“Planned spontaneity" is definitely an oxymoron. Brian heard a school superintendent use it a few decades ago when someone had suggested the value of spontaneity.
He was a strange fellow. Still, we think of that expression as we plan our travels. We plan in fairly meticulous detail, and intensify those efforts when traveling with others.
Today, for example, we're setting off on a trip to the Brittany region of France, where we've rented a Pénichette Premium canal boat and intend to cruise the Brittany canals for 11 days.
The boat itself is nearly 40 feet long and has three bedrooms, each with its own bathroom. With expenses divided three ways, it's close to a bargain and definitely a good value.
Our traveling companions are Kathy's two brothers, Tom and Greg, and Tom's wife Ellyn. We all have some boating experience, Tom and Greg in particular. We completed a similar cruise in Burgundy quite a few years ago with Greg and his wife, June, who is unfortunately no longer able to travel. That included sharing the rather large Saône River with freighter boats and included an adventure or two we don't care to repeat
We've helped Tom and Greg find good business class airfares and accommodations on their way to and from France. We've documented everyone's details in our invaluable Tripit app.
In fact, they're first flying to Munich while the two of us are flying to Frankfurt. From Germany we all fly to Nantes, France, where the five of us will meet up. A couple of hotel nights and a train ride later, we hope to pick up our boat and start the spontaneous part of our adventure.
We've planned as best as we can. We'll let you know along the way how it works out in reality.
