In New Horizons last month I talked about submitting my dissertation and planning what came next. I’m excited and a little nervous to have settled my next steps (see upcoming posts), and I’m starting with two weeks travelling Europe by train.

This trip will start to address how little of Europe I’ve visited. For many years most of my holidays have been to the USA. I’ve loved, worked with and visited Americans, and been to about 20 states. I’d like to get to know Europe better in the next couple of years, and then diversify my destinations.

To begin with I planned a short trip to Amsterdam and Berlin. But I found some company, time and money so I’ve extended matters a lot:

• June 18th: Wakefield–London–Paris (VTEC and Eurostar)
• June 21st: Paris–Amsterdam (Thalys)
• June 24th: Amsterdam–Hannover (DB IC)
• June 25th: Hannover–Berlin (DB ICE)
• June 28th: Berlin–Prague (DB EC)
• June 29th: Prague–Manchester (easyjet flight)

This follows an n-shaped train route east, and I’m rather interested to see the countryside and culture change even across a relatively small part of Europe.

Along the way we’ll see Paris’s Catacombs and Disneyland, Amsterdam’s architecture, Hannover’s Herrenhäuser Gardens, Berlin’s Holocaust Memorials and Museum Island, the Elbe River Valley, Prague’s language and beauty, and lots besides.

Prague will be the furthest East I’ve ever been, while Mount Tamalpais near San Francisco is the most West I’ve been. Sometime soon I’d like to make the furthest North be Svalbard, and push eastward to Greece and the Troodos Mountains in Cyprus.

I’ll hopefully be posting along the way :-)