The woes of packing light for a MONTH

So this is what it looks like when you have 2 moms (mine and sara's) who want to "just give you a few things before you leave".

And that doesn't include the snacks, books, or other "just incase" items. :)

I do greatly appreciate everyone's gifts, advice, and well wishes for us on our travels. Its been very challenging for me, as a novice, to pack LIGHT for a MONTH. I don't even pack LIGHT for a week. I bring 5 bikinis for a 5 day beach trip! So with the help of some friends and one Rick Steves, I think I managed just fine.

Packed up a 40 L pack with the help of packing cubes and some super tight rolling skills. All together the pack weighs around 22lbs. Not too shabby huh? My packing rules changed from "bring your favorites" to "bring what will look decent wrinkled, dirty, and/or can be washed in the sink". Sara, on the other hand, has been living for 2 years out of a backpack, so she's an expert. I'm sure she will put me to shame when I see her gear.

This is me and my pack... and no, that's not an outfit I am bringing, but my mom insisted I pose for the picture. It gives you an idea of what a "40 L pack" looks like.

But nevertheless, I am very proud of myself, so I took pictures to show everyone how efficiently I packed. Yes, that's ALL i'm bringing. But its amazing how small you can roll up tank tops and tshirts and really get a lot into those cubes. I was told to "only bring the necessities, things you can mix and match, and you will not regret it". Mission accomplished.

A trip of a lifetime!

On Friday, April 30th I will be on a flight to Cairo, Egypt to reunite with my best friend who I haven't seen in over 2 years. From there we will embark on a month long journey through Europe, truly an adventure of a lifetime.

As most of you know, Sara has been in the Peace Corps in Zambia since February of 2008. She has recently finished her duties and will be returning to the states to attend law school in the fall. But before she comes home, we have decided to take advantage of this opportunity and travel together. We have laid out an amazing itinerary and are very excited to embark on our trip!

I wanted to create a blog so that everyone at home can follow along with us on our journey. I will have a global blackberry and will be able to update it fairly often. This way, we can share pictures and stories of our travels and keep everyone in the loop. Feel free to comment, email, or message us, as I anticipate having fairly reliable internet access.

As I mentioned, we are meeting in Cairo, Egypt. We have 4 days there and then its off on a flight to Athens. We will spend some time in the city and will also visit the Greek Isles, Mykonos and Corfu. From Corfu we are catching a ferry over to Italy. Although very tentative the plan is to see Capri, Sorrento, Rome, Venice, and Florence. Then we will take a few days to travel through the French Riviera, probably seeing Nice, Cannes, and Antibes along the way. We will spend a couple days in Spain's Costa Brava and enjoy the beautiful beaches there. And then its off to Barcelona to meet up with Louisa (my friend who lives there) and Koo (Sara's friend who is visiting). We will spend the remainder of the trip there before I bring our beloved red head home on June 1st. :)

I talked to Sara today and we are both very excited to see each other and begin our adventures! She has been living out of a backpack for two years, so she's ready to go. I, however, have a couple packing dry runs and a few more things to pick up in the next 2 weeks. We've been planning on a big trip like this ever since she left, so its hard to believe its finally here! Let the countdown begin!!