28 May, 2008

Rebirth

Well, two years after I left on my last Euro-extravaganza, here I am again, ready to blog away my summer as I travel around that blessed continent. For those readers who aren't entirely in the know yet, I'm going to Europe and Israel this summer, through the countries of Belgium, France, Italy, Austria, Germany, and Holland. Also, I'm taking a week-long detour from Vienna to Israel and perhaps Jordan. [See itinerary below] Along the way I will be updating this blog to both communicate and inform my readers in the States, but also to log my travels for my own purposes. I hope you will enjoy the journey as much as I will.

At this point, I have a rough itinerary, a packing list, most of my supplies, a couple tour books, and one heck of a sense of excitement. The reason for my mildly unprepared state is that I am going solo on this trip. I attempted to get some of my friends to go with me, but for many different reasons, that did not come to fruition. Therefore, I'm on my own, and thus I don't need to do nearly as much planning. I'm probably going to reserve hostels in the big cities, but otherwise it'll be pretty freestyle.

So, here we go! Here's my itinerary, and I'll keep posting as progress is made.

Europe 2008 Travel Itinerary (June 16 to August 8)

June 16

Depart Phoenix for Brussels [9:10 AM]

June 17 - Brussels

Arrive in Brussels [10:25 AM]

June 18 – Brussels

June 19 – Paris

Train to Paris [ 1.5 hrs]

June 20 – Paris/Reims

Day trip to Reims from Paris [45 min]

Champagne in Champagne!

June 21 – Paris

Day trip to Versailles?

June 22 – Paris

June 23- Bayeux

Train to Bayeux from Paris

See D Day Beaches/Museum

June 24 – Mont-St-Michel/Pontorson

Train to Pontorson from Bayeux

Bus to Mont-St-Michel [15 min]

Sleep in Pontorson

June 25 – Amboise

Train to Amboise from Pontorson via Rennes

See Chateux

June 26 – La Rochelle or Bordeaux

Train from Amboise

to La Rochelle [2hrs 28min]

to Bordeaux [3 hrs]

June 27 – Carcassonne

Train to Carcassonne

from La Rochelle [5hrs 12min]

from Bordeaux [2hrs 45min]

June 28 – Marseille

Train to Marseille from Carcassonne [1hr 55min]

June 29 – Aix-En-Provence

Day trip to AEP from Marseilles [45min]

June 30 – Arles

Day trip to Arles from Marseilles [50min]

July 1 – Nice

Train to Nice from Marseilles [2hr 30min]

July 2 – Nice/Monaco

Overnight train to Rome, Italy [12hrs]

July 3 – Rome

July 4 – Rome

July 5 – Rome

Mass at Vatican?

July 6 – Florence

Train from Rome to Florence [1hr 30min]

July 7 – Florence

July 8 – Florence

July 9 – Venice

Train to Venice from Florence with stop in Bologna [2hrs 30min]

July 10 – Venice

Overnight train to Vienna, Austria [12 hrs]

July 11 – Vienna

July 12 – Vienna

July 12- Israel

Depart Vienna [10:00AM] and Arrive in Tel Aviv [6:25PM] via Istanbul

July 13 – Jerusalem

Bus to Jerusalem

July 14 – Jerusalem

July 15 – Jerusalem

Day trip to Masada?

July 16 – Jerusalem

Day trip to Bethlehem?

July 17 – Jerusalem

July 18 – Jerusalem

July 19 – Tel Aviv

Bus to Tel Aviv from Jerusalem

July 20 – Tel Aviv

July 21 – Tel Aviv

July 22 – Austria

Depart Israel [10:45AM] and Arrive in Austria [5:30PM] via Istanbul

July 23 – Vienna

July 24 – Salzburg

Train to Salzburg from Vienna [2 hrs 40min]

July 25 – Salzburg

July 26 – Munich

Train to Munich from Salzburg [1hr 40min]

July 27 – Munich

July 28 – Munich

July 29 – Freiberg

Train to Freiberg from Munich [4hrs 15min] via Karlsruhe

July 30 – Strasbourg

Train from Freiberg to Strasbourg [1hr] via Offenburg

July 31 – Weimar

Train from Strasbourg to Weimar [5hr] via Karlsruhe and Frankfort

August 1 – Berlin

Train to Berlin from Weimar [2hr 15min]

August 2 – Berlin

Day trip to Concentration Camp?

August 3 – Berlin

Overnight Train to Amsterdam [10hr]

August 4 – Amsterdam

August 5 – Amsterdam

Day trip to Haarlem?

August 6 –Brussels

Train from Amsterdam to Brussels [2hr 40min]

August 7 – Bruges/Brussels

Day trip to Bruges [1hr]

August 8 – USA

Depart Belgium [12:49PM] and Arrive Phoenix [9:00 PM]


Well, there you go! Please comment, give me suggestions, etc. But more importantly, STAY CLASSY!

1 comment:

Anonymous said...

Dear Derek,

Wow, that sounds like a fantastic trip! And also very exhausting since the schedule is very tight. I look forward to following you on the web; I still have great memories for your last trip.

Are you taking advantage of the EuroRail train pass? I am trying to think of someone you might be able to stay with in Berlin, I'll keep you posted.

Happy graduation and have a wonderful trip!

Love,
Claudia