I’m wondering how long European national governments are going to drag this out before they see the futility of shutting down normal society indefinitely. Or will autocracy become the continental European ‘new normal’ forever?
I’m preparing now to jump on a plane and spend a couple of weeks in the Alps and Italy. The trip results from unrelated family circumstances, not just as a motorcycle trip, and I’m viewing it as an interesting experiment. Like one might have viewed a 1980s era trip to eastern Europe. If the nonsense outweighs the fun, I’ve decided I’m prepared to stay out of Europe until things change someday. My wife has already decided she’s only interested in staying in Germany to see family, and no more until the whole Covid-related regulatory scene is completely gone. To her that might likewise mean no more European vacations, forever. I’ll be on my own in making the loop around the Alps.
Time will tell 
Silvaire wrote:
I’m wondering how long European national governments are going to drag this out before they see the futility of shutting down normal society indefinitely
Nothing is shut down, at least not around here. What I am afraid of is that these vaccines will become mandatory for travel. And for no good reason really. It’s just the way it becomes. The vaccines obviously don’t matter an inch regarding spreading the virus, so why this obsession? Hard to understand.
Truth be told, in reality nothing is shut down, at least over here. Some restrictions on paper, none that I see enforced. Oh well, gives me a reason to self isolate from people I don’t want to deal with.
Here is the current situation in Munich , reviewed by the state and updated in miniscule detail on a regular basis. I’ve stocked up on European specific FFP2 masks… 
In order to enter the country and to return to the US, a total of three CV-19 tests are required for my wife and I, plus three internet based submissions of CV-19 status with uploaded documents. If I leave Germany after a couple of days as planned, then return in a few days with the total less than 10 days since the start of the trip, I have to do it again although in truth I probably won’t given unpatrolled rural border crossings.
Friends are making a bigger trip than me, riding further to take a ferry to Spain and back, returning after a couple of weeks. All double immunized for months. Online submission required to enter Spain, subsequent reentry to Germany from “high risk” area meaning more internet forms and submissions unless they can conceal the origin of their return leg (they probably can, with some attention to detail)
I won’t go into the immunization checks to enter buildings, the reason for which is only to penalize those who won’t follow government direction in what they choose to inject into their bodies.
When I re-enter the US, the local city where the airport is located requires us to agree (another two internet submissions) to follow CDC recommendations (not laws mind you) for international travel or risk a $500 fine for not completing the online form with names and contact info. Their jurisdiction ends at their city limit and I’ll be gone one hour later…
It goes on and on and on. Complete comedic nonsense, but perfect for those who gain a sense of security from running their daily life under state centered procedure
Silvaire wrote:
total of three CV-19 tests are required for my wife and I
Doesn’t the US requires two of the tests, one for you, one for your wife?
My wife will have to get a third test in Germany, after 5 days of in-country quarantine that became necessary for her a week or so ago with changing rules for entry from the US. She’s chosen not to get immunized as long as she has natural antibodies, which as of two weeks ago was the case per test results. Her doctor does not disagree.
All this to see a baby. I’ve seen them before Hence my multi-national motorcycle trip.
Silvaire wrote:
Hence my multi-national motorcycle trip
Drop by for a beer, if you fancy :)
That’s very kind of you.
Believe it or not I’ll be carrying two bottles of US microbrewery product to a friend in Italy who misses it since his time in SFO in the nineties. I guess anything is better than Peroni!
Next time (let’s hope for less brainless government in 2022) I would quite interested in heading to Poland
@Silaire … At least you, as an american citizen can travel from the US to UK & Europe and return without quarantine either end if jabbed. I dont think EU/UK citizens can even travel to the US at all… even with quarantine…
Edit: so is it Europe or the US that is “not normal” and “restrictive”
skydriller wrote:
At least you, as an american citizen can travel from the US to UK & Europe and return without quarantine either end if jabbed. I dont think EU/UK citizens can even travel to the US at all… even with quarantine
I’m aware of that, given the 18 month absence of European visitors to our household The only rational justification for it is that CV-19 entered the US from Europe, as did the ‘variants’ that are now of interest to some, but it entered regardless and was always going to do so.
Obviously for me this trip is going to be a trip backwards to 2020, a time I’d really rather forget. The question for Americans is why they would bother to travel internationally given the relative lack of BS here, as long as you stay away from e.g. the cities of NY City, San Francisco and Los Angeles which are (surprise! ) unendingly wacko. Oh, Palm Springs too, equally unsurprising. I’ve told you my reasons.
The regulatory situation worldwide is regardless a comedy of government over reach that I think at this point will only end through exhaustion of the government personnel involved, democratic removal from office and so on. Similar to the fall of the eastern European communism, i.e. ending with a whimper not a bang, but hopefully faster ending than 40 years.
