#2, semi-itinerary

In light of the recent comments and eventual success with our email chain, I've moved on to post number two! We leave on thursday, about six days to go... Please continue spreading the word, I know there are people out there who are just dying to know what we're doing and are being deprived by my limited email base;) Anyway, to start, I'll give everyone a basic overview of our itinerary and the definite dates and checkpoints. We leave Kodiak at 4 on Thursday, January 22nd, and fly to Anchorage. Leave there late that night, fly directly to Los Angeles, where we have until the 25th as a weather insurance period, just in case the island doesn't want us to leave, as often happens... We arrive in Auckland, New Zealand, on the 27th, skipping a day due to the wonder of time zones. Jump to approx. 2 and a half weeks later, when we fly again out of Auckland to Sydney, Australia. A few days there, then moving around between Melbourne, Geelong, Brisbane, somewhere on the Gold Coast, and taking the Gahn from Adelaide to Darwin. We leave from Perth, sometime in the wee days of March. Arrive in Singapore, stay there three days, including our very first checkpoint, March 9th (in case you don't know, Steph's B-Day). From there we have three days in Hong Kong, China, then we fly all the way across continental Asia/Eurasia to Rome, Italy. A few days later, our second checkpoint arrives, with Sonja Jones! She hits Rome on March 15th. We'll be gifted with her bubbling presence for approx. 2 weeks, then she goes back home from Rome. During her stay we will most likely visit Florence. After Sonja, just the family will move on to Croatia, and visit for sure Split and Dubrovnik. The Dalmatian Coast will be a major feature. After Croatia we return to Italy and go through Venice, Assisi, and Naples, along with many other smaller names. From Italy we make ground travel (Eurail) to Paris, France, where we meet with Debra Davis and Jay's friend Duane from D.C.. a few weeks there, in a very small flat, then we train again up to Amsterdam, Netherlands, or Holland, or whatever... Jay leaves permanently from Paris, to make it home in time for KEA's annual meeting, our third checkpoint! Mom and I stick around for almost another three weeks, during which time we will most likely visit Tavis Davidson in Switzerland and peruse Great Britain. We conclude our journey in London, England, and make it home on the 12th of May, our final checkpoint and the day before the Art History A.P. test, which I will of course be taking in my oh-so-prepared jetlagged state. Thus is our trip!