So far we have our Eurail passes, they arrived a couple of weeks ago.  We’re free to bound across various borders throughout Western Europe for an entire month.  With the exception of a few minor obligations here and there- concerts namely- we haven’t many set plans. Only to not bog ourselves down with huge lists of must-dos/sees in one place or another, but to get up and go as we see fit.

1,000 person-venue Pennywise show, in Amsterdam? Far too good to pass up.

The Pennywise tickets for the Amsterdam, Netherlands show have also arrived, and now all we have to do is wait patiently, packed full of hope for (an official) announcement that Metallica will play the 02 World Arena in Berlin, Germany… Only then may we rest and anticipate take-off.

When we first started the planning process, some many months ago, we had to come up with the simplest way to organize the many minute details of this one huge trip.  Dylan came across a site to do just that, TripIt, which we’ve been using with much ease.  The iCal feed is a hugely beneficial feature, and this way we’re not fidgeting with a plethora of papers on the road, appearing more tourist-like than we hope to. We’ll have all necessary train schedules, maps, and tour information conveniently in one place. Maybe even as close as our fingertips, with the help of his iPhone.

I highly recommend travellers try out TripIt for future vacation planning, it makes a potential trip blunder much less likely.

70 days until Europe! I actually had to count, as I am not keeping track… it seems quite a ways away still.

Part way through the trip there’s an unannounced- therefore unofficial- show in Berlin at a multi-sport arena currently being constructed, the 17,000-seater 02 World. There to christen the freshly painted walls of 02 with it’s massive sound?

Metallica, September 12th.

When will we be privileged enough to have the “official announcement” to either debunk it or place it on the itinerary, I wonder. That would also allow more time to discover gorgeous Germany, pretty stoked on that.