My next adventure

I'm leaving tomorrow to spend two weeks in Europe, which, needless to say, is pretty exciting. I had the time of my life when I spent a semester in Italy in 2003 and this will be my first time back.

I'll be visiting my old Cathedral High School friend Brett and his wife Cyndy, and meeting their two little kids, Madison and Hunter, for the first time. Brett's in the Air Force, stationed in western Germany. I'll also be visiting another CHS friend, Chris. Chris is in the seminary in Rome, but we're meeting up in Milan, because neither of us have been there yet. I'm hoping to see Lake Como while I'm there.

The rest of the trip is pretty wide open. I didn't make it to Switzerland last time I was in Europe, so I'm planning on spending a few days in Interlaken (or near Interlaken). My old college roommate, Gustavo, has a sister living in Paris who I may try and visit (I've been to Paris, but it's the sort of place I certainly wouldn't mind visiting again, especially since it's less than three hours by train from Brett's house). If I have a couple free days, I may try to hit up the Romantic Road, which runs through Bavaria (southern Germany).

I'm trying to leave some flexibility just to keep things laid-back. I'll try and blog a couple times while I'm there. In the meantime, here's a list of things I'm looking forward to:

1. Speaking Italian

2. The Swiss Alps

3. Traveling on trains

4. Meeting people in hostels

5. Castles

6. Italian women (two words: Monica Bellucci)

7. German beer halls

8. Brek

9. Haggling with hoteliers/merchants desperate for tourist dollars

10. Deli sandwiches made with the freshest meats/cheeses/breads

11. Gelato

12. 5-euro bottles of house wine

13. Neighborhoods where the newest houses were built in the 1800s

14. Getting another stamp on my passport

15. Two weeks without worrying if there's anything good on TV