Europe. . . . by the numbers

Hey dudes!

Richard Ethington here. Wait! Before you skip this blog, take a moment to appreciate a point of view slightly different than the mushy gushy ooh la la mumbo jumbo. You want the facts. Here are the answers. Take no prisoners. I can't ever seem to integrate that phrase very smoothly. . . . (sigh).

When you take a look at the details, it's pretty crazy how much we covered. If anyone is planning a trip to Europe and would like to get a better sense for budgeting, transportation costs, etc., send me an e-mail. :)

And so, without further ado:

Significant Dates: July 23rd - our 4 Year Anniversary!
Favorite Food: Gelato
Favorite Place for Pizza: La Taverna dei Corsari - Montopoli
Favorite Haunt for Gelato: Il Septimo Gelo - Poggio Mirteto
Favorite City: Barcelona - Gaudi, Las Ramblas, Parque Guell
Country with best breads: France
Country with best food: Italy - by far
Country with best Gelato: Italy - especially Florence. . . Incredible!!!

Families: 2
Adults: 4
Youth: 2
Children: 1
Redheads: 1/2
Baldheads: 1/2
Other: 6

Adventure Dates: June 24 - August 5
Distance Traveled: 7,620 km or 4,734 miles
Distance Walked: Inordinate - loved it!!!
# Adventure Days: 42
# Countries Visited: 6
Countries Visited (in order):

1. Italy
2. Switzerland
3. France
4. Spain
5. Turkey
6. Greece

Cities Visited (in order)

1. Roma (Rome. . . duh.), Italy
   
2. Castelnuovo di Farfa, Italy
   
3. Lago di Garda (Lake Garda), Italy
   
4. Verona, Italy
   
5. Venezia (Venice), Italy
   
6. Lago di Como (Lake Como), Italy
   
7. Interlaken, Switzerland
   
8. Bern, Switzerland
   
9. Paris, France
   
10. Pamplona, Spain
11. Barcelona, Spain
    
12. Carcassone, France
13. Marseilles, France
14. Nice, France
15. Monaco, France
16. Rapallo (Portofino), Italy
17. Riomaggiore (Cinque Terre), Italy
    
18. Manarola (Cinque Terre), Italy
19. Corniglia (Cinque Terre), Italy
20. Vernazza (Cinque Terre), Italy
21. Monterosso (Cinque Terre), Italy
22. Pisa, Italy
23. Firenze (Florence), Italy
24. Roma, Italy
25. Civitavecchia, Italy
26. Catania, Sicily (Italy)
27. Izmir, Turkey
28. Santorini, Greece
29. Mykonos, Greece
30. Athens, Greece
31. Civitavecchia, Italy
32. Roma, Italy
    

Transportation Means:

1. Plane
   
2. Train
3. Automobile (ha!) Kia Carnival (Minivan)
   
4. Subway
5. Bus
6. Cruise Ship
7. Small Boat
8. Four Wheeler ATV's
9. Tram
10. ChevroLEGS - ohhhhh the agony!!!!
    

Nights

1. Varying sleeping locations: 11
2. Types of arrangements:

• Agriturismo Villa (Rome) - 19 Nights
• Hotels - 14 Nights
• Bungalow Camping - 2 Nights
• Cruise Ship - 7 Nights

Water (in order)

1. Tyrrhenian Sea
2. Lago di Garda
3. Adriatic Sea
   
4. Lake Como
5. Balearic Sea
6. Catalan Sea
7. Ligurian Sea
8. Ionian Sea
9. Aegean Sea
   

Other info:

Nude Beaches - not telling
Meals involving olive oil, prosciutto, or fresh parmesan - 14,000
Ricardo weight lost from walking all over Europe - 7 Kilos
Pictures taken - 4,300
Pictures kept - 2,025
Hours in hammock in Roman countryside - not enough (but at least 10)
Hours playing "Pocket Tanks" on iPod with Catherine - 625 million

And there you have it! This, in so many words, was a "trip of a lifetime" for Catherine and I. I can't even describe how incredible the entire experience was (so I'll leave that to Cat, tee hee). Cat's working on the pictures part, I promise!!! Arrivederci!

P.S. - Catherine and I will be in Salt Lake City from the 11th of September until the 10th of October. It's party time, dangit!!!