Dubrovnik

We awoke this morning in our home for the next few days, the Hilton Imperial Dubrovnik. Our incoming flight was late which was fine because our flight from Chicago to Frankfurt was also late so the delay allowed our bags to make it on the flight with us. The bus ride from the airport into town was beautiful. The vegetation and terrain are unlike anything I've seen elsewhere. The hills are quite rugged and the vegetation lush. Of course the town is nestled against the Adriatic so there are dramatic seaside views from every bend.

Our hotel is only a couple of blocks from the Dubrovnik's 'Old Town.' Last night we had our first look at the 'Old Town' while searching out a dinner spot. Restaurants aggressively pursue their customers by luring people in off the street. Of course, those are the places you don't want to eat.

It seems we will be very well-informed about the World Cup and the BP oil spill as the only English TV channels are news channels and the only news stories they are currently covering are the aforementioned two.

Chicago

It's always a little hectic getting away and today was no exception. Being gone an entire month makes it even more stressful. I kept thinking that decisions I made this morning would 'haunt' me for the next 30 days.

PDX was very, very busy. So this is what it's like to travel during the summer :-) There was a mix-up with the catering so no lunch was catered for our flight. The captain whipped out his wallet and someone ran to Laurelhurst Pub next to the gate to buy some sandwiches and salads. We are flying first/business class with award miles so this is why they cared. Otherwise I think it would have been tough love time.

We're now in the Red Carpet club at O'Hare eating our second round of cheese, crackers, cookies, and yogurt covered raisins. Same snacks as the club in PDX. The food will be different soon enough as we wake up in Germany and make our way to Dubrovnik.

Small change of plans

As our trip draws closer I am feeling uncertain about the number of times we are moving. One of the benefits of a long trip is to dig-in where you are staying rather than waking up in the morning thinking, "It's Tuesday, this must be Venice".

Thus we've decided that we are not stopping in Split and will add these two nights to Dubrovnik and Venice respectively. This also means skipping the 8-hour ferry ride between Dubrovnik and Split. My feelings on this are mixed. I'm sure it's a gorgeous ride but would be quite a long day. Airfare between Dubrovnik and Zagreb is surprisingly reasonable.

So far we are green-lighted for our departure on Sunday afternoon. Any suggestions on what to do during a 3-hour layover in Chicago are appreciated.

Introducing Piccolo

our newest traveling companion. Piccolo is an ASUS Eee PC otherwise known as a 'netbook'. He is smaller and less powerful than a regular laptop computer but is also much less expensive so we don't have to worry quite as much. He feels almost as heavy as my MacBook but is about 25% lighter. And... of course... Intel is inside.

We're hoping that he will help with blogging, e-mailing, and trip planning along the way. We'll be using WiFi connections in our hotels and cafes as we make our way through Europe. And here's hoping he doesn't hog the bathroom!