Hi Everyone!

My vacation is past due, so I'm taking off to the beautiful countries of 
Central/Eastern Europe for a while to catch up on my photography and see the 
world.  I'm putting on the backpack and continuing where I left off from my last 
trip  ... so what's different this time?

Just a few things I've learned from my last trip.  I'm toting a real, non-
Walmart backpack, and I'm carrying a digital compass to get my bearings right 
the first time.  The pack is slightly heavier because it's colder, but it's got 
wheels for when I discover that Central Europe is far more developed than I 
imagined.  Finally, I created a custom "condensed" travel book, meaning that I 
cut the binding off my copy of "Let's Go Europe" and am taking only the sections 
I need.  Tip: Add a few useful blank pages in the front for notes if you ever do 
this (before binding the pages).

The biggest change is that I'm skipping some rail travel and am taking advantage 
of the cheap flights available on low cost carriers.  My flight to London to 
Italy (near Venice) is 30GBP.  No kidding - have a look at ryanair.com!  Some 
flights are free too (well, they have to charge 1 cent) - all you have to pay is 
the airport taxes!  If someone knows how they turn a profit, please let me know.

I've also obtained good fares for rail travel online.  My return day trip all 
the way across the UK to Bath and back costed a quarter of the price quoted for 
me at the local travel agency, no student discounts or anything.  So my next big 
tip is to use qjump.co.uk for rail travel in the UK.

I also will be travelling on buses more as they are better developed than trains 
in Croatia.  As for getting around in the cities, I'm going to give scooters and 
bikes a try.  I really wanted to travel this time with detachable inline skates, 
but this is probably better saved for a "Western Europe, The Sequel" trip.


So now, the itinerary!

London, England
Bath, UK
Trieste, Italy
Ljubljana, Slovenia

The Adriatic Coast:
Split, Croatia
Hvar Island, Croatia
Dubrovnik, Croatia

Zagreb, Croatia
Budapest, Hungary
Bratislava, Slovakia
Vienna, Austria

The Tatra Mountains

Krakow, Poland
Auschwitz, Poland
Wroclaw, Poland
Prague, Czech Republic
Cesky Krumlov, Czech Republic
Salzburg, Austria
Munich, Germany


So, can I survive on $10 a day in Eastern Europe?  Are there still land mines in 
some places I will be travelling through?  Will I be staying in some friendly 
stranger's home?  How are the operas in Vienna?  Can I take a bath in Bath?  Is 
there life beyond potatoes, sausages, and schnitzels on Eastern European 
platters?  Will I learn how to pronounce "Ljubljana" properly?  Do they really 
give out stickers and candy on the buses in Croatia?  

All questions and more will be answered in the coming weeks!


Jesse