Europe 2010

I was reminded today that there are now only five sleeps left before we depart. I’ve come down with a throaty cough and a head cold so hoping that things will have cleared before I have to sit in a pressurised cabin for 20 hours. Vicks VapoDrops & Allens Butter-Menthols have been part of the diet for a couple of days and have helped keep me functioning.

We’ve done a trial pack of clothes and it looks like we’ll have one carry-on bag with about 10kgs in it! We’ll probably have to check it in for the flight, but impressed that we’ll only one small thing to drag around and store while on the move. We’ve got day packs as well and they’ve got some gear in them too, but nice to think we’ve only got the essentials…

I’ve set up this blog to connect with my WinJournal program that I’ve got running on the MSI netbook and giving it a try to make sure all the settings for uploading directly to blog server are OK. The test will be the photo above and the embedded link below to the Google Map I created with the trajectory of our travels. Let’s see how posting this goes… all good

View Europe 2010 in a larger map

we’re down to a week before we go flying on a jet plane… Wow – starting to get very exciting. This week’s been so busy I haven’t had any time to think about the trip, but from tonight – getting ready to go becomes a priority.

I’ll be doing a draft/test packing exercise tonight and then fine tune that over the next few days… Need to make sure we’ve pared down the clothes to the minimum and then check all the other bits and pieces that go in the day packs. I don’t have anything to read yet – so that’s another challenge.

Our friend Maryann has already headed off to Italy, and we’ll be catching up with her in Palermo on Monday week. Still seems a bit of a dream to be back in Italy this time next week, but it’ll be real enough in no time. Here’s hoping that I can relax enough to slow down and just take things as they come without having to think too much about what’s going to happen next. It’s going to be real nice to somewhere else (and foreign) and the warmer weather will be most welcome. I’ve come to the end of a few commitments and thankful that the travel will be filling up those potential empty spaces which can cause one to feel a little lost for a time. No doubt by the time we return, I’ll be ready to get back into work and find some new things to get involved in… but first some new adventures in ‘cibo, arte e architettura, linguaggio e del paesaggio.’ Ciao…

The days have been moving past quickly and we’re now down to three weeks before we head off to warmer climes. Lists are being compiled and we’re trying hard to double-check if something is really necessary. Our aim is to travel as light as possible and to make sure we don’t lug around stuff that we won’t use/need. One decision I have to make is whether or not I take my SLR camera or just stick with a small digital. So, I’m starting to feel the urgency of getting those last minute things organised.

It’ll be wonderful to be sitting in the boarding lounge ready to board after checking in and getting through departure/security. I know things will be fairly hectic up till then, but from then on it will be holiday time and no looking back! All that busyness behind us and the anticipation of being back in Italy and having adventures.

The anticipation has been building and memories from last year have encouraged my thinking about what the travelling will be like. Some of the places/things we’ll see again, but there will be lots of new stuff to marvel at. But, I’m feeling a little out of sorts as I think I’d much rather go and live in another country, than just go for a short visit. There’s a fair amount you can absorb as far as culture and customs in four weeks, but a long term stay will really help in getting to interact with locals and coming to understand how a country ticks. But then maybe that isn’t traveling – it’s living. So, for this trip I’ll be trying to get to know the locals a little more and being present in all the goings on, rather than be preoccupied with where we have to go next.