Important Dates:
August 31: Last Day of Work
September 7: Embark on Grand European Adventure
November 22: Return Home - just in time for Thanksgiving :)
We will arrive in Amsterdam. I'm going to run/attempt to survive a marathon in Flanders Field in Ypres, Belgium. Next on to Copenhagen, Denmark then to Germany where we will check out Berlin and experience Oktoberfest in Munich. We will continue the journey in Salzburg and Vienna, Austria and mosey over to Prague and Budepest. From there, we will take a flight to Rome, followed by a week exploring Florence, Siena, Pisa and then a time to chill in Cinque Terre. We will journey north to Lucerne, Switzerland, take a day trip to Liechtenstein because I've always wanted to run across a country. We will do something crazy in Intelaken, the extreme sports capital of Europe before traveling to Geneva and the south of France. We will complete our trip in Spain, Barcelona, Madrid and Salamanca before returning to Amsterdam for our flight home.
That is the basic itinerary. Melissa and I have similar travel philosophies. We have a general plan with ideas of what we would like to do in each city. However, we want to be flexible, leaving room for spontaneity, seizing opportunities as they present themselves. We realize that 3-4 days in each city will not do it justice but we want to at least have a taste. We will stay in hostels and try to travel as cheaply as possible. However, we have things we want to splurge on and don't want money to become a limiting factor. Basically, this will be a rockin awesome experience.
Sunday, August 15, 2010
Why a ukulele and a kazoo?
Holy cow! I have a blog!?! It is one of many steps of transforming a dream into reality. The dream to backpack across Europe was planted as a small seed about 15 years ago. It is absolutely terrifying yet exhilarating to see it come to fruition. Over a year ago, my roommate and I were discussing travel and through a fantastic conversation over coffee we decided to embark on an epic adventure together (I had 3 cups, she had ¾ of a cup. Fun fact about Melissa: she is unable to polish off a cup of coffee, regardless of the size, whereas I can drink a pot solo). So we are quitting our jobs, packing up our house and flying to Europe. The goal is to fully embrace and experience life, to see amazing sights, to grow, to learn, to meet fantastic people, have incredible conversations, and basically blow our savings. It is the responsible thing to do in this economy. Hey, they say you’re only young and single once, right?
I decided to blog because so many people asked to be updated of our travels. Confession: I am a blogging virgin. I don’t know what this will end up being. Is it an opportunity to live vicariously through some crazy chicas? A medium to see the world through another lens? Entertainment? We shall see what this beast will evolve into… However, I do make a promise not to treat this as a diary. Nor will I feel compelled to share every teeny tiny detail. I’m sure you won’t care or want to know what traveling does to my bowels.
Why a ukulele and a kazoo?
Melissa is a musician and music is a crucial element to her being. However, she does not relish the idea of lugging her upright base around. Last year, she was attracted to the ukulele because it is “so cute and little” and it’s a melodic instrument within her four string comfort zone. After much persuasion, she has agreed to strap a yellow ukulele to her backpack for this epic adventure. The virtues of the ukulele are many. We will always have music readily available; it is the ultimate coffee table discussion piece with fantastic conversation opportunities; and when money gets tight, it is a potential source of income. The ukulele did raise the question of what would I do while Melissa rocked out? Enter a pink kazoo and blue egg shaker. This colorful combination shows definite potential. I see big record deal in our future. Absolutely.
I decided to blog because so many people asked to be updated of our travels. Confession: I am a blogging virgin. I don’t know what this will end up being. Is it an opportunity to live vicariously through some crazy chicas? A medium to see the world through another lens? Entertainment? We shall see what this beast will evolve into… However, I do make a promise not to treat this as a diary. Nor will I feel compelled to share every teeny tiny detail. I’m sure you won’t care or want to know what traveling does to my bowels.
Why a ukulele and a kazoo?
Melissa is a musician and music is a crucial element to her being. However, she does not relish the idea of lugging her upright base around. Last year, she was attracted to the ukulele because it is “so cute and little” and it’s a melodic instrument within her four string comfort zone. After much persuasion, she has agreed to strap a yellow ukulele to her backpack for this epic adventure. The virtues of the ukulele are many. We will always have music readily available; it is the ultimate coffee table discussion piece with fantastic conversation opportunities; and when money gets tight, it is a potential source of income. The ukulele did raise the question of what would I do while Melissa rocked out? Enter a pink kazoo and blue egg shaker. This colorful combination shows definite potential. I see big record deal in our future. Absolutely.
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