Around Western Europe in 90 days

Despite me telling most of you 2 months ago about my travel plans, it is now officially announced at work that i’ll be taking 3 months off at the start of June to swan around Western Europe. Details at this stage are sketchy (i’ve got at least 3 weeks to plan everything, heaps of time right?) but here’s a rough guide that I wrote on a napkin last night:
Starting in Paris on 3rd of June I’ll make my way down the west coast of France to the D-Day beaches in Normandy, Brittany, Bordeaux wineries and Biarritz surf beaches.

Then i’ll make a mad dash through Bilbao for the Guggenheim Musem, Lisbon and onto Lagos to meet up Fi and some mates for the middle of June.

Post-Lagos i’m headed to Madrid for a short stay and then taking a flight back to London for a week including Ascot Races, the O2 Wireless Festival in Hyde Park (Massive Attack, DJ Shadow, Flaming Lips and Pharrell) and Roger Waters playing Dark Side of the Moon in all its glory at the same venue a week later.

I’ll then return to the Southern coast of Spain slowly making my way up to Valencia for the Benicassim festival (Strokes, Franz Ferdinand, Babyshambles, Placebo and lots of dance crap) in late July to meet up with Fi and some more mates. Essentially a Glastonbury set on the beach in much better weather.

After Valencia i’ll continue north up the coast towards Barcelona and then onto SE France to Nice, Monaco and the Cote d’Azur.

Early August i’ll meet Verity in Italy and then jet off to Croatia for a cruise around the islands and coast.

August is hazy at this stage but will most likely consist of some Italian slumming (at this stage i’ll be broke) and somehow making my way back to London for an inglorious return to work.

In the meantime Fi is moving in with Kate Mac, Jules and Reusse (which worries me a lot) for two months and then will move back into our current house at the start of August. Thankfully another couple are moving back to Oz and we get to stay in our beautiful house.

I’m off to Brussels with Verity and Carl this weekend for some outlandish drinking behaviour and then have 3 weeks of preparation before departure. Life is moving very fast at the moment.

Comments:

Ross (May 11th, 2006 at 12:07 pm)
Do you need people to carry your bags—Mum and I have decided we’re available! Do you move back into the same room at wandsworth?

Campbell (May 11th, 2006 at 12:21 pm)
We’re moving up in the world - to the top floor that is. We are trading having our own entrance and the clothes washer for a 4th floor balcony with views across to North and East London, less street noise and less storage space.

Sarah (May 12th, 2006 at 3:11 am)
Oh…..the youth of today!!!