The enormity of it sets in...

Thursday 31 July 10am

(Click on box above for map of route)

One of my colleagues at work heard me talking about my trip. I mentioned some of the places I was going; Paris, Warsaw, Prague, Berlin. But it was not until I produced the map of my journey that he could grasp the enormity of it. I must confess that, until I had plotted the actual route, neither had I!

The complexity of it means that, apart from slotting information into folders, I will not actually do the destination research until I am on the train heading towartds the city. Otherwise, to be honest, one city becomes like another. I have enough trouble trying to remember where I have been or what tram went where, without it all becoming jumbled up in my brain.

The downside of this approach is, of course, that I may well forget to take something. This evening, when the packing gets sorted, maybe I will begin to realise.......

Preparation

Wednesday July 30

For three months now, I have been preparing for the trip I have been planning to do for many years.

Pictured at Malaga Station before the trip


It's a rail journey round Europe.

On paper, it all sounds very easy, but it's been like a military operation trying to plan it.

But the last bits of information are here from the various tourist boards, almost all the train journeys have been booked and the Thomas Cook rail map and timetables already look very well thumbed indeed.

A day at work tomorrow, then the, as always, last minute panic to decide what will have to stay at home and what I will absolutely NEED on my travels.

A kettle, absolutely! A jacket, hopefully not. Passport.

Oh my god!