reopening to people who are vaccinated in May.  
• Neither the Iona Community, nor Brot und Rosen in Hamburg have cancelled me. 
• Israel is in very good shape with regard to vaccination.   Palestinian territories less so.   But Israel is at the end of my itinerary. 
• Britain is moving along quickly. 
• I'm able to reimagine my itinerary without Switzerland, Malta, or the Netherlands.
• Rick Steves, in a recent article, stated that while his organization won't do tours quickly, that he anticipates independent travelers able to go to Europe this  summer.   He's not science, but he's pretty in the know.  

Basically, I am watching Israel/Palestine and Germany closely in the next month.    I need Britain, Italy, Greece, Germany and Israel open to vaccinated people in order to go.   I can get the reformed sights another time if necessary. 

I know that travel in Summer/Fall 2021 will not be like vacation travel usually is. But you know what, this is not a vacation, it's a Sabbatical.  It's OK if it is not about the food and the nightlife and even the museums.    I do need sights to be open, so I'll be watching some key sights:

• The Jesus Trail
• The Church of the Holy Sepulcher
• Vatican City
• The Iona Community
• Wittenberg Germany
• The Wartburg

and some secondary sights that are important to my itinerary, but maybe can wait:

• The reformation museum in Geneva
• Lutherhausen in Mansfeld, Eisleben, including the Sterbehaus.
• The Museum of the American Pilgrim in Leiden, Netherlands
• Scrooby, England

Keeping on praying.   If things look bleak a month from now, I'll have said no.   That said, what will my 2022 dates be, if I delay until then?  The Monday after the May primary.   Since Pennsylvania has said they may have to delay that primary, this is a little up in the air, but I hope to leave May 23.