Great Expectations

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After nearly a year of planning, my friends and I were excitedly anticipating our spring 2006 trip to select destinations in Europe. We had found a charter group that would take us to four different countries: Italy, Switzerland, France and the United Kingdom. The itinerary featured visits to: Rome, Florence, Venice, Lugano, Lucerne, Paris and London.  An awful lot of ground to cover in only 12 days!

It was hard to imagine which city would wind up being my favorite because each place had so many different things to offer.  Mike seemed most anxious to see Rome due to his borderline obsession with the Vatican.  While Christy, after watching years of "period pieces" produced by the BBC, seemed most excited with the idea of seeing London. Once we finally booked the trip, I think I was mostly thrilled with the idea of visiting Venice. The idea that an entire city  could be built on water had fascinated me since I was a child!