Tickets? Check!

After browsing online for ways to redeem our frequent flyer miles yesterday morning, I sent an email to Jesse at work hinting that maybe we should take the plunge and book a trip to Belgium and Germany. Luckily, Anna and I were out for most of the afternoon, so I was able to contain my excitement about the prospect of a trip until dinner time. Jesse got home a few minutes before me (enough time to decompress from the office) and I immediately started bubbling over with ideas. I thought he'd be a harder sell, since planning for a giant trip hardly seems like the prudent thing to do while the economy is totally in the shitter. However, he was on board -- maybe not as insanely excited as me, but pretty darn happy about the prospect of finally going on our honeymoon.

We discussed potential dates over a delicious bowl of vodka pasta and decided that anything less than a week in each country would be inadequate. This morning over coffee, I perused the airline website and before I knew it, we were looking over our calendars and settling on the exact dates. Then, click, click, click, we booked two round trip tickets to Belgium (leaving September 3rd and returning September 18th). The decision to just take a trip was impulsive, yes, but in reality we've been planning on this vacation for nearly two years (and when you have the opportunity to fly overseas practically for free, you kind of have to jump at the chance). Also, it will coincide with our second wedding anniversary and I can't think of a more awesome way to spend it!

After booking the tickets, we grabbed our bikes and rode straight down to the library to pick up some travel literature. There are so many guide books out there that it was hard for me to choose just one or two. I think after sampling several from the library I will have a better idea of which ones provide the kind of information on the kind of experience we want. Then, I'll narrow it down and purchase a couple for us to carry around.

Jesse also has a few books that he wants to purchase that deal solely with the highlight of this trip -- beer. I've already perused a couple of the Belgian guidebooks and picked out a few breweries and an abbey to tour and, of course, sample the fares. At this point, Germany is still a bit up in the air. We're having a hard time deciding whether to focus our time just on Munich and southern Germany (with a side trip to Austria), or to split our time equally in Munich and Berlin. I think as I read more the answer will probably be pretty easy.

I'm not exactly sure how I will even sleep for the next seven months anticipating this long awaited vacation, but somehow I'll have to manage!