Due to an on the job injury ( torn meniscus) it looks like our 4-29 Best of Europe plans have been squashed for this year.
Hope is fading as injury is resisting treatment and tour bailout time is soon.
Hope whoever gets our places has a good trip.
Have a Campari apertivo in Venice for me.
I'm sorry to hear that, Joe, but at least you have time to make a carefully-considered decision and reschedule if necessary. I hope you heal soon and can manage to enjoy the extra-long anticipation period.
That is a shame. Don’t go if you are not able to walk much. You do a lot of walking on this tour.
oh Joe I'm so sorry to hear that!! I wish we could gather in Edmonds for a Campari at least!
Of course this isn't proper medical advice, but. My husband could hardly walk due to meniscus tear and damage, and he had outpatient surgery about 3 weeks before a trip to Paris. He was careful not to overdo it, but he was fine for the trip.
Joe - any chance that you can delay your trip to later in the year? I believe (double check) that the RS folks will transfer you to any open tour without penalty. I had to do this when the Iceland volcano disrupted my trip to Spain, and the staff were fantastic about taking care of the details.
Oh, Joe, what bad news. Do check with the RS office; they've been good about letting you apply your reservation to another tour, maybe later in the year, or one with less walking.
Be well.
Hey Joe
Sorry to hear about your injury. Had the same injury may 2016, never heard of a meniscus, but it hurt so bad. Three weeks later took our planned trip to Amsterdam, Florence and Venice, so much walking, which was miserable. Did the best I could, even seeing a dr in Florence. Got back home and had 3 gel shots in my knee from sports medicine dr. Took a while but I feel good. I'm sure a lot of us will do a "bottoms up" with an apertivo for you. Take Care
Aloha Princess Pupule
Joe, so sorry to hear this! Not only is there a lot of walking but there are lots of stairs to climb. Better to go when your knee is recovered because this is an awesome tour.
And yes, family members had to cancel a RS tour last Sept after one of them took a bad fall while hiking. The office was excellent about helping them reschedule for this year.
I'll take an Aperol Spritz instead of Campari if it's all the same to you.
Oh no! I'm booked on that tour and just looked at the availability and saw it now has a 'wait list'. What a shame. This will be my first RS tour and I'll be solo, I'm nevous and excited all at the same time! Maybe you'll start a quick recovery before you have to pay the final amount. Good luck!
I am so very sorry to hear that. Fingers crossed for a last minute major recovery, but if not I hope you're able to rebook for something else in the near future!!!
--->@Lynn3374 - This is an excellent tour to be solo! To me I felt the 3-week length led to a closer bonding of the group. After 3 years I am still FB friends with about a dozen folks from that tour! Plan to do every option your guide offers you.
Do spend some time looking at what you might want to do in your free time. Of course your guide will have suggestions but it's good to figure out some things on your own.
Thank you all for your kind words/thoughts.
Cancelled everything yesterday as I was approaching the end of the penalty free period on a number of reservations.
RS is applying the deposit as a credit toward a future tour.... just no refund. ( was well past the 30 period, so that is fair)
And if you want to have an Aperol Spritz, rather than the Campari, that is perfectly fine.
Looking forward to August when the 2019 schedule comes out and can start the planning ( again)
Safe travels to all!
Good luck, Joe. Let us know how your recovery is going, and what tour you sign up for next.
My sister is going with me on the May 6th BOE 21 day tour. She has a torn meniscus in her knee and will eventually need surgery. I have taken this tour before and I know there is plenty of walking. Her doctor is going to give a cortisone shot just before she leaves and he told her she should be okay. Fingers crossed! This is her first time in Europe and I really want her to have a good time.
Herbster. One thing your sister can do is help decrease the pressure on her knee by using an assistive device. If she can't face the prospect of walking with a cane (it can decrease pressure up to 1/3), perhaps she would consider a walking stick or sticks for days with considerable walking. Here is a link to some foldable, collapsable ones that I always take on vacation with me for hiking.
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B01M0AWDQF/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o04_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1
They fit into checked luggage with no problems.
I temporarily used a cane for a bit before surgery several years ago and it made a huge difference in my ability to go on a fairly active vacation to Alaska. No one likes to think about using a cane, but if it decreases pain and increases mobility it is worth a consideration.
So sorry to hear about your problem, I know it won't help heal the torn meniscus, but a Campari apertivo will at least make it a bit more tolerable. Since your meds might not allow you to have one, I'll have one for you even though my knees are fine. ;-)
Hi, Joe. Sorry to hear about your injury. I’m sure you’ll be back to your usual in no time and on another RS tour as well. Although I’m not going on that trip, I will hoist a glass of vino in your honor anyhow. It doesn’t take much to encourage me to have some vino ;-).
