Julia and Friends Travel to Europe

I love this blog because it started as a chronicle of a simple, impromptu Reading Week vacation to Toronto and Montreal but I see it as a permanent fixture in my traveling repertoire.

This year is the year of changes and I think it is time this blog received a makeover to reflect the dynamic and fluid image of the world I perceive each time I travel. I suppose 2009 is not the best year to travel, since the entire world is experiencing a global recession that is devaluing currency, increasing unemployment, destabilizing international markets. Yet, the best time to buy plane tickets is during the tourist off-season and 2009 represents an entire year of off-season for most of the world.

So that only leaves one question: where are we going? Well, my friends, that was up for debate until a week ago when I carved out an itinerary (by ignoring work for an entire 4 hours, of course) and started booking hostels, train, and plane tickets. Yes, this year brings Julia & Company to Spain.

With only two weeks holidays to spare in the summer, I knew I had to make the days count. I had taken a lovely European tour when I was in middle school, but the whirlwind tour only taught me that two days in a country is hardly enough to appreciate any aspect of its culture. Thus, my goal was to spend at least four days in every city (excepting Toledo) to make sure that I got everything that I exhausted the tourist haunts and more. The cities we will visit include: Paris, France; Barcelona, Madrid, and Toledo. If I had more time, I would also see Valencia, Ibiza, and Seville. Also, I wanted to make it to Portugal, but that would have rushed my Spanish Holiday and probably killed my bank account.

With trip planning comes "future trip planning" because you get the travel bug from just glancing at flight plans. For future trips: Northwest Spain and Portugal; Greece and Morrocco; the UK. If anybody would like to join me on said trips, please feel free to fire me a message. In this frame of mind, I am ready to drop everything to get out of here!

Next entry: the itinerary!!