A European Smorgasbord

Well, it's spring and Europe is, not surprisingly, calling to me loud and clear!  So, I am heading off on April 10th.  This trip is going to be a bit of a smorgasbord or "European buffet" given that I will be visiting 12 countries over two months - spending more time in some than in others - sampling the various cultures, architectures and foods that Europe has to offer.  Initially, I thought of calling the blog, "If it's Tuesday, it must be Belgium" after the 1969 movie of the same name.  However, given that Belgium is one of the few countries not on my itinerary, I nixed that idea.  So, a smorgasbord it is.

This all started because my sister decided she wanted to join a group from a Portuguese Catholic church here in Victoria on a 10 day pilgrimage to Portugal.  I pointed out no one in the right mind would go overseas just for 10 days - okay, I have but that is different - so I suggested meeting up with her somewhere so she could extend her vacation for two more weeks.  What a good sister I am to make a sacrifice like that!  It doesn't take much to motivate me to take another European trip.  I think the count is around 100 of them now!  Once that was decided, the rest just sort of fell into place.

So, this morning (April 2nd), I picked Kath up at her home and dropped her at the airport for her flights to Lisbon.  

Kathleen all ready for her Portuguese adventure

The plan is to meet her in Budapest about 10 days from now and then spend two weeks exploring that city plus Vienna and Prague with her.  I love Budapest and am looking forward to seeing it again.  I will be able to get to some places I missed when I was there four years ago.  Next up will be Vienna and, since I have only spent half a day there and that was nearly 30 years ago, it will be interesting to explore it.  After that, we go to Prague which, for me, has always been special.  The Charles bridge, even with the crowds, is magical!

On the 27th, Kath heads home and I will fly to Amsterdam where, if everything goes according to plan, the tulips will be in full bloom for my day trip to Keukenhof.  Because I then had just over 2 weeks to fill in before meeting a friend in Paris, I decided to take a Baltic cruise.  Cruises are not my thing but I figure this will be the only way I will ever get to see, even for a short time, the cities of Copenhagen, Killinn (Estonia), St. Petersburg, Helsinki and Stockholm.  Following the cruise, I have a couple of days in Rotterdam before I move on.
  

I will continue on to Paris, one of my favourite cities. While I am in France, my friend and I will also spend time in the Loire valley and the Dordogne region before we drop our rental car in Bordeaux.  That is another city I have yet to visit so am looking forward to exploring it.  

Next up, after a one-night stopover in Paris, I will head to London and spend two weeks visiting friends and relatives in the UK.  

It was quite a complicated itinerary to put together and, while I am not particularly looking forward to the cruise and the "guided" excursions, it is probably, as I mentioned, the easiest way to see the Baltics.  Being herded around in big groups just isn't my thing.  The independent travel I will be doing for the rest of the trip is what I much prefer.  So, I hope this extended journey will be exciting, interesting and educational.  For sure, I will be seeing lots of new places as well as revisiting others that I love.  Fingers crossed it all goes well!