The Day Before Tomorrow/The Start of the Trip

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The inaugural post of my inaugural travel blog! Since I depart out of Chicago late Thursday night, there are still over 24 hours before I embark on my Grande Adventure; however, considering the number of things I still need to do before then, I figured I'd get the blog post out of the way (assuming I've figured out how to use this thing!). I'll use this post to give a brief overview of how the trip is probably going to go. Ready? Here we go.

Step 1: Depart Chicago O'Hare; arrive London Heathrow.

Step 2: Overnight in London, then fly to Dublin (don't worry, Anglophiles; I'll be back)

Step 3: Romp around Ireland for ~1 week with friends

Step 4: Let the itinerary get more 'fluid.' With my remaining 5 weeks, I will be visiting the following countries, approximately in this order: Switzerland (including some of the French Alps around Chamonix), Germany, England, Scotland, Estonia, Turkey, Greece. Sometimes I'll be traveling with friends; sometimes I'll be on my own. I will be staying in hostels and traveling via train and budget airlines.

Step 5: Ensure that the following activities are completed before departing: visiting castles, hiking, scuba diving, eating local food/consuming local drink, exploring ruins, making friends from other countries, taking a picture worthy of turning into a poster print for my new apartment.

Step 6: Depart Athens International Airport; return to Chicago O'Hare.

I'll also provide some background information on the Grande Adventure. 5 days ago, I graduated undergrad from the University of Oklahoma. 54 days from now, I start work for a consulting firm in Chicago. Considering I may never again have the opportunity to have so much time to myself, I decided to spend most of it doing one of my favorite things: traveling. I have been to Europe previously for study abroad, but have not visited any of the stops on the Grande Adventure. I hpoe to use this time to do some soul-searching, learn some things about myself, and get ready for the work world. I intend to update this blog every few days assuming adequate wireless access and energy. Wish me luck!

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Photos

Graduation Procession
Before.

View from New Digs
After.

Comments

[D MJ Binkley]

Just discovered your blog
This sounds like a marvelous trip and we are eager to read more.