Have I gone insane?

While my head's not throbbing too badly, I decided to use my time wisely and conduct a bit of research about what there is to see and do in Paris.

I found myself a useful little site with lists of the things there are to see and do in Paris, and it's got me thinking that I just want to take J's suggestion of just 'showing up and exploring' and run with it.
The plan thus far is 5 days in Paris, 5 days in Prague and 5 days in Amsterdam (was going to do 5, 4, 5 but what's an extra day, hey?). Surely 5 days is sufficient time to explore and wander and discover new and exciting things about a culture that is totally alien to me? I'm uncertain at this stage as to whether J will be joining me in Prague & Amsterdam, but if so, he has been to both of these cities (well, der, he lives in The Netherlands, of course he's been to Amsterdam!) and can be my tour guide - he doesn't know this yet ;) He'll be joining me in Paris, and he's yet to explore Paris himself, so I'm sure we'd be able to keep ourselves well entertained for 5 days, right?
I fear that if I create a list of things I want to see/do/experience, I'll be bitterly disappointed if I miss out on something, or if it's not as fabulous as my wild imagination has created it to be in my mind. If I just show up and run amok, with J in tow, I think it would be much more fun, and really be the Adventure I'm wanting it to be.

Tell me I'm crazy if you wish, but doesn't the idea of 5 days in Paris, wandering around finding wonderful things to see/do/experience, with no planned itinerary sound pretty darn cool?

More Planning

I decided to research my Europe trip a little more yesterday, and step one was to pick what cities I want to visit.
Into my 'Europe on a Shoestring' I delved, laptop at the ready to convert currencies and work out where was going to fit into my budget. Paris: non-negotiable, must be at Eiffel Tower on Valentines Day, so might as well see the rest of the city; Amsterdam: free accommodation, would be absurd to pass up on that; Anywhere in Italy: my guide suggested that it would be double the cost of either Paris or Amsterdam. Hmmm.
Flicky flick, check the map for cities that aren't *too* far away, as I want to limit travel time and maximise explore time. Consider somewhere in Switzerland (dreaming of chocolate here) but decide against it (can't recall why) then recall a suggestion of Prague. Straight to the section on the Czech Republic, tappity tap into a currency convertor. Done. Prague is it. Ridiculously cheap and J advises me that it's an amazing city. I'm sold. Accommodation for about 12AUD a night? I think I can handle that. Yes, it's in a dorm room, but it's only for four nights. Paris accommodation will be a private room, Amsterdam accommodation in J's house. I think I can handle four nights in a 10-bed dorm room if it's going to cost me less than $50.

Basic itinerary as it stands: Brisbane to Paris, Paris to Prague, Prague to Amsterdam, Amsterdam to Paris, Paris to Brisbane. (It's cheaper to get a return flight, from what I've found so far, and I'm sure I could handle a jaunt back to Paris!)

But I'm not excited ... Honest?

The Planning Begins!

Over the next 8 months or so, I'll be updating on the progress of My European Adventure plans. I'm so excited, I could blog about it every day, but I won't :)

One of my lovely friends, and her boyfriend, were kind enough to buy me a bookstore voucher for my birthday, so that I could buy myself a Lonely Planet guide. So this morning, off I toddled, straight to the Travel Section and picked up 'Europe on a Shoestring'. I thought about getting a more localised guide, but given that I am having strong thoughts of further travel, figured this would best suit my needs.
All day, I sat and thought about that book sitting in my bag, wanting to rifle through it and fill my mind with all things Europe! Somehow I resisted (the numerous emails waiting to be processed could've had some impact) until around 4.30pm, when I had a bit of a flick through and excitement filled me once again.
There's so much to see and do, I just know that I'm going to want to be back on the plane as soon as I leave. I will contain myself though, and focus on three cities for now. Paris, Amsterdam and somewhere in Italy. Possibly Venice. I'll do a few days per city and explore to my heart's content.

This week will also see the start to my savings. I'll have to live to tight budget to save enough in time, but it be so rewarding to land in Paris next February, on the start of an adventure into what will feel like another world.

*sigh* February, how I long to see you ...

xx

ETA - Eek! Passport application is complete! Photos to be taken, application to be sent. It's happening!!