coming together

Everything is aligning for my trip to Europe. First, my passport, which I had applied for (having definitively lost the other one) arrived after only 3 weeks of processing. Then, after weeks of silence, all of my European friends contacted me. On Monday. Did they all get together and plan it?

I should be fine staying in Paris for a couple weeks, staying with Clément, Laure, and/or couchsurfing. Clément I met in Chicago when I sold him a futon through craigslist. We ended up becoming friends and went to Resonate and some other illicit, illegal, secret dance parties. Laure I know through Merle, whom I met when I was in Paris in 2000. Merle was Laure's au pair, but I never met her then. I met her and her family when they came through Chicago; I took her on a bike tour.

Then, I would love to get to the Breton coast to see Jennifer, the américaine with whom I did a hike through Auvergne 10 years ago. But that's out of the way. At some point, I'll head somewhere east, ending up in Switzerland to go hiking or wine tasting with a new ladyfriend. When I say "ending up", that's the only real firm destination of the journey (aside from the end), and it's only partway through the trip. Then after July 11 or so, I'll keep heading east through southern Germany, Munich, maybe Vienna and Prague. I may just have to bite the bullet and buy a ticket from Prague to Paris. Probably training it. Looks like there are overnight fares from $99.

Also, my boss put me in contact with some friends who have a vineyard near Lyon. Sounds idyllic. Maybe I'll stop there around the time I'm in Switzerland.

Oh and then I hope to see a few stages of the Tour de France. My buddy Quentin (rode across Iowa with him) (and, actually, was his T.A. at UIowa) will be in Europe for almost the exact same time I am. He's following the whole thing; I'm going to do a few bits in the Alpes.

It's just about beginning!