Revised itinerary
Trip Start
Jan 03, 2004
1
12
26
Trip End
Dec 2004
Kathmandu,
Nepal
Tuesday, May 11, 2004
Rome, Italy (May 25-May 28) We'll recuperate from over 5 months traveling in Asia by spending several days in Roma. We'll enjoy Italian wine, gelato and other culinary delights and will also make time to see the Colliseum and other major attractions.
Amalfatina, Italy (May 28-June 1) We'll take the train down to Naples for a short break before continuing further south to the Amalfi Coast, one of the most beautiful coastlines in the world.
Tuscany, Italy (June 2-15) We'll stay on a family-run organic farm near Pisa for several weeks helping with needed chores on the farm. On June 14, we'll have a couple glasses of Tuscan chianti to celebrate Andy's 30th birthday.
Bologna, Italy (June 16-July 18) We'll take a short train ride to Bologna, the location of our summer residence and Andy's month-long employment. Andy will be teaching a course on Conflict Resolution and Human Rights to university students on a summer exchange program.
Central Europe (July 19-August 1) After Andy finishes teaching, we'll take a train up north to Vienna to begin our tour of Central Europe by rail. Over the next two weeks we'll visit baroque palaces in Prague, view the stunning architecture in Krakow's Old Town quarter, explore the rugged beauty of the Carpathian mountains and walk along the scenic Danube river in Budapest. We'll return to the Austrian capital and will hopefully catch an opera.
Saint Victor La Coste, France (August 2-14) We'll take a train to Avignon in southern France to begin a two-week gig helping to restore old French villas and mansions. We'll be volunteering for an organization called La Sabranenque (www.sabranenque.com) in the quaint Provencal town.
Barcelona, Spain (August 15-19) We'll take the train to Spain's lively northern city of Barcelona. We'll spend a few days seeing the city's sights in the mornings, taking afternoon siestas and experiencing the famous Spanish nightlife.
Bordeaux, France (August 20-24) We'll cross back into France to visit the beautiful region of southwest France. We'll relax in one of the rural villages and might rent a car to drive in the surrounding countryside.
Paris, France (August 25-26) We'll spend two days in the world famous city to visit the Eiffel Tower and other obligatory sights.
London, England (August 27-28) We'll spend one night in London on our way to Africa. We'll see the city on a double decker bus and will hopefully catch a show in the theater district that night.
Kenya and Uganda (August 29- September 20) We'll fly to Nairobi to begin a three-week overland safari entitled "Gameparks and Gorillas". Expected highlights over the next 21 days will include camping within sight of Kilimanjaro, viewing wildlife in the world-famous Masai Mara and, of course, tracking mountain gorilla families in the forests of extinct volcanoes.
Pretoria, South Africa (September 21-25) We'll hopefully spend a few days catching up with some old friends who will be in the South African capital.
Drakensburg, South Africa (September 26-30) We'll spend several days hiking in the sheer and jagged escarpment that splits South Africa from Lesotho.
Durban, South Africa (October 1-5) We'll enjoy the laid-back beach scene and possibly try surfing some of the world-class waves. We might also journey to nature reserves and villages along the coast of the KwaZulu-Natal province.
Buenos Aires, Argentina (October 7-10) We'll fly across the Atlantic to one of South America's most vibrant cities. After a few meals of thick Argentine steaks, we'll take a long bus ride to Patagonia.
Bariloche, Argentina (October 11-October 25) We'll take a two-week intensive Spanish class in the scenic city at the foot of the Patagonian Andes mountains. We'll also enjoy hiking opportunities in the nearby area.
Chile (October 26-November 7) With our new Spanish language skills, we'll cross the border into southern Chile and tour the picturesque Lake District. We'll also journey down to hike around the dramatic Torres del Paine national park.
Rio, Brazil (November 8-11) We'll spend several days in the vibrant Brazilian capital, laying on the beaches of Ipanema and Cocacabana and watching the locals dance samba and play soccer. We'll also try hangliding over the majestic city.
Brazil (November 12-December 12) We'll purchase a Brazil airpass to cover some of the long distances and see as much as we can over the next month. We'll defintely sample some more of the beaches in the northern towns of Fortaleza or Natal. We'll also head to the heart of Afro-Brazilian culture in Salvador. If time permits, we'll take a guided jungle tour deep into the Amazon by river boat to see wildlife and indigenous tribes.
Port of Spain, Trinidad and Tobago (December 13-14) We'll fly from Belem, Brazil and make a brief stopover in this small country in transit to the Caribbean.
St. Kitts, Caribbean (December 15-21) We'll rendezvous with a friend working in the Peace Corps as we enjoy the last couple days of our trip on the beach and take time to mark our one year anniversary and also the last day of TGA '04!
Denver, USA (December 22) We come home-- just in time for Christmas! Our last day of travel will include layovers in San Juan, Miami and Chicago before we get to Denver.
