It’s that time again. Time for me to be off to Europe. This year, you’ll notice that my trip is earlier than in years past, basically only spending summer abroad. The basic reason for this is to have July in Scotland. But it’s also nice to have most of fall back home in California. So though it makes for a truly crazy time getting ready for this trip, it will be worth it in the long run.

This year will focus on two countries (my normal Europe trip tends to have a single one). I’ve always wanted to go to Scotland, so that will be one portion. And A wanted to go to Greece. So again, as with last year, I’ll sadly be on more planes in Europe than I’d like, but trains between such places are awfully long.

I am dividing this trip into three segments. Each will have a more detailed itinerary as it begins, so that you can follow along day by day if you want. But for now, let me summarize.

I’ll first arrive in London. Why? It was the cheapest way to get to Europe, flying on WestJet via Calgary. I’m only there for a couple days, and not sure I’ll even get a chance to do anything worth writing about since I’ll be seeing people. So we will see.

Then it is off to Palermo to meet my aunt for another guided tour, this time about 2.5 weeks around Sicily. I spent a couple months in Italy last year, but have never been to Sicily, and I’m very excited. I’ve heard nothing but good things, and June shouldn’t be too hot.

After the tour ends, I’m flying to Manchester for six days exploring that city, Liverpool, and York. I’ll be writing about music, football (soccer), and some pretty cool history.

Then it’s a train to Glasgow for the start of my month in Scotland. I have two full days there, before hopping another train to Edinburgh, where I’ll finally get to fully unpack, since I’ll have four weeks in Scotland’s capital.

Other than a side trip up to Inverness and the Scottish Highlands, my time will be mainly spent within the city itself, exploring literature, history, Scotch, and so much more. Edinburgh has been near the top of my wish list for some time, and I’m incredibly excited to get to immerse for so long.

After the cool Scottish summer, it’s time for the blazing Greek version. I have four weeks in Athens. I know you will say that’s way too long – and it probably is – but hey, it’s a major European capital and most tourists only spend a day or two to see the Acropolis. I want to see more, to experience more, and to get a sense of what Athens truly has to offer. There will also be two side trips, one to Delphi and Meteora, and one to Malta for two full days.

It’s not really Greece without an island, so next is a nice ten days on Crete, based in Heraklion. I can’t wait to see the ruins of Knossos, and to write about the Minoan civilization!

The best flights back to Los Angeles were from Istanbul, so it’s another four days there – maybe seeing a few new things than on last year’s trip – before heading home with some amazing new memories and a lot of stories to tell. And likely a few dozen or more articles in the works.

So that’s the basic agenda. I hope you all are as excited as I am!