We are off!!

It was a marathon day at work today.  Trying to prepare for a 8 week absence is stressful.  Thankfully I have amazing colleagues in the health law group that all popped in today [in person and virtually] to offer their support and assistance.  Thanks Leah, Jay, Chelsey, Brent and Jennifer!!

It is 11:14 and Ella is fast asleep.   Quinncy, on the other hand, is awake and bouncing off the walls.  The taxi is arriving early tomorrow and we are off to Paris [via Montreal].  I am busy syncing 4 iPods/iPads for the flight.

Next time I post it will be from an apartment in Paris!!

Testing...

I am just working on linking to blog to our YouTube account so we can upload videos we take during our trip.

Countdown...

We leave on Friday morning to Paris.  Our plan is to blog each night, with the assistance of the kids.  I will also link the blog to Facebook to keep everyone in the loop.

Barcelona - Ranked #1 Visitor Destination

http://www.askmen.com/specials/2011_top_29/1-barcelona.html

Exciting Addition to Santorini

We just received an email from Fereniki [the owner of the house on Santorini].  He advised that they added a spa to the deck of the property.  He sent the following picture:

It will be very relaxing sitting in the spa at the end of the day looking over the cliff at the Southern Aegean Sea.

Final Destination - Athens

We finally booked a hotel for Athens.  I think we will plan to take the ferry from Santorini to Athens, where we are staying at the Athinais Hotel:

http://www.athinaishotel.gr/en/athinais/default.htm

We plan to take in the usual sites; however, we only have 4 days to see everything.  We have to catch a plane back to Paris on August 16, 2011, as we return to Canada on August 17, 2011 [our 15 wedding anniversary].

Slight Distraction and Santorini

So what do you do on the cusp of leaving on a sabbatical to Europe for 2 months?  Buy a new house of course.  We have really busy trying to sell our house, which cuts into the time I would otherwise spend planning the trip.

After Rome we are flying to Santorini where we rented a villa:

The owner is a lawyer that practices in Germany.  He has been really helpful and easy to communicate with.  The villa overlooks the mediterranean, if the pictures are accurate, it will be amazing [the owner assures me it is better than the photos, see the flickr link]:

http://www.flickr.com/photos/ferenikipan/sets/72157601503515755/

The owner recommended renting a vehicle on the island, as there are many beaches to explore.  He also recommended a place in Athens, which I need to try and book asap.