We're Outta Here!

That's right, ladies and gentlemen, our bags are packed and we're ready to go. Today is the day of THE BIG TRIP! I'm so excited, I can hardly breathe. I just can't believe that at this time tomorrow, I'll be in Europe.

Today Eric still has to work, so he's off doing that while I finish things up around the house and...dun, dun, DUN...take Achilles to "camp." Ugh, I am dreading dropping him off so, so much. I just feel so bad. This is by far the longest we have ever left him, and usually when we do leave him for a week or so, he stays with family. Now I'm worried he will think we left him forever. I'm worried he'll get out of his nighttime crate (er, "private bunk") and wreak havoc on the place. I'm worried he'll be mad at me when we get home. Basically, I'm a terribly co-dependent doggy mom. His issues have become mine and now I hate to leave him! I know he'll be fine, though. And if he can make it through, he has a "Poochini" (vanilla custard, peanut butter and a dog biscuit) from Shake Shack and a romp at the Natural History Museum dog park waiting for him on the 18th.

After dropping Achilles off, I'll come back to the apartment to get our bags, then head off to meet Eric on the subway out to JFK. We've never taken the subway to the airport before, but we were worried about cabs or buses (our usual modes of transportation) getting stuck in rush hour traffic, and we just don't have time for that. IT'S GO TIME!

I have a rough itinerary posted on the right hand side of the blog, and you can get more details from my past posts here and here. But, just in case you want to follow along with our latest, most accurate plans, this is what our current general itinerary looks like (all times listed are the local times for that area):

Tues. 7/7: Leave New York for Budapest at 8:05 p.m.
Wed. 7/8: Arrive in Budapest at 11:30 a.m. Spend the day exploring the city with Jacob & Zita.
Thurs. 7/9: More exploring Budapest, followed by a wine-tasting dinner cruise.
Fri. 7/10: Finish up in Budapest, then travel by train to Györ.
Sat. 7/11: Spend the day in Györ. Jacob & Zita's wedding at 5:00!
Sun. 7/12: Leave Györ around 10:30 a.m. to catch a 2:30pm plane from Budapest to Glasgow. Arrive in Glasgow at 4:30. Take various trains and buses to St. Andrews, arriving around 10:00pm.
Mon. 7/13: Spend the day in St. Andrews. Eric will most likely try to golf the Old Course on this day.
Tues. 7/14: Sight-seeing in St. Andrews until the afternoon, then take a train to Edinburgh. Ghost tour in Edinburgh at 9:45pm.
Wed. 7/15: Big sightseeing day in Edinburgh.
Thurs. 7/16: Day trip to North Berwick. Eric will golf there, and we'll do some sightseeing.
Fri. 7/17: The only unscheduled day. Maybe a day trip to Stirling, maybe more Edinburgh fun.
Sat. 7/18: Catch a flight back to New York at 10:30 a.m. Arrive in New York at 1:30pm. Rescue Achilles!

Fun, yes? I can't wait. Also, please note that I added clocks showing both Budapest and Edinburgh time to the right hand side of the blog, right under the picture of us, just in case you check in and are wondering what time it is wherever we are. If you're really super duper interested, you can get more info about the current time and weather in Budapest by clicking here, or in Edinburgh by clicking here.

If we have any downtime in a hotel with internet access, I may pop in to say hello, share a quick picture, or let you know how it's going. But, expect my posting to be sparse (if it happens at all) for the next 10 days or so. Brace yourselves, though, because when I return, I will return with a vengeance! Be prepared to be inundated with pictures and stories from our travels. I can't wait to share it all with you!

Bon voyage!