I traveled with a bunch a friends through Europe in the past 15 days. It was a crazy packed itinerary as we did 13 cities in 13 days, with a combination of flying within Europe, rental cars, train and municipal mass transit. What a great experience.
Here are the cities we hit.
London
Athens
Rome
Florence
Pisa
Milan
Turin
Venice
Barcelona
Valencia
Madrid
This was my first time in Europe and I had a great time. I've always wanted to backpack across Europe, but like many, I didn't have funds after graduating college. We stayed mostly in hostels, all of varying quality, some with adequate plumbing and air conditioning and some without in spartan conditions. Every 7 days or so we stayed in a budget hotel, to rest up. The highlight of the trip was the Tomatina Festival. I was covered in tomatoes and had to throw out the clothing I used at the festival. Here's a clip of this years festival, which I participated in. I also got a nice shiner in my right eye from a well placed tomato from a random thrower.
[youtube=560,345]0hwLAy5Z7II[/youtube]
Thanks for your generosity, Cohen, but it was a whirlwind trip, so we were in one city and then gone. If I was staying in each city longer I would have loved to hook up with your people. The people I was travelling with were not food and wine people, unfortunately. I had to convince them to try the more adventurous fare. I'd like to explore the Northern sections of Europe next summer--Amsterdam, Berlin, Belfast, etc.
