Getting ready for a new adventure

Only 4 more sleeps until the next trip.  I love the pre-trip anticipation. Planning, getting everything ready to get the most out of the trip. Reading about the destinations, finding out the best places to go, what to see, what to avoid. I know, not everyone is as anal as I am about the details but there's something reassuring to me about having a list and checking it twice ;)

So the next trip is exciting for a few reasons.  It brings a bunch of first, as well as closing an important chapter in my life.  I get to experience my first cruise and visit southern Italy, Greece, Cyprus, Israel and Croatia for the first time.  Like a kid planning a trip to a candy store, I can't help but look forward to the history and architecture of the medieval city of Rhodes.  I've been told that the walled city of Dubrovnik is the jewel of the Mediterranean. At Bari we will take a side trip to Alberabello, a World UNESCO sights that looks like it will offer many fabulous photo ops. I know these are the places I'm most looking forward to discovering, but I wonder what will end up being the favorite place or discovery from the trip.

But, I also get to go back and visit old favorites like Venice,that ending up being quite one of the high notes from my Italian trip in May 2010.  I get to back to Paris and see the city of lights decorated for Christmas (apparently les Champs Élysées will be especially beautiful, decked out in firs and lights).  I look forward to the Louvre and Versailles, Champagne 5à7. And, the reason behind the trip, convocation at Paris-Dauphine.  The last chapter of my MBA experience and hopefully signaling the beginning of another chapter.

So, for those who don't know and I'm not sure where you've been because I've been talking about this trip since July, here's the itinerary: fly to Paris, take an Easy Jet flight to Venice that afternoon.  The next day, board the MSC Magnifica ship that will be our home base for 11 hopefully magical days and nights.  Our ship will dock in Bari, Italy; Rhodes Greece; Limasssol, Cyprus; Haifa, Israel; Katakalon (Olympia), Greece; Dubrovnik, Croatia; Ravenna, Italy before heading back to Venice.  From there, we will make our way to Paris for five days of visiting, convocation and the wonderful sound of the pop of the Champagne cork.

I've mentioned to a few my desire to post the thoughts I would have otherwise journalled.  I hope to be able to entertain you a little as I go and it serves the added bonus of keeping in touch, albeit in a one sided conversation.  For those who are interested, I will post when I can connect to the Internet during the trip.  I'm told I won't have much access to the Internet, at least not on my budget, but I will try to post.  So if you're interested in my posts you can follow my blog by email, that way you'll be notified by email when I post.  Otherwise, you can chose to just follow and go see every once in a while.  Feel free to comment if you want.  I won't be posting on Facebook as I'd rather not let the world know I will be leaving my house unattended but I'm sharing this blog with Friends and Family.

Europe here I come ;)