#maestroonthemove - The Maestro Goes to Europe 2022 - 54 Days!

Everyone - 54 days is NOT a long time.  For what? - you may say.  5 weeks in Europe.  Who goes to Europe for 5 weeks??  Well, you go for 5 weeks when you have been asked to attend and play for a wedding on June 15 in Malta and have been asked to spend a week in Paris with your best friends beginning on July 10 and have 25 days to kill between events.  How crazy would it have been to fly back to  California and then fly back.  I'm not sure I could handle that.  

So, what do you do?  You brainstorm about things you love about Europe.  Places you've been to that you'd like to re-visit, new places - but no too many because you don't want to over-stimulate your brain.  So, after some struggle with airlines (I mean, who doesn't struggle with the airlines these days?) and trying to find the best places to stay on a budget, etc.  I have come up with a fantastic plan.  I'm going to Malta, Assisi, Rome, Florence, The Netherlands, London and finally Paris.  All I can say is thank goodness I'm doing shows again!

The wedding is in Malta, Assisi will be new to me, but I'm traveling with people who have been there, I[m heading to Rome for a few days - and have an AirBnB 20 meters from St Peters - I love Rome and can't wait to wander around for a few days, then it's off to Florence - a place I've never been, so that will be fun.  I'm going to fly to Amsterdam and spend some time with family and friends and just hang out for about a week.  I'm going to take the train to London - found a cute budget-friendly hotel in a neighborhood I've never stayed in so I'm excited about that.  I plan to see some shows and maybe to the Harry Potter Studio tour at Warner Brothers, and then take the train to Paris and I'll be there for a week with Raegena and Kris and we have a great week planned - the Louvre, Versailles, and Disney Paris - and whatever mischief we can get into on Bastille Day!   

So, the plans commence.  Still a few major things to take care of this week.  Leo's care is of high importance, and that is coming along well.  He will be very well taken care of.  Probably should make some reservations for the Harry Potter Studio Tour, as well as maybe a few theatre tickets for London - or just use TodayTix when I arrive in London.  Should probably grab the Rick Steves book for Florence as well.  Still need to get a plane ticket from Florence to Amsterdam (tomorrow) and reserve a car to drive from Rome to Assisi (and back).  Let's not mention a show opening on Friday, and another in May and all the end of school activities - and then I leave the day after school gets out.  Adrenaline will certainly play a huge part in the next few weeks.

More a little later....

Mattei