The global pandemic made for the most unusual summer in our lifetime, with travel restrictions and lockdown regulations taking typical travel plans off the table. We spoke to the Atterbury Europe team to hear how they spent these unprecedented summer holidays.
When are you taking your summer holiday this year?
Roux Gerber: Our summer holiday plans have been a bit of a moving target this year, what with all the various restrictions. Changes to travel rules are published on a weekly basis: travel only if you haven’t been in a Covid category C country; if you are resident in a category A or B country, you may travel to category A and B countries as long as you have a negative Covid certificate not older that 72 hours prior to your departure… This in itself is a very stressful process. We had to move our planned trip to Cyprus twice and hopefully we’re there when you read this.
Henk Deist: I’ll take my break in August.
David Downes: Mid-August – I plan to travel to one of the Greek islands and hopefully Italy for a few days in September; all assuming travelling is open and safe.
CJ Wegner: I’ll be taking my summer holiday the first week of August.
Ansu Kretzmann: Unfortunately, at this stage we are not able to travel from Doha, Qatar, where I am based. We are hoping that travel will resume middle of September, but at this stage it remains uncertain, making it difficult to make any concrete plans.
Vlad Valcea: Fortunately, I’ve already enjoyed some sunny days in Cyprus during July. In August the plan is to spend some time in Romania on the Black Sea coast and then in Germany at Lego Land.
Martin Olivier: I took off the week of 25 July to 2 August.
Are you going away, if so where? And if you are staying home, what will you be getting up to?
Roux Gerber: We are staying home in Romania for the first part of the summer holiday, but our gated compound in Bucharest has become a little ghost town with the outflow to mainly Greece as a summer holiday destination. The weather this time of year in Bucharest is amazing, with temperatures around 35 degrees. We are making good use of our garden pool and typical South African braais are one of the day’s highlights. As many Romanians have decided to have an “in-land” summer holiday, the seaside locations around Constanta proves to be “the” destiny of choice for impromptu short visits, followed by short visits to the delta area.
Ansu Kretzmann: We will be staying in Doha for the majority of the summer. Typically, we would try and escape summer in the Middle East as temperatures here can rise to 50 degrees! Unfortunately, it is too hot to go to the beach (that’s mostly reserved here for winter!), but luckily all the swimming pools are chilled so we’ll be spending many hours there!
Henk Deist: We’ll be joining friends for a long weekend in the Netherlands in a manor house that they’ve rented; and then the family (extended by my oldest daughter’s boyfriend) will be going to Mykonos, Greece for the last week in August for beach and sunshine. Fortunately, travelling to Greece is possible again and we look forward to that.
Vlad Valcea: Honestly, the mid-August plans are uncertain at this point because Romania’s resurgence of Covid-19 cases has placed it on the orange list for some EU countries. I want to avoid any risk of having to self-isolate for 14 days upon arrival back home in Amsterdam.
David Downes: Amsterdam has surprisingly had some good summer evenings already! I have booked to go to Mykonos for 10 days – a good combination of easy flights, beach, sun and great food. Nothing beats a Mediterranean island for a summer break!
CJ Wegner: Just like the previous year I’ll be escaping the buzzing city life for a hike in the Alps for eight or nine days.
Martin Olivier: My wife and I went to the Bordeaux region in France for the first time ever. The weather is great this time of year (around 30 degrees), the countryside is wonderful, and as a bonus we could drive there and didn’y have to worry about going though airports during this time of Covid-19 restrictions.
What do you enjoy about summer in Europe?
CJ Wegner: The sun setting every day only at 10pm. It allows for one to enjoy social gatherings on terrasjes (outside areas) and generally makes the day feel way longer.
Roux Gerber: Apart from the amazing weather conditions, good family dining and entertainment, the festive and relaxed atmosphere sets the scene for a good break. As almost everything grounds to a virtual halt during the summer break, you’re almost forced to follow the slowdown mood and take a break. Since all inside area restaurants are still closed due to pandemic regulations, the amazing restaurant experiences are however restricted this season. The flexibility to explore Europe and the ease of travel between countries that’s one of the best parts of a European summer holiday, has obviously been a Covid casualty.
Vlad Valcea: I enjoy the sun, the beaches and everything else about the summer spirit.
Ansu Kretzmann: I love the long days and the amazing weather – with the sun only setting at 10pm it feels like you still have a full day ahead after work! Nothing better than sitting outside at a café enjoying a glass of wine.
Henk Deist: Definitely the extended daylight. The seasons are such a contrast in Europe that good weather is enjoyed more intensely and with more awareness and appreciation than we tend to do back home in South Africa.
David Downes: I agree about the long days. Provided the weather plays along, Amsterdam is a great city for enjoying summer evenings – runs along the Amstel river (even a swim every now and then!) or a beer and pizza along the canals… it is city living at its best!
Martin Olivier: Summers in Europe are great, with the long days. The Europeans really try and capture every moment of sunshine as summers are a lot shorter than in South Africa. Also, one can normally access great locations and experience different cultures doing short travels within Europe.
What will you miss most this summer?
Vlad Valcea: Music concerts and festivals, which due to social distancing rules have been cancelled this summer.
Ansu Kretzmann: Summer is normally a time we meet up with friends and family from across the world which is unfortunately not possible this year.
CJ Wegner: Not having family and friends visiting from South Africa.
Henk Deist: The summer is less vibrant than usual with the coronavirus still spoiling the party and most people staying put instead of being out and about.
David Downes: Hopefully looking to double down on summer in sunny SA in December.
Martin Olivier: Air travel is still quite restricted and uncertain, as some places are not accessible, and others require Covid-19 testing within 72 hours of arrival. Travel is therefore just a bit more complicated, but in general we don’t feel like we are missing out on anything this summer, but rather using the opportunity to holiday a bit differently.
Roux Gerber: We really miss having some of our family members with us, who unfortunately cannot join us on holiday due to Covid-19 travel restrictions.
