We are now on the countdown to our trip to Australia...and madly trying to complete several jobs that will make the place secure and give us peace of mind while we're away.
We also have the virtually impossible task of PACKING!
Yes, the BIG PACK is going to be the trauma to end all traumas (except maybe the septic trauma...)
For weeks, we've been buying 'goodies' for our remote antipodean family and friends. To ensure that we remain constantly aware of just how many goodies we've got to take, and to smooth the effort of packing, we've been gathering all these goodies on and around a particular chair in the loungeroom.
If I look over at that chair now, I see treats from Switzerland (vinegar and oils from Globus) as well as treats from Italy (nougat, biscotti, cioccolata, Piemontese specialties such as tarti di nocciole and various sauces and jams, etc). And of course there are the mandatory bottles of alcohol (5 to be exact...so far...). If we didn't take several bottles of Limoncello, the fabulous lemon liquor from the south, we'd run the risk of not having a bed! And we simply must take a bottle or two of the local Spumante!
Our problem is that we only have 2 suitcases and both of these are small wheelie cases particularly suitable for business travel. They neatly fit into the overhead luggage racks in business class and they are designed to make one look like a hero when one travels. On many occasions we have felt the joy of being 'business class idiots' as we've exited a taxi and strutted confidently to the business class counters. These suitcases have never let us down. They always made us look like we'd done it all before, like we were so used to travel that we could carelessly throw a few meagre essentials into a midget suitcase and go across the world.
Unfortunately, the trip that looms next week is not a business trip and we're not travelling business class.
This means our suitcases are inappropriate for our purposes and will definitely not fit our image. We will be carrying copious amounts of superfluous debris with a 20kg weight limitation and a luggage rack the size of a glovebox!
What to do???
It remains to be seen how we handle this latest of challenges.
We have yet to broach the subject but I'm fairly confident it will not make for a peaceful or romantic start to our holiday...
:o))) I can’t say I envy you a bit :o)! For the last 20 years I was carrying mountains of luggage and can’t say I became wiser of optimizing the volume of the bags.
ReplyDeleteCareful with the weight, too! Remember we paid 500 CHF for 11 kg while traveling to India
:o)))!
Have a lovely trip back home and a lovely Christmas time with your dear family and friends.
Agi