Short post because I’ve still got trip preparation stuff to do, but I’m leaving tomorrow morning to travel around Europe for 26 days. I planned the trip myself, thus why it’s not fully planned yet – not enough time for everything, and the research project came first. The itinerary, as it stands right now, is as follows:
12-Jul – Darmstadt > Prague, Czech Republic
13-Jul – Prague > Salzburg, Austria
14-Jul – Salzburg > Munich, Germany
15-Jul – Munich > Gimmelwald, Switzerland (via Interlaken)
16-Jul – Gimmelwald
17-Jul – Gimmelwald
18-Jul – Gimmelwald > Paris, France (via Geneva)
19-Jul – Paris
20-Jul – Paris
21-Jul – Paris
22-Jul – Paris
23-Jul – Paris > Madrid, Spain
24-Jul – Madrid
25-Jul - Madrid
26-Jul – Madrid > London, England
27-Jul – London
28-Jul – London > Bunclody, Ireland (via Dublin)
29-Jul - Bunclody
30-Jul - Bunclody
31-Jul - Bunclody – Scottish Highlands (via Inverness)
1-Aug – Highlands
2-Aug - Highlands > Inveraray, Scotland
3-Aug – Inveraray > Glasgow, Scotland
4-Aug - Glasgow > Durham, England
5-Aug - Durham > Newcastle, England
6-Aug – Newcastle > Darmstadt, Germany
I found a picture a guy put up on Flickr of all the stuff he took for his trip. That was pretty cool to see, and quite helpful, so I did one of my own. Also, I’d originally planned on taking my trusty Osprey Talon 33 pack with me (since I use it for just about everything), but after packing it with all my stuff I realized it was not going to work. I’m taking about 12 kg with me, mainly because of the weight of my camera and tripod. The pack wasn’t built for that amount of weight, which meant that it would be annoying to carry the whole time. And all that weight for such a long period could damage it, whereas it might have lasted for many more years if used properly. As such, I somewhat begrudgingly invested in a new, larger pack. I got one that I can use for backpacking once I get home, too, since I’ve been wanting to get into that anyway. (Quick digression: I highly, highly recommend Osprey packs. I knew I liked Osprey, but I still tried a lot of different ones when buying this one. Nevertheless, Osprey turned out to be the best once again.) Here are pictures of all my stuff and the new pack ready to go:
Clicking on this picture will take you to its Flickr page where you can move your mouse over the image to see notes about what's there.
In Paris I’m staying with a family friend about 20 minutes outside of the city. I’m visiting a friend in Bunclody, Ireland that I met during the band exchange in high school. And I’m meeting up with one of my Dad’s good friends in Scotland, as he’s going to be traveling at the same time as I am. Other than that I’m traveling by myself. It has its downsides, sure, but I’m also really looking forward to it. For instance, I can spend as much time as I want taking pictures without worrying about keeping others waiting. That’ll be nice. Anyway, I think it’s gonna be awesome. Now I just need to finish up some planning stuff and get to bed. Departure: 5:15am tomorrow.
- Johnny
P.S. I’ll have my iPod with me, so I’ll try to post here now and then to update on what’s been going on.
Hi Johnny, What a wonderful way to keep track of your trip. Keep on blogging as often as possible so that we can follow along vicariously. Your itinerary sounds fabulous!! Who is your dad’s friend that you are meeting up with? (Never end a sentence with a preposition. Shame, shame, shame)! Have a wondeerful time , Johnny! Be safe, never let your passport, your $$$ or your camera out of your sight. Keep us posted on your travels. Love, Aunt El