#EuroTour2012: Prelude

So during my decision making process to come to Germany to play for the Baltic Hurricanes, I knew the biggest perk to going was the fact that I would be able to travel throughout Germany but more importantly, travel to other countries within Europe! I made my aspirations to travel clear to my coach and asked that he let me know the exact dates I would be free from football and have the time to travel to other places. He assured me that I would have ample time to travel the European countries and told me in addition to the bye-week (4-day weekend) I would also have a 2 week break and would be able to go anywhere I want. Well, like my previous post suggests, I took advantage of the bye-week by traveling alone to Frankfurt, Germany. Once I was guaranteed a 2 week vacation to travel, it pretty much solidified my decision to come to Germany!

Europe

I had been looking forward to the 2 week break and I immediately started to brainstorm the different places I wanted to travel once it was time for my voyage. I knew that more than likely I would be making this 2 week voyage alone (for the fact that if no one wants to accompany me, it will not stop me!) so I figured a few days in a few different places will be good enough. I can not imagine visiting one place all by myself for a week at a time.  So with 14 total days, I decided to go to several different places for at least 3-4 days each and all I needed to do now was figure out what places I would actually visit.  Initially I thought of places that I have heard about in movies or television shows.  Places like Amsterdam, Netherlands and Venice, Italy immediately came to mind. Amsterdam was an obvious choice because many people talk about the infamous red light district and "coffee shops" as "must see" places.  Venice, Italy is a popular location for many movies and after watching a few of these movies and realizing that most of the streets are water as opposed to the standard concrete roads, I knew I had to visit and experience the gondola rides (boats used for transportation) for myself!

Movie shot in Venice

The other places were all fair game at that point and so I began to research "best European countries to visit" while also asking some of my new friends in Germany about where they have been and what they liked.  Ibiza, Spain was one of the next places I was strongly considering and I actually have to give credit to a friend of mine back home in Houston whom I traveled to France with last year.  She mentioned Ibiza as a summer time hotspot and she has been trying to plan a trip there for herself. Well, I know she is well traveled and is pretty knowledgeable about these things so after a little more research on the island and learning that it is ranked as the #1 party island in the WORLD, it was a 'no brainer' that this will be a stop during the voyage! People who know me know I love a good party so why not go to where the best parties in the world are!? Duh! Haha.

So, with three places already decided upon I figured I had enough time on the schedule to choose two more places. Hmmmm, where should I go? Well at this point I looked at the map and the places I already chose in order to see which other places would be both great destinations and relatively close to my confirmed stops. I figured it would be easier to travel from the top to the bottom of the continent instead of going across all of Europe every time. I assume the cost of a 3 hour flight would cost much more than a one hour flight or train ride.  Knowing that Venice, Italy would be a stop of mine, I noticed that Rome, Italy was not too far away and after watching movies such as Gladiator and knowing that Rome is full of history I decided I would travel there as well.  With over a month before my 2 week break I had already decided on Amsterdam, Venice, Rome, and Ibiza (in that order) and began booking flights and hotels.  I scheduled the destinations as such: Amsterdam - 3 days, Venice - 2 days, Rome - 2 days, and Ibiza - 4 days (well, come on...the #1 party island in the world? of course I need more than 2-3 days! Haha).  Well, proper math shows that this is only 11 days and I was definitely going to take full advantage of my 14 day vacation.

Where Should I Go?!

Three more days left to visit one more place but again the question arose "where should I go?" but the answer did not come as easily this time. I spoke with several friends in Germany about where I should I go and I was being told several different places such as Prague in the Czech Republic or Hvar in Croatia or Paris in France etc.  Time slowly but surely passed and now instead of a month before the voyage I had only a week and still no decision for my last destination.  Feeling a bit flustered, I knew I had to decide quickly so that I could book a flight and hotel without spending an arm and a leg! So one morning during my final week before vacation, with the help of a friend I looked on the map of Europe and decided upon Budapest, Hungary! Previously Budapest was mentioned but I had never heard of it so I just dismissed the idea but my friend assured me that it was a beautiful place and was relatively cheap compared to other European countries.  After some quick research and looking at pictures, my flight and hotel was book that morning! Whew!
 
Moments later, I let out a big sigh of relief knowing that I was completely done with the planning and booking of my voyage which I now referred to as my "EuroTour2012"! Not long after this sigh of relief came the stark realization that this was actually going to happen and was soon followed by a little bit of anxiety!  I'm thinking to myself, "damn Mike, what have you gotten yourself into??".  During the planning of my EuroTour2012 I spoke with friends and family from America and some met these plans with skepticism and worry but I quickly dismissed their opinions due to my strong aspirations to travel and experience new places.  Now I have began to think, "shit, maybe they were right? It is a bit dangerous... Remember the movie "Taken"!? What if I'm sold into the sex trade!?" haha, although this feeling lasted for all of 10 minutes, it still crossed my mind! I did what I always do in situations where I'm unsure of the outcome, I prayed! My faith in God runs very deep and after praying for his protection during my travels, I was put at ease and I am now fully ready to get my #EuroTour2012 started!! Let's goooo!

Check out my upcoming posts about my experiences during #EuroTour2012 -- the good, the bad, and the ugly! :D

--Chief