Happy New Year from The Cat & The Peacock! We wish you and yours much happiness, good health and peace on this New Year’s Eve, and we hope to see you in the Alps in 2021. We’re so grateful for each and everyone one of you!
Photo: The parish church of St. Sebastian in the village of Ramsau bei Berchtesgaden—Bavarian Alps, Germany.
Looking through the glass clock at the Musée d’Orsay in Paris, France.
Is there a place that you planned on visiting but can’t because of the pandemic? No worries! There’s a good chance that you can tour the destination virtually. As of this writing, we found online virtual tours for the Vatican, Buckingham Palace, the Natural History Museum in London, and one of our favorite museums in Paris, the Musée d’Orsay. In truth, we found A LOT of virtual tours—too many to list here. You can even take a trip to the top of Mont Blanc! Here’s a tip: Do an online search for a destination that interests you and include the key words “virtual tour” to see what pops up. The really good tours, like the Musee d’Orsay, let you wander hallways, zoom in on artwork, and click on objects to learn more.
Would you like to be overwhelmed? Check out the Goose Arts and Culture page. Googe A&C has enough content to keep you occupied for weeks!
Fond memories of trails hiked and mountains climbed.
Raise your hand if you have a million travel photos stored on your phone or computer. What about old journal entries that you secretly hoped to turn into a memoir, novel or blog, but didn’t? A quarantine is the perfect opportunity to bring those treasures to light. Turn some of those photos into greeting cards. Make a calendar. Build a website that showcases your greatest work. Start a blog. If you ever wanted to write a book about your past travels or do something creative with your millions of travel photos and journal scribblings, a quarantine is a great time to do it!
Chalkboard menu at a French crêperie.
It’s not necessary to know the local language when you’re traveling in a foreign country, but it certainly makes the experience easier and infinitely richer. Even if you never become fluent, just the simple act of saying hello in a person’s native tongue will go a long way toward building relationships and breaking down cultural barriers. There are a ton of language learning books and apps on the market, and one of our favorite free apps is DuoLingo. You probably won’t learn to speak like a native with this app (it’s heavy on direct translation from reading and listening), but you’ll get a good dose of vocabulary. We recommend supplementing DuoLingo with a more formal program like Living Language, Berlitz or Rosetta Stone. At the time of this writing, Rosetta Stone is offering a free 3 month trial for students. YouTube can also be a good resource. For intermediate and advanced learners, online foreign newspapers are a gold mine for learning. Google books also offers downloadable versions of many foreign language literature classics. The point is, put your self isolation to good use by learning a foreign language. Who knows? Maybe you’ll be able to say “soup du jour” like a native-speaker the next time you visit Paris.
Simple pleasures.
Few things are cozier than curling up on the couch with a comfortable blanket, a warm cup of tea, and a good book. Books take us around the world, and they offer a level of richness, perspective, and detail that we’ll never get from a 50 word post on social media. The death of the book has been much publicized, but we we’re not convinced that books will ever go out of style. Try it for yourself. Shut off the electronic devices, open a book, and let yourself be transported to distant lands. Right now we’re reading a book called “A History of Mountaineering in the Alps” by Claire Eliane Engel. The book was published in 1950 and chronicles the pioneers of mountaineering and tourism in the Alps, many of whom were not climbers as befits the status today. It’s hard to imagine, but there used to be a time when people were not at all interested in climbing mountains for pleasure. Many of the first “alpinists” were, in fact, scientists, and their most important piece of climbing equipment was not the rope, but the barometer. Would you like to know more? Contact us. We’ll recommend some destination-specific books.
Sunrise over the Bachsee in the Berner Oberland region of Switzerland.
Losing your job during a quarantine is no fun. We get it. But have faith, the pandemic won’t last forever. Plus, there’s absolutely no cost for dreaming and planning. Is there a place that you’ve been curious about? Please give us a call or send us an email. We love chatting about far-flung lands. You can also use our online questionnaire to get the conversation started. And don’t worry, our tips and chats are absolutely free. No mask required either!
Here’s the view from the Jungfraujoch, the highest rail station in Europe, elevation 11,332 feet (3,454 meters). The train that brings you to this point climbs INSIDE the Eiger (pictured in our previous post). The view is awesome, and it’s really easy to escape the crowds. A 45 minute walk across the glacier takes you to the Mönchsjochhütte which offers rustic food and accommodation in a gorgeous setting.
Neuschwanstein Castle, Bavarian Alps
At the end of 2022 all US citizens and as many as 60 other nationalities will need to apply for an ETIAS Visa Waiver before traveling to Europe.
What is it?
The new travel authorization for Europe is called an ETIAS (European Travel Information and Authorization System) Visa Waiver. If you are a US citizen and you intend on visiting a country within the Schengen Area (Europe) for pleasure or business, then you need this authorization.
I think I missed a day of class. What is the “Schengen Area?”
The Schengen Area is a travel zone in Europe. It’s a region consisting of 26 European states that functions as a single jurisdiction for international travel purposes. All 26 countries share the same visa/travel policy. Switzerland, France, Austria, Germany and Italy, for example, are members of the Schengen Area. Having one recognized zone allows for unrestricted travel between countries. In short, the Schengen Area is what allows a person to land in Paris, for example, and then travel to Rome without having to show a passport while crossing borders.
Note: EU countries, Bulgaria, Romania, Croatia, Cyprus, and Ireland are not part of the Schengen Area, and have their own regulations regarding travel authorizations.
Please contact us for a full list of Schengen Area countries.
Who will need the ETIAS?
Anyone living outside of the Schengen Area. This means that EVERY US citizen planning to visit Europe, including children, will need an ETIAS.
Is it a Visa?
No. It’s called a Visa Waiver for Europe. It’s basically pre-screening process. If you don’t pass the pre-screen, then you’ll be denied entry to Europe.
When does it go into effect?
At the end of the year 2022.
How long is it valid?
The ETIAS is valid for three years or until the end of validity of the document the ETIAS was registered under, whichever comes first. For example, if your passport expires within a year, then your ETIAS will also expire in a year. Otherwise, once you have your ETIAS you can travel to Europe as much as you like during its period of validity (a max of three years). Bear in mind, however, the ETIAS is designed for short-term stays up to 90 days within the validity period. People who wish to live, study or travel in Europe for more than 90 consecutive days will need to apply for a visa.
How much does it cost?
The particulars are still being worked out, but the anticipated cost for the ETIAS is 7 Euro for each application. Persons under 18 will not have to pay any fees. Therefore, two adults over 18 years of age would pay 14 Euro (about $16 US at today’s exchange rate).
Am I being discriminated against?
Not at all! The ETIAS is designed for ALL countries that have been able to enter the Schengen Area without a visa. Currently there are 60 countries that will need to apply for the ETIAS. Please contact us for a full list.
What do I need to register?
You’ll need a valid passport, a credit or debit card to pay the fee, and an email account. The whole process should take about 20 minutes. You’ll be asked to enter your passport info and answer a few security questions.
The process is complete when the travel authorization for Europe has been paid. Confirmation for the ETIAS visa waiver will arrive by email. You can travel to Europe once you have your ETIAS visa waiver in hand!
Note: Your passport must be valid for 3 months beyond the period of intended stay of each person.
Please check back for updates as the ETIAS launch approaches.
Are you thinking about traveling to Europe? We can help.
Note: The original version of this post listed January 1, 2021 as the start date for the ETIAS Visa Waiver. The start date has since been postponed and this blog post updated accordingly. Please check back often or contact us for the most up-to-date information.
