Plotting the Course

Tonight we had the pleasure of enjoying a casual dinner with our children's Pediatrician and discussing tips and ideas for traveling Europe. Our doctor is well travelled and visits several times per year. In addition to great information, the evening brought back many very fond memories of my year in Germany, reigniting my "wunderlust." I've found myself wondering several times this week why we are doing this. Wouldn't it just be easier to stay home? Lots of progress on moving stuff out of the house and getting our laptops setup. We still have tons to do with only 10-days remaining (no, the house has not yet sold...yes, we will be looking for renters soon).

We tinkered with following path - keep in mind, all is up for renegotiation once we are officially under way. Our hope is that we will be able to join a tourist group in Helinski and take a guided side-trip to St. Petersburg. If we follow this plan, it's over 6.6k miles in 2.5 months - which is a little faster than I think we want to travel. No matter the course, it's highly recommended that we be south of The Alps by October. (Map source: AutoRoute 2007)

Feel free to post your ideas and comments - we would appreciate any feedback, "must-see" lists, etc.