Getting Ready

For the past two weeks (months, really) I've been burying my nose in several travel books. I've taken leisurely strolls through Barcelona and Venice and the French Riviera and Amsterdam, and Belgium. I've read about the countless museums and churches and buildings that have been around for centuries. I've seen pictures of the canals in Venice and the skyline that can be seen from the London Eye. I'm captivated by all of the things that I've read and by the pictures I've seen and I almost don't believe that I will (in 17 short days) see many of these things FIRSTHAND! I'll be in Europe (London mainly) for 30 days and I hope to see everything and go everywhere that I possibly can.

In addition to relying on the ever helpful Fodor's guidebook to just about every imaginable destination, I've also been diving into the representation of the great city of London from British fiction writers. I've read about five books in the past week that take place in London. They highlight not only the vastness of the city but also the eccentricities and cultural differences that can only be understood through experience.

This trip is not only intended to feed my desire to see the world but also to help expand my knowledge of the career field I've chosen: Marketing. I'll be taking classes and hearing from prominent business professionals from the UK in order to learn all I can about International Business and Marketing in particular. The current economic turbulence that's going on in Europe right now with the Euro and the European Union makes for an interesting time to be studying European business.

On top of being totally excited (woo hoo!) I am beginning to get nervous. I'm trying to just make sure that I'm as prepared as is humanly possible. I've planned for various temperatures and weather (I just got a cute new rain jacket), I've gotten a pair of great walking shoes, bought a new backpack (so I'll really be able to say that I backpacked through Europe) and I've read everything I can get my hands on about all of the places that I'll be visiting. I know that even though I feel prepared that there are going to be so many things that I haven't anticipated but I'm ok with that. Part of the fun of travelling is getting lost and learning about your new surroundings through firsthand experience and I can't wait!

17 more days! woo hoo!