BRUSSELS GUIDE

Here's a chart I made with some information on the sites we're interested in visiting in Brussels.

PACKING

Here's a list I made up for packing needs.

TO SLEEP OR NOT TO SLEEP

... that is the question indeed! We will be leaving for Europe in 2 days and have, since last Monday, been attempting to acclimatise. So far, I have adjusted to living 4 hours behind my normal time. I now eat breakfast while my family prepares for lunch! We are doing this in the hopes that it makes our overall adjustment a little easier. So far, it's just making me feel generally worn (although it hasn't done anything to smother the growing excitement!).

When I went to China a few years ago, I took some phony anti-jetlag pills. I doubt they worked but I did feel better than when I landed in England a few years before that.

Possible to avoid jetlag? Who knows - but we're giving gradual acclimatisation a try!

MAP

Here's a visual outline of our trip!

ANNECY GUIDE

Here's a chart I made with some information on the sites we're interested in visiting in Annecy.

ROME GUIDE

Here's a chart I made with some information on the sites we're interested in visiting in Rome.

AMSTERDAM GUIDE

Here's a chart I made with some information on the sites we're interested in visiting in Amsterdam.

NIMES GUIDE

Here's a chart I made with some information on the sites we're interested in visiting in Nimes.

VENICE GUIDE

Here's a chart I made with information about the sites we're interested in visiting in Venice.

PARIS GUIDE

Here's a chart I made with information about the sites we're interested in visiting in Paris.

THE BAG

Here's the bag I'll be using:

DOCUMENTS

Here's a list of the "documents" I'll be bringing:

• Passport (+ photocopy)
• Custom travel guides I made up for each city (I'll post them later)
• Maps
• Credit card (for emergency)
  
• Debit card (main source of $$)
  
• Insurance info
  
• An overall itinerary (I'll post this later)
• Hostel reservation info
  
• ISIC card
• HI card (picked up at Mountain Equipment Co-op)
• Photo ID cards and the like
  
• Passport-sized photos (you never know!)
  
• Flight tickets
• Eurail tickets (I'll post more information on our Eurail/train decisions later)
  

PLANNING

We leave for Europe in 20 days! Here's the plan:

• Frankfurt
• Rome
• Venice
• Florence
• Cinque Terre
• Nimes
• Annecy
• Paris
• Bayeux
• Brussels
• Amsterdam

We picked up our plane and Eurail tickets today and are busy making an itinerary/getting our various documents, maps etc. together. Soon, I will have to start packing!

I am not sure how often I will be able to blog while traveling as I plan to keep a pen-and-paper journal and sketchbook as well as e-mail close friends and family members. All that documentation coupled with the trip itself might leave little time to share on blogger, but I will definitely post our tips, some anecdotes, and as much useful travel information as possible!