The departure date of June 15th seems to be barreling towards us with greater and greater speed, and we are beginning to get our ducks in a row. We have all of our reservations at this point and are just getting into the nitty-gritty details of day-to-day sightseeing and riding the rails.
Just this past weekend we took a road trip to the quaint town of Edmonds, Washington to attend a free "Travel Festival" put on by the infamous Rick Steves. This was quite exciting for me, as I have been watching his shows and dreaming of Europe since I was little. He actually almost ran into me as I was waiting in line to hear him speak. Very exciting! ;) Jason in the meantime was highly entertained by the title "Festival" as the atmosphere wasn't exactly festive. Educational, yes. Festive, no.
After attending four classes ranging from European Rail Skills to Italy, we were able to purchase our rail passes as well as convertible bags that should last us for the rest of our traveling lives. A few other items that we deemed to be "essentials" were picked up as well.
We have posted links to our accommodations --- mostly to give mom recourse should she determine that we must be hopelessly doomed. :) They are listed in the order we will be visiting them, and a full itinerary will be added at a later date.
As far as this little blog, we hope to make it our number one form of communication with everyone back home. I have told students I will do my best to keep them updated on our adventures, and again, hopefully this will keep the inevitable worries of dear Jude in check.
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5 comments:
I'm so jealous that Rick Steves almost ran into you.
Yes, you should be. It was amazing. I sat through 6.5 hours of pure Rick. At the last talk, I swear he made eye contact with me. Like mom said, that's as cool as meeting George Carlin in Vegas. :)
Back in high school, one of the highlights of summer vacation was sleeping until noon, but getting up just in time for Rick Steves' Travels in Europe on PBS. I'm jealous that you got to experience him live and in person.
Lindsay and I took almost the exact same trip in 2004, only in reverse. Looking at your itinerary brought back lots of great memories (not to mention some funny mishaps that I forgot about.) The Cinque Terre is *amazing*. Just don't do what Lindsay did and leave your purse on the train.... (Luckily, she got it back after a vacationing Dutch man took it off the train, did some detective work and called her mom in Clarkston based off of information from her insurance card.) Rothenburg is beautiful. Be sure to take the Night Watchman's tour and get some good Christmas ornaments.
One last thing about traveling as a couple: it's great to have a companion to rely on and share the experience with, but it also can tend to insulate you somewhat and make it a little more difficult to connect with the locals and other travelers. Try to make a real effort to interact with and get to know people you meet along the way, because it's those interactions that make the best memories of the trip. It was great to see the Mona Lisa and the Birth of Venus, but what I'll always remember is being invited into a Swiss woman's "little cheese house" (her term) to buy a tiny slice from one of her large wheels of cheese, or drinking wine and talking about Arnold Schwarzenegger with an old woman in her grand Vienna apartment.
So have fun, take lots of pictures and wear your money belts! :)
You know what's weird? There is another Travel Europe guy on PBS over here! They must have some West vs. East coast deal. ;)
P.S. You should go to Boom Chicago in Amsterdam
http://www.boomchicago.nl/en/
A lot of people go from/to there from Second City! Very funny - we've been two times, and both times were hilarious. Plus, they serve food. ;) Jason would like it.
Oooo Mike, well have to share notes sometime! :) Aren't you moving East soon? That will be AMAZING. Mr. Caudron told me to do exactly what you and Lindsay are really doing. :)
And yes Marissa, we did find a camera...although I am not so sure I know how to use it adequately. ;) And I'm looking into Boom Chicago as we speak. Thanks for the tip!!!
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