All Over the Platz

It's what you've all been waiting for... finally you get to see what we've been up to during summer 2000 while the rest of you were slaving away at jobs/school. This page is being created partly in self-defense, since we have discovered that looking at our vacation pictures was fun the first few times but became agonizing somewhere around the 15th time. Now, thanks to modern technology, we have written down our stories for you and have included only our very favourite pictures (whittled down from 456 to what we felt was the bare minimum that best represented our adventures). We have organized things as best we can, separating the trip into several pages for your viewing pleasure.

A brief introduction...

When I decided I wanted to backpack Europe, Rick was extremely quick to say he'd love to join me. (For all of those who know Rick, you also know his tendency to mull over important decisions for no longer than 5 seconds.) Before long, we had purchased plane tickets and began researching the trip. We knew that we would need good advice if we were to live out of our backpacks for 53 days. (For any of you who may be planning such a trip, we found great information at http://www.artoftravel.com/) I arrived in England a week before Rick and spent some time with some relatives, but it wasn't until I actually met up with Rick in London on June 20th that the real adventures began. With backpacks weighing us down and our trusty guidebook in hand, we thought we were prepared for anything. Kind of.
 

On to the adventures...

Part One : England
"Rick, there's a shower in the room!!!"

Part Two : More England
"Man, is the UK ever expensive!!!"

Part Three : Ireland and Scotland
"The beer's good, but where are the trains?"

Part Four : Canterbury to Berlin
From Chaucer's sacred land to Deutschland.

Part Five : Campingplatz
Campingplatz, campingplatz, campingplatz!!!

Part Six : Poland
"Czy rozmawiasz po angielsku?"

Part Seven : Paris...and Irene!
"Is every day this exciting?"

Part Eight : The Great Divide, Part I
Rick in Switzerland and Slovakia.

Part Nine : The Great Divide, Part II
Amy in Paris and Marseille

Part Ten : Roma
Viva Italia!!!! Vino, Trattoria, calcio!

Part Eleven : Cinque Terra
Heaven on earth.

Part Twelve : Pisa and Firenze
The weather is always perfect in Italia!

Part Thirteen : Salzburg and Werfen
Mozart among the mountains.

Part Fourteen : Amsterdam
A most beautiful and interesting city.

Zen and the Art of Travel Maintenance
Philosophy and priceless advice to the wanna-be-backpacker.