Bon Voyage For Real

So tomorrow is the day. At 4:45 pm (but probably much later due to inevitable delays), I will board the American Airlines plane and leave the US for seven weeks. Not only will this be the first time I am traveling to Europe sans any family, it will also officially be the longest I have ever been away from the Chicagoland area--more than doubling my current record of three weeks. And I'm doing this alone: just me, myself and I. Well, that's not entirely true. I'll be catching up with current friends, and meeting new ones along the way.

Hopefully, I'll actually pack up all my stuff by then. I'm only bringing my super rad backpack that has to fit my life, which is apparently mostly electronics--kindle, netbook, ipod, blackberry, camera--among all the other things I've rationalized purchasing for the past few months. But it's for EUROPE. So much for roughing it.

Anyway, packing is also an issue right now because 30 days is hitting me pretty hard right now. Thanks again for everyone who came to my Bon Voyage party or found me this weekend to make me promise I'll be safe, my favorite being the promise that a Liam Neeson pack is all set for when I have to be saved, Taken style. Thanks again, BML. Oh, and I feel like a shout out is in order for the MBA that happened last night. Micaela, how I've missed you.

And if anyone is wondering. Yes, I have seen Taken. No, I have not seen Hostel or Eurotrip. I don't really know, or care what happened in those movies. I'm gonna make up my own adventure. Only the first month is actually planned; I figure I could wing it a lot better in the English speaking countries. Here's the approximate layout of where I'll be when:

Leave on Jan 31st

Feb 1-Feb 3 Lisbon

Feb 3-6 Madrid

Feb 6-10 Barcalona

Feb 10-13 Paris

Feb 13-16 Munich

Feb 16-20 Berlin

Feb 20-23 Copenhagen

Feb 23-27 Amsterdam

Feb 27-March 5 London (plus a trip to Stonehenge)

March 5-10 Edinburgh

March 10-14 Belfast

March 14-21 Dublin/Cork

Home on the 22nd

So the purpose of this blog is to give updates about what I'm up to while in Europe. Maybe some of the sites, interesting stories that I'm probably dying to tell someone, and put up some pictures. As I'm bouncing from hostel to hostel, or couch to couch, I am wondering about how you all are doing and thinking about how great Senior Spring will be when I'm back!