We leave today! Why is the week before you leave on vacation always the worst week of your life? Is it because your head is already four thousand miles away so anything that tugs on that rubber-band and makes it snap back to the present automatically makes you more resentful? Maybe. But this was a bad week. Copper thieves suck. That’s all I’m going to say about it.

I’m definitely excited. I’ll feel better when we’re there. I hate the travel part of travel, but I’m ready to just get going already. The bags are packed. I’m here at work getting ready to serve heart-shaped french toast to 150 ungrateful employees and then I’m free. Wee!

Happy Valentine’s Day

Ok, back to travel. Those of you who know Eric might think this post is directed at him. It’s not. I came across this article about taking the bus around Europe. 12 years ago when I was made redundant at my job in London, I took the six weeks pay and bought a ticket on Eurobus. I couldn’t afford a Eurorail pass, and since I was a little apprehensive about solo-travelling around the Continent, the Eurobus pass seemed ideal.

Eurobus was run by a bunch of Australians and followed a circuit through Europe. It stopped in several cities, where you could choose to get off the bus or stay on. If you got off the bus, another one would be back in two days. The bus usually conveniently stopped at hostels. I was travelling in January and February so aside from all the Aussie drivers, most of my co-travellers were Aussies or Kiwis. I made a few friends, but most importantly I got to see Luxembourg, Lucerne, Venice, Rome, Florence, Nice, Brussels, Amsterdam, Munich, Heidelberg, Salzburg, Vienna, and Prague.

During the planning stages of our upcoming trip, I thought about Eurobus again. Train travel, especially with the weak dollar, is expensive. I couldn’t find Eurobus online, I don’t know if they exist anymore. I saw this article yesterday and it’s nice to know there are still some options for bus travel in Europe.

I know many people might not like the idea of taking the bus, the train is faster and more romantic. I understand. But I enjoyed taking the bus. I enjoyed seeing the countries pass by my window. It was meditative to stare out at the black forest and think about my future. I came out of that trip more brave and self-sufficient (not necessarily because of the bus, but the trip happened because of the bus). So there you have it, my official plug for taking the bus around Europe. Think about it!

Thank you Bill from the Walking Company. Thank you for spending an hour with me yesterday while I tried on every shoe in your store. The shoes I picked are ugly but they sure are comfortable.

Last night was full of anxiety dreams. I couldn’t check in on-line, I couldn’t get out of the office in enough time to get to the airport. All sorts of different machinations of ways that I somehow miss my flight, or forget to pack underpants or end up sitting on the plane naked. Hopefully these dreams won’t continue (or won’t come true!).

I took a trip around my living room and documented with my new camera. I think I made a good choice and it has been easy to learn all the settings. Look at how great a picture it took of my travel shelf!

We got a lot accomplished this weekend. We are still on-track to carry-on everything we’re bringing for 10 days. I’m going to practice pack tonight. It’s pretty exciting. I have all my under 3 oz. liquid containers shoved into my quart size ziploc. Considering how much we over-packed for Paris last year, this is almost liberating!

Special thanks to Mom for paying for the new shoes and Dad and Marge for buying us these great new Samsonite Spinners that will help us zip around the Italian train stations!

Yesterday I was feeling philosophical, therefore I couldn’t quite express myself in a coherent enough thought to post. It was the stress, I hate it when I have to work at work, or at least work 100% of my day. It’s actually better on my overall state of mind if I am busy, but despite that I still got all philosophical.

Oh, and then I lost my shit over some shoes. The shoe drama that I have created! I could write a telenovella. I tried to plan ahead, really I did. I didn’t want to spend the weekend before my trip in The Walking Company trying to get that idiot salesgirl to help me. But the best laid plans…and all that (how does that saying actually end?). Oh well.

Job wise I’m entering a panic pull my hair out mode. Trip planning has entered a zen floating on a cloud happy place where what will be, will be. As long as a can find some freaking shoes this weekend.

Way back in the sepia colored days of the 1980’s, back when I was but a young blonde lass of about thirteen, I used to take piano lessons. I was not too bad on the piano, my teachers always told me I played with a lot of emotion. I hated practicing though, so I never got very far. I used to hear songs and think I could play them on the piano. One of those songs was “Rhapsody in Blue.”

I’m thinking about this now because I’ve been on hold with United for 22 minutes and 55 seconds. I’m starting to hate “Rhapsody in Blue.” By the way, I never learned how to play it on the piano. I think my teacher actually snorted when I brought it up. I did learn Pachabel’s “Canon in D” and that still remains a favorite. Oh, and “Imagine,” but that was when I was in high school. Of course, put me in front of a piano now and I’m lucky to bang out “Heart and Soul.”

We watched the Venice episode of Passport to Europe for the fourth time last night. Samantha Brown may be plucky, but she’s a terrible travel show writer. It’s really more a show for armchair travellers, I think. I like my travel shows to show me things I might actually do while I’m in the featured town. I’m not going to be driving a gondola, I’m not going to be staying at the Hotel Danieli, and I’m not going to be personally blowing glass at the furnaces of Murano. But it’s always fun to see the sights, muster up some excitement and all that.

Ok, we’re at 27 minutes and 24 seconds now. This is the last thing on my to-do list. It’s an endurance test. I love how they keep on telling me to go to their website, but you can’t actually do anything from their website.

The countdown is at 8 days. The weather is looking good and I’m starting to feel foolish for ordering long underwear.

Today marks 9 days until departure. This is the part where eager anticipation curdles into blind panic about all the things that need to happen in those 9 days. Lately too, I’ve been cataloguing all the things I have to worry about while I’m in Venice. But I sloughed one of those worries off today so I’m feeling a little light on my feet all of the sudden. Maybe not that much really needs to happen between now and then. Maybe whatever world this is I’m spinning in will spin just fine without me. I tend to think it will. I’m ok with that too. In fact, I’m thrilled–weeeee! Spin world! Spin! I’ll be over there if you need me–somewhere in the Veneto trying really hard not to accidentally order donkey stew.