What follows below is the original itinerary and plan written before we embarked on our summer-long adventure to Europe in 2016.

Where in the World…

Eight countries in fifty-nine days, with lots of planes, trains, and automobiles to get us from one destination to the next. Parts will feel luxurious, others will have us staying in a hostel with graffiti-covered walls. Some days will be planned out with German precisions, others we’ll wing it when we wake up, and some, I’m sure, will just be flat out lazy days (we need that). You’ll see the details as we progress on this epic family adventure, but for starters, this is the loose itinerary…

London. We start our adventure with 3 nights in London, which is no doubt not nearly enough time. Potter has at least a half dozen restaurants she wants to try for breakfast – including a few picks that balance food and value. Plus, we have the Warner Bros. Harry Potter tour, tickets to Lion King, and at least a dozen other attractions we’d love to see. Not to mention the recommendations for neighborhood pubs I prefer to frequent.

Dover (to board the Disney Magic). I’ll be honest, I lobbied hard for the Mediterranean itinerary at the end of the summer that visits Spain and Greece. What a way to end the summer! But Sherpa Momma lobbied hard for the Iceland / Norway cruise, figuring when else would we visit those countries? She’s probably right, and now she’s planned some really cool excursions during this cruise, especially renting a car and making our own way around Iceland.

Newcastle-on-Tyne. Our first port excursion, we’re venturing on our own. We did the Disney excursions our first time around, when cruising the Caribbean. This time, we’re planning our own excursions, and this one will involve catching a train to a castle where they filmed scenes from the Harry Potter movies. Potter should love it!

Kirkwall, Scotland. I’ve been dying to visit Scotland, so I’ve really got to make the most of the eight hours we have in port. Not enough time to play a round of golf, nor is there a course nearby I want to play; but I think we I’ll have enough time to tour the local sites with the family, and still visit the Highland Park distillery for some single malt tastings. It will be tight, but they assure me I’ll get back to the boat with at least 3 minutes to spare. Otherwise, I’m figuring out how to get from the Orkney Islands to rendezvous with the family in Reykjavik!

Reykjavik, Iceland. This will be a particularly fun stop, because we’re in port for a full 36 hours, and it’s a day after summer solstice. We’ll have daylight until well after midnight. Sherpa Momma has planned out a DIY adventure for us. We’ll be renting our own car, hiking waterfalls, walking between the tectonic plates, and relaxing in a geothermal spa with mud caked on our face.

Akureyri, Iceland. Originally, we thought we’d just wander Iceland’s 4th largest city (population 17,304), but the country is so rich in natural wonders, that Sherpa Momma opted to book us a tour. Not through Disney, but almost as good. We’ll be picked up at the port, and delivered back to the ship at the end of the day.

Bergen, Norway. I’m particularly excited to see the Norwegian fjords. Our first stop will be Bergen, where we’ll take the funicular to Mount Fløyen, and take in one of the many hikes at the Summit. We’re only in port five hours, but we should still have some time to explore the city center.

Stavanger, Norway. Get off a big boat, to get on a smaller boat. Our original thought was to hike to Pulpit Rock, but Momma determined that might be too ambitious given the time we have. So we’ll see the view from below, and enjoy the amazing scenery of this 42-mile fjord (Norway’s best) by water.

Copenhagen, Denmark. Not part of the original plan, but flight schedules from Copenhagen to Prague more or less forced our hand. That said, this promises to be a fun day. We’ll be staying in a hostel, complete with six bunk beds, and just may take this as our opportunity to ride a few roller coasters.

Prague, Czech Republic. We’ll only have three days to see and experience Prague, and “Steve” has a long list of attractions for us to see, including the castle, the Jewish cemetery and even the zoo; not to mention sampling the local cuisine (and beer)! I think the highlight, though, will be reuniting the kids with our former au pair, who’s joining us for this leg of our trip!

Munich, Germany (and Salzburg, Austria). Nothing planned for our time in Munich yet, but we’ll have the benefit of a native German speaker to help us navigate the myriad of options. No doubt both Neuschwanstein and a day trip to Salzburg will be part of itinerary.

San Cassiano, Italy (Dolmites). And this is where our driving adventure begins. Not in a Ferrari or Maserati, mind you, but the smallest VW or Fiat that will fit five people, uncomfortably. The drive to San Cassiano promises to be scenic, but its the hiking and mountain biking that has us most excited. We’re only there a few days, so we’ll be dancing to the rain gods to let the sun shine through!

Cinque Terre (Levanto). Its a long drive from San Cassiano to the agriturismo we booked just outside Levanto, and hence our biggest risk of getting lost in northern Italy. Assuming we find our destination, and the weather holds, we’ll spend the entire next day hiking the trails that connect the Cinque Terre villages.

Chianti (Tuscany). After a few days near the coast, we drive inland to live every child’s dream: living in a castle. More specifically, a flat in the south tower of the castle! Yes, I’m excited about this too. Just four days, so we’ll have to make some hard choices in how we spend our time. Everything from horseback riding to cooking classes to day trips to Florence, Siena and San Gamigiano are up for consideration, but I have a feeling we may be content to live like kings in the castle, and explore the hundreds of acres that surround it!

Monteleone D’orvieto (Umbria). At this point, you’re probably exhausted reading our itinerary. Time to slow things down, and where better to do it than Umbria. We rented a farmhouse near this medieval (and non-touristy) hilltop town for two weeks, and have absolutely nothing planned. I’d be content walking the 2km each morning into the village to get an espresso, and letting the day take us where it will. And spending a lot of time in the pool. The farmhouse has an outdoor pizza oven. I see an Italian version of our Friday Night Pizza and Movie tradition.

Sorrento, Italy (Amalfi Coast). A friend who visited Italy last summer convinced us we should go south and include the Amalfi Coast on our itinerary, so upon leaving Umbria, we’ll travel by train to Naples, and from there by car for four days in Sorrento. The big excursion will be a full day exploring Pompeii and Herculaneum, a top pick for all five of us (but especially Cupcake, who studied Pompeii in school this year). Also looking forward to some time on the beach!

Castellamare di Sabia, Italy (Amalfi Coast). The other half of our week on the Amalfi Coast will be a family first: living aboard a sailboat, and hiring a captain to show us the sights by sea. The kids are really excited about this part of our trip. It will be tight quarters, but there’s nothing like having a boat rock you to sleep at night. Potential destinations include Capri, Positano and the Blue Grotto, but I’m also hoping our captain brings us to some hidden finds. Again, we’ll be praying to the rain gods for clear weather and reasonable winds!

Rome, Italy. Momma and I have been to Europe several times, but neither one of us has ever been to Rome. We’ll be staying right in the heart of the city, in a small apartment that puts us walking distance from many of the must-see sites. I expect we’ll explore a lot by foot, but also book a few tours. We already have one for Vatican City, with a scavenger hunt to keep the kids engaged.

Windsor, UK. Our final stop before flying home, we decided to stay near Heathrow. I’ve been here several times to visit my former company’s European headquarters, and have really come to love this little town, and the castle itself makes for a great half-day if our flights from Rome are on time.