A new meaning to "all but the kitchen sink"

  Andover, New York, United States
Tuesday, September 2, 2008

My bags are officially packed.  And for this trip, that's saying something. 

For those of you who are a bit outside the Butts family loop, my family is moving out of the house we've lived in for 25+ years. I graduated from Ithaca College in May and intended to get a job for the summer before taking this trip.  When the house sold a few days after graduation my job hunt came to an abrupt halt and I turned my focus on what needed to be done at home.  I spent the early part of the summer working on my own, and in July my mom stopped working at the hospital to join the packing and moving effort.  This Europe trip will follow a similar pattern: I'll be traveling by myself for the first two weeks and she'll join me for the last two weeks.  (Equal trip for equal work?) 

With a trip departure date set for just a few days before the new home owners take possession of the house, my packing list included the usual toiletries, swimsuit and a camera as well as beds, dressers and the contents of the refrigerator - a packing list of literally all but the kitchen sink.  Now after a summer's worth of packing and moving, the house is empty (minus the few odds and ends that no one knows what to do with).  My departure for Europe serves as a very welcome and definitive end to what has felt like a never-ending job.

Me in my very empty room

Given the chaos that has reigned in our lives for the past several months, preparation for this trip has been pretty scant. My half of the trip is relatively planned out with accommodation reserved and flights secured through the London, Bath, Barcelona, Paris and Strasbourg legs of the trip.  Once Mom joins me in Venice, we'll pretty much be flying by the seat of our pants.  We have a place to meet and sleep in Venice and a flight to get us from Rome to Athens, but Lonely Planet and Rick Steves will have to help us fill in the gaps as we go.  This goes very much against my strong organizational tendencies, but I'm going to use it as an exercise in spontaneity and run with it.

I depart Tuesday evening around 5pm from Rochester.  My cousin Susan is visiting from Louisiana (which coincidentally allowed her to run from Hurricane Gustav) and she's also flying out of Rochester that evening so we'll get to hang out at the airport together.  She's traveling on to a work commitment in Nashville, and I'm connecting through Cincinnati to London.  I'm due to arrive in London the morning of September 3rd. 

Here's where you can expect to hear from me throughout the trip:

September 3-6: London
September 6-7: Bath
September 7-10: Barcelona
September 10-12: Paris
September 12-15: Strasbourg (visiting Butts family relatives)
September 15-17: Venice (meet up with Mom)
September 17-18: Siena
September 18-22: through Tuscany to the Amalfi Coast
September 22-24: Rome
September 24-29: Athens to Mykonos and Santorini
September 29-October 2: Athens (meet up with cousin Megan and her boyfriend Scott)
October 2: Athens back to London
October 3: Fly out of London to home

I'll try to post at least once per destination and put up photos when I can. 

I'm signing off to do some last-minute prep (like making sure I have my passport).  Thanks so much to all of you for keeping up with my travels, and for all of your love and support no matter where I am in the world!  Talk to you next from the other side of the pond!

Amanda