Europe 2006 - Prologue

The academic year ended for me on or around May 21st, 2006. That’s when Olin College had its first commencement for the Class of 2006. I’m working on a post about that, but suffice it to say, after two years of warp-speed, it was time for a vacation.

Sometime in early May, we hastily bought tickets for a European vacation. Now, I enjoy soccer (natch, football) as much as the next guy, but Europeans redefine the saying “Love of Sport” when it comes to the World Cup. It just so happens that this gala event is going on in Europe right about now. Combined with the soaring cost of oil, it made traveling to Europe this summer pretty expensive. Okay, rant over.

With flights to London, Rome, and Florence booked only two weeks in advance, it was a chore finding places to stay. A swing through Trip Advisor helped me pick places that we could afford. I didn’t get a chance to do my usual OCD-like search for the best places to stay, but hey, it was last minute and I had better things to do.

So, I’m going to do something I’ve never done before — try and narrate my vacation in some sort of travel-log so that I can hopefully relive the experience better and share a little with friends and family.

It all begins in Boston…