Getting Ready to Hit the Road...or Rather, the Tracks

It has been way too long since I've written, and plenty has been going on.  I might get around to catching up on things, but for now I shall do the opposite and look forward 1.5 weeks...to when we arrive in Europe!  Bryan and I have friends getting married in Germany over the Easter weekend, so we decided to put some of those hard-earned frequent flyer miles to use and attend the wedding.  And if you're going to spend that many miles on a trip, you might as well get the most out of it...so we got Eurorail passes and are going to do a test run packing our backpacks this weekend. 

After MANY hours of research, we settled on the following rough itinerary...and though we are blessed with a nice long trip, we had to agree to save lots of places for another time.  So many options!

The pictures were pulled off the internet...real ones to come post-trip!

 

April 15-19: Paris, France.  We plan to see the sights in Paris such as the Eiffel Tower, Sacre Coeur, Arc de Triomphe, Notre Dame, the catacombs, the Louvre,etc, and maybe catch a concert in Sainte Chapelle and take a Seine River cruise.  We'll also take a day to visit Versaille, and one to see the Cathedral in Chartres.

April 20-21: Interlaken/Murren/Schlithorn, Switzerland.  Though a bit our of our way on the path from Paris to northern Germany, we're hitting Switzerland next in order to catch some of the mountain-top lifts before they close.  We're hoping for some great views from the tiny Swiss towns of Murren and Grimmelwald, as well as a cable car ride up the Schlithorn. 

April 22-24: Eutin, Germany.  This small town in northern Germany is the site of the wedding festivities.

April 25: Haarlem/Keukenhof, Netherlands.  The famous tulip garden will be in full bloom while we're there!

April 26: Amsterdam, Netherlands.  The Van Gogh Museum, Anne Frank House, a boat ride, and neighborhood stroll are on the itinerary for this day.

April 27-28: Cinque Terre, Italy.  Five little cliff towns on the Italian Riviera?  Yes please!  We're going to stay in Monterosso, but do the 4-hour hike among the towns to see them all.  Time permitting, we'll also pop over to Pisa to photograph the infamous tower.

April 29: Florence, Italy.  Bryan's one request was to see the David, so we're stopping in Florence for a day to do just that.  We'll also wander through the markets, the Duomo, the Bapistry, and a church or two.

April 30-May1: Venice, Italy.  The Piazzo San Marco is on the list, with St. Mark's Basilica and Doge's Palace.  We'll also see the Bridge of Sighs and the Frari Church, and possibly take a trip to Murano (famous for it's glass work).

May 2-5: Rome, Italy.  The Trevi Fountain, Pantheon, Forum, Capital Hill, the Vatican, Borghese Gardens, Colosseum, and Spanish Steps, as well as numerous churches like St. Peter's Basilica, Santa Maria Maggiore, and San Clemente.  Time permitting, we'll jet out to Ostia Antica (ruins of a port city) and/or the ruins of Hadrian's Villa at Tivoli.

May 6: Rothenburg, Germany: This tiny, well-preserved walled city is a delightful way to spend a day.

May 7: Salzburg, Austria.  It's a bit ambitious for a day-trip from Munich, but we'll try to see the Mozartplatz, Glockenspiel, Panorama, Cathedral, St. Peter's Cemetary and Church, Getreidegasse, Hohensalzburg Fortress, and Mirabel Gardens.

May 8: Neuschwanstein Castle/Munich: The "Disney fairy tale castle" will keep us busy for most of the day, followed by the Munich Glockenspiel and English Gardens, as time allows.

May 9: Flight(s) from Munich home...

And so we are very excited, but still in the work and get-things-ready mode...good thing we have a few days left before we leave!  Any last-minute takers want to join us!?