Lost in the Schengen Zone - do we need a visa?

Its late December and plans are being made in a timely fashion. Then this "bomb" is dropped by one of my colleagues. Hey Jim, have you guys gotten your visa yet? Visa –what visa?

As it turns out, when a US tourist goes to Europe they are granted a Schengen Zone short-term visa        ( good for 90 days) on arrival. Depending on citizenship you might otherwise need to apply for one.

The Schengen Zone – if you plan to visit there more then 90 days – read it as Twilight Zone and you’ll be ready for the following ordeal.

Wikipedia says:

The Schengen Area comprises the territories of twenty-six European countries that have implemented the Schengen Agreement signed in the town of Schengen Luxembourg, in 1985. The Schengen Area operates very much like a single state for international travel with border controls for those traveling in and out of the area, but with no internal border controls.

This is why all the countries have dropped their border stations and your passport isn’t stamped moving within this zone. But when you enter and leave, immigration control will swipe your passport and note how long you’ve been in the zone.

Well, our trip is 153 days in Europe!!! Guess we need a long stay type “D” visa right!?

So I research this, and its crazy from the get go! Where do you apply? Guess what - there are rules for this! If you are equal time in multiple countries you apply to the country of first entry (Netherlands for us). But if you spend more time in one country then others then it’s the country of longest stay. (France for us)

I call the Dutch consulate and describe the trip. Yes you need a visa; no we can’t help you – talk to the French.

I go to the French consulate website –there are many in the US and as WA residents we are assigned the one in San Francisco. I wade into the French website visa section. You can only apply within 3 months of your entry date. (No problem). There are short term Schengen applications forms which we don’t seem to need, and long stay French applications for > 90 days. Hmm- which one? And the requirements are Orwellian. Bank statements to show you can afford to be there – the daily amount seems to very by country and of course there is the daily currency conversion to consider – its fluctuations are newsworthy just now. Specific sized non typical passport photos, documents showing return airfare, specific approved travelers health insurance for the period –($50K benefit minimum – must specify repatriation of mortal remains), a notarized statements that you will not work while there. Other documents at the whim of the officer! And a big one – a detailed itinerary showing all movements with confirmed hotel reservations!!! We are staying at more then 112 different places!

You must appear in person at the consulate for a personal interview /fingerprinting and submission of documents in precise order – original +copy, original+copy. There is a significant non refundable application fee.

OK – major effort here! We swing into action. Appointments are made for 3 months from departure and airfare booked to San Francisco. Paperwork is generated, health insurance researched and obtained…. And so forth.

I begin booking reservations along our itinerary but first have to find them. Long hours on the net after work. The top of Europe – booking.com to the rescue! But south of Strasbourg it becomes “interesting”. In the mountains some refuges are closed now and the email addresses sometimes are not there. You have to dig! Then google translate to inquire. 9 hours time difference so you see the results next evening and then reply one way or another. Generally 3 interactions per lodging are needed. The most you can do is about 3-4 new ones per night. Then you have to keep track of all this under time pressure.

Sigh … and other words….

I'm convinced we are missing something - insomnia sets in..

A week till the appointment – what application form do we use – its still not clear! None of the for pay visa expediters will touch this – many attempts at this! There is an E-book the purports to walk you through this for ~$50, but I’m too pissed about it all to buy it!

So I call the French S.F. consulate – navigate the French dialogue in the Visa section and leave a pleading message for a return call.

This happens! The officer (consulate personel won't give out names) with perfect English listened while I described my trip. How many days in France? 87 I reply. How many in the rest of Schengen Zone? 66 I calculate.

You don’t need a visa and we cannot legally give you one I am told! If you are in France less then 90 days and less then 90 in the S. Zone you are fine he says –because of a treaty with the US in the late 1940s. But this isn’t how the rules read I say – isn’t France part of the S.Zone! You are not listening he says! You don’t need it, have a good walk, goodbye!

Elation – at least for a while then concern – what if he is wrong or misunderstood me!????

If you run afoul of the S. Zone you in theory could find yourself in DEEP S.!  "Detained" Spot fines such as $2-4k are mentioned – but also your passport can be flagged to prevent Zone reentry for 3-5 years. Which I’m sure goes off to TSA and hence forth travel will become really fun I’m speculating…

So I call the Dutch again- I explain the breakdown of days on the trip. You need a visa he says! Can you help me? No! Talk to the French! I did – they said I didn’t need one! You better talk to someone else.

Deep S. –Twilight Zone – Yeah

More calls to different agencies & travel companies all whom cannot / will not help us, suggest we talk to the French – again! US state department website essentially says - its up to the French.

So I Do!

I recall the French SF consulate. I also find a fax number for the LA consulate. This gives me the opportunity to write in detail of our trip and how our time is partitioned in Europe. I inquire whether I need an extended Schengen visa. I indicate that SF says we don’t need a visa (and won’t give us one) but I’m concerned they don’t understand my plans exactly.

Sf calls back first. A very nice articulate gentleman listened with interest – congratulated me on my plans. He said this question comes up all the time. Not all countries are aware of the 1940s treaty between France and the US pertaining to US citizens traveling to France. But we don’t need visas. We do need to carefully document our time in France. (No border stamps remember so hotel receipts I guess will have to do). We then have an additional <90 days legally in the S.Zone  he explains. Simply refer to this conversation if anyone should ever ask.

LA calls back 2 hours later. An interested articulate and seemingly knowledgeable woman entertained my story and immediately said exactly what the others had said. ( 3 for 3 with the French) When I asked she initially offered to send me some email documentation of the discussion so I have at least something to show. This never happened however despite a follow-up reminder fax from me the next day. 


SO - I guess we are OK till someone says we aren't.............

In the end- the appointments are cancelled and we go to San Francisco for a nice getaway from the Zone Of Confusion.

Gear!

Over the course of the year we have been shopping sales, trying on shoes and putting together our walking kit. Its a work in progress but if I had to put a number on it I would say we are 85% there!

There are great places to save on these items such as Sports Authority, Sierra Trading Post, Altrec, GearX and Mountain Gear as well as REI to name just a few.
In reading about the trip the general consensus seems to be that less is more. Light is important. If you forget it you can find it there. If you can't find it then improvise.

Having done a couple such trips- obviously shorter- we can at least visualize how a day might look then extend that to weather from spring to late summer over a large geography. Last summer I put in a weather search for places and checked them on the corresponding days we anticipate being there. So we have a reasonable idea of the conditions we might encounter.

A layered  approach is the way to go and have what you need. Also the key is ultra quick drying fabrics so that you can hand wash an underwear base layer every night. Once a week on a layover day you properly launder everything. This is the concept you plan around.

For the underwear base layer, Ex Officio is hands down the best. 2 pair for the whole trip should do it. It sink washes and dries overnight or less. Amazing stuff, and it probably sounds weird to get a little excited about underwear but a daily clean pair on a big walk is one of life's simple pleasures.

The key to quick drying is avoiding cotton - period. If its wet its cold and takes forever to dry. A cotton t -shirt for sleeping is fine. Otherwise there are amazing synthetics by companies like Mountain Hardwear and Rohan which use engineered materials which just shed moisture and inhibit bacterial growth. All a plus day after day. The Rohan stuff is spendy but is bombproof and has some European styling.
For pants a pair of zip offs is great along with some light shorts/swim suit. A nicer pair for dining is good too. In Europe even walkers somehow appear well dressed? So its not a good idea to appear totally feral!
Mountain Hardwear makes great pants and Rei has a serviceable pair which look great too.

You need quality rain gear - but a umbrella complements this! In searching for the "right" umbrella I found this: http://www.euroschirm.com/usa
Look at video clip at the "Birdepal" model and marvel at German engineering! Unbelievable!

For packs we enjoy Granite Gear. They are great - light, comfortable with fantastic waist belts, well made and roomy. Perfect for what we plan to do.

Boots - the key is to be sure they fit and you have used them! it seems obvious but we tried on and returned quite a few pairs courtesy of Zappos great exchange policy. I settled on Asics Trail Sensors for a light pair. ( the lightest most comfortable shoe I have ever worn ) Also a pair of mid cut Merrill boots as a light but sturdy supportive trail boot has been my choice for years. For what its worth I love Kayland Contact boots for rugged backpacking - which this trip isn't! Tammy tried many pairs but found a pair of Montrails which don't give her blisters. That is a big deal!

Planning the GR5 walk.

by Jim Benthuysen

Its November 2011. I have been developing this trip for almost a year. I love planning travel and this is  the big one indeed.
First I decided to use available resources - the David May website in links is the perfect starting point and a wealth of material is mentioned and multiple guide books and maps are referenced.
I also discovered obtained 2 books that were no longer in print but available out there used:

Walking Europe From Top To Bottom - A Sierra Club Travel Guide - by S. Margois and G. Harmon -1986
A Long Walk South  - Sean Rothery -2002

These were invaluable first hand English language accounts of through-hiking the GR5. They described an itinerary and logistics which gave me a huge advantage in my own planning. But I also had planning resources which they lacked. The Internet is simply amazing in this regard. Using an electronic calender, you can rough out the itinerary and then research prospective lodging for the night, record the contact information even the websites for rapid access.

In my readings of the trip, it became clear that getting lost was major problem for these earlier walkers. Their maps ( which are amazingly expensive and heavy ) as well as French language guidebooks (heavy too) did not always keep them on course in the deep woods amongst a maze of trails.
I also found that several of the French guidebooks are outdated and new editions are pending.

I also discovered that while the GR5 and most of these European GR routes are basically unknown in the US, they are a big deal to the Europeans so I discovered quite a few websites which I could use via google translate :

http://translate.google.com/#

This website has been incredibly useful to view websites in English as well  translate lodging communications via email. You simple type text of copy the website URL into the right side. adjust the language sliders and the website opens in English (or whatever you want).

Among the various websites are those with specific GR5 gps info such as

http://www.gpsies.com
and
http://www.gr5.info/wayp.html

Downloading these gps way points I am able to view huge parts of the route on the free Google Earth program. On finding this I immediately realized the advantage this gives the walker in both planning and hopefully walking the route.

Owning a Garmin Etrex  (nice birthday present Tammy!), I found that there were commercial Garmin gps topomaps available specifically Benelux (Belgium Luxembourg) and France. Obtaining them, I found they chart the GR5 and everything else I could want!  I hope I have solved the expensive heavy map problem using my gps.

In addition, I can plan by bring up the topomaps and google earth simultaneously in separate screens and minutely creep through the route using google to zoom up and inspect the details. I can also measure the distances by tracing the route on Google Earth.

Having done this for some time (all year)  and rereading what the previous authors described for daily segments, I feel I have been able to refine our day to day schedule. Also there exist a few places where there are route options - shortcuts which I can place into the Etrex as literal rainy day options to get to the day's destination quicker on some long days. In general I have most of the days broken into 12-14 mile days with the occasional 18 miler.

This raises the question that if we use the shortcut are we no longer doing the GR5? We've decided that while we aren't going to pretend to be purists, we will stick to the route to the greatest extent possible.
If something doesn't make sense or we aren't having fun - we'll exercise judgement accordingly. We want to give it a shot. We hope our bodies hold up. On that note, I've booked weekly rest days into the plan.

On reading the other authors descriptions another thing that stood out was the fact that the Netherlands is flat and much of the walking was on paved bike routes. Having experienced the sore feet this leads to ourselves and mentioned by the referenced authors it occured to us that biking the Netherlands would be a good way to do this part. Which subsequently opens the possibility of seeing way more of the Netherlands than we could on foot. And in May during peak tulip season! This has evolved into a prequel to the walk- 11 days of cycling from the central Holland town of Zwolle to our start at Bergen Op Zoom. ( In years past it turns out BOZ was once the begining of the GR5 which has since been extended to Hook Van Holland. We are peddling this segment as well). With Tulip's help I have developed a custom bike tour which they are finalizing now.

This trip is just a blast to plan!

Why the GR5

Jim 11/22/11

About 6.5 years ago my youngest daughter Jacqueline graduated from college and I treated her to a guided trip of the Tour de Mont Blanc with REI adventures. ( Her sister had the same graduation present in 2000 so just to be fair - guess I had to go again :) Walking on a segment of the trail I noted a red-white trail marker, and upon asking the guide I was told of the GR5- a big trans-European trail. Intrigued, I google-mined the topic and was fascinated to find that the GR5 - while being the grandaddy of the routes- is but one of many such trails.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/GR_footpath

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/GR_5

I filed this away for future reference under the wow - dream trip category.

Fast forward to fall of 2010. My work circumstances had changed. I had a lot of walking miles under my belt belt both at home and all over the world. I used to dream of doing the PCT or Appalachian trail. But on a summer backpack in the Cascades for 4 days I ran across a couple of my age who explained they had walked from the Washington Oregon border and had been out for over a month. Wow I thought - awesome - but in the past I would have been all charged to do that too. Instead I realized that after 4 days in the cold, I was ready for a hot shower, a decent non freeze-dried meal , and a warm bed. It hit me the moment had moved past in my life when I wanted to camp out for 5 months. But instead of regret about this, I knew from my travels that there were other options.
 A few weeks later one evening over a meal following another Cascade hike I was reflecting with Tammy over the neat places we'd been and where we might yet go. And the GR5  came up. I had shown her the David May website a year or two before, and her response at the time was simply WHEN? In mentioning the GR5 over dinner she pointed out that if I was ever going to do this I had to make the commitment and set a date. And of course she was right! And Tammy was all in! For her as a self employed person that's a huge deal.
  But would my new work partners let me have this prime summer time off?  2011 was out of the question because one senior partner had already blocked out a leave of absence, and it was too soon anyway. So I put it to my group and they said yes to 2012! I was amazed at the generosity of my group - I had only been with them a little over a year. I knew then even more so that my work circumstances had markedly improved by their demonstrated  largesse. I was also admittedly a bit scared. Semi-wrecked by the 2008 market crash there was a budget to establish and plans to be drawn up. I had a year and a half to get my act together for this adventure. My mind went from could I to should I. Of course the answer was a resounding YES! I'd been given the time -while I have the desire, resources and perhaps the ability to make this work. And I have an wonderful motivating companion with whom to share this little stroll !

September 2011

By Tammy McLendon

GR5 (the Grande Rondonnee Cinq) begins at Hoek van Holland on the North Sea and is 1500+- miles on foot through Holland, Belgium, Luxembourg, Switzerland, and France to Nice on the Mediterranean.
We leave the last week of April 2012 and plan to be walking about one hundred days, not counting rest days and time spent in interesting towns along the way. Jim has been reading accounts of past walkers on the route and researching the history and architecture of the area. He is good. Has it down to the day with variants pre-planned and already has reservations for sections of the route that are challenging to find lodging in.