Preparation

I have never planned so far in advance for a holiday as this one and it is not a good idea, for me anyway. I have spent way too much time overthinking and planning every detail, not to mention second-guessing every decision (last time we went to Europe we decided to take a holiday 4 weeks before we left and it worked well - except for a strange taxi, or not taxi, experience in Paris!). I do think that basically we have a good plan though and I am looking forward to it.

The planning is becoming so detailed that I even have 2 dinners (one in Zurich and one in London) and a BBQ booked in October! I will have the opportunity to meet people in Switzerland who I used to work with, and this will be great. I am very excited to be able to share this part of the journey with Adam. I am also looking forward to catching up with my cousins Julie & Clinton who have moved to the UK.

One benefit of planning so far ahead is the ability to use the holiday as a motivation for achieving a much more personal goal. On the 1st of December last year I decided enough was enough and I had to get healthy. I am quite pleased with the achievement so far - I am 2/3 of the way to my target weight (this represents a loss of over 25kg) am much fitter, healthier and happier. I managed to find a particularly unflattering picture of me taken at my nephew's birthday in November but don't have a current picture. I will eventually post a before and after. What is constantly amazing to me is that I didn't see the weight. I look now and wonder where I put those 25 kg and how I didn't notice. I have found that I have a lot more energy and activity is much simpler.

I fear I am becoming addicted to airing my thoughts in this way. I am prone to waffle so I will have to watch myself carefully but Pam has sent a clear warning to write or get bumped off her list so I am writing! It should become a lot more interesting in 1 month, 1 week and 4 days when the travelling actually begins!

Chel

The Itinerary - updated 11 October 2007

Click the below link to see this trip on a map
http://www.tripadvisor.com/MemberProfile?uid=257EBF835DD0E8C38307FB4F73F9F553&c=pt

August 14 Depart Melbourne, Australia
August 15 Manchester, England - staying with Cousins Dan & Lauren

August 22 Cambridge, England

August 23 Suffolk, England - staying with Cousin Olive

August 28 Kent, England

August 29 Leeds Castle

August 30 Catching up with Auntie Jennifer, Jo & Gavin

August 31 Romford, England

September 1 Paris, France - meeting up with Belinda and Matt, my travel companions in Europe

September 1 - 2 Walking through Paris

September 3 Walking through Paris - Place de la Concorde, Arc d'Triumph, Champs-Elysees,

September 4 Eiffel Tower, Notre Dame, Sunset at Sacre Cour

September 5 Tuilleries, Louvre

September 6 Disneyland Paris

September 8 Mont Saint Michel, France

September 9 Saint Malo & Fondettes, France

September 9-11 Tours & Loire Valley, France
September 12 Clermont-Ferrand, France

September 13 La Force & Carcassone, France via Millau Viaduct

September 14 Marseillan Plage, France

September 15 Sete, France

September 16 Nice, France

September 17 Provence, France

September 18 Monaco

September 19 Varese Ligure, Italy

September 20 Pisa & Lucca, Tuscany, Italy

September 21 Sestri Levante, Ligure, Italy

September 22 Fidenza Shopping Village, somewhere in Italy

September 23 Portovenerre & Santa Margherita Ligure

September 24 Lerici & Cinque Terra

September 25 Santa Margherita, San Fruttousco & Rapallo

September 26 Luzern, Switzerland

September 27 Mount Pilatus, Switzerland

September 28 Heidelberg, Germany

September 29 Strasbourg, France

October 2 Baden-Baden, Germany - Bye to Belinda & Matt, Hello Adam

October 4 Zurich, Switzerland

October 7 Interlaken, Switzerland

October 8 Jungfraujoch

October 9 Zermatt, Switzerland

October 10 Klien Matterhorn

October 11 Geneva, Switzerland

October 12 Paris, France

October 14 London, England

October 18 Tokyo, Japan

October 21 Melbourne, Australia - Home