Can you sense the anticipation?

I've decided I'm not sleeping tonight--instead, I'll "play though", and stay out in NYC until my 8 AM flight to Heathrow. I recruited a few friends to help me party tonight: Jen, Dave and Nick. They just tumbled out of a karaoke bar after a serious session with some Japanese friends, and they're not ready to sleep either.

It's been over a week since I left my job and moved my belongings into storage in preparation for a summer-long trip around Europe. I'm going to business school in the fall, and this a perfect opportunity for a lengthy vacation.

Now, armed with only a 35 liter pack (2100 cu in), I'm headed to Europe with only a rough idea of what I want to do and see. I want to explore countries that I have not previously visited, like the Czech Republic, Croatia, Hungary, Bulgaria, Greece, and Turkey. I'll also be stopping in Germany for a little World Cup 2006 action, as well as the UK, France and Spain.