Travel Statistics: 23,609 miles (plus)...

Last year, I blogged about my travel stats after the 2010 Cape Town-European adventure and many of you said that it made for an interesting way to sum up two months of travel. So, here is another statistical summary! Taking the time to reflect back on my travels and experiences in a quantifiable manner is rather fun. Yep, I am a geek like that.

Here are my travel stats from this big trip:

(150) hours of grading papers and blue books (ugh!)

(53) days out of Athens, Georgia

(16) dropped Skype calls (with Charlie)

(7) weeks out of the motherland (U.S.)

(7) visits to the Schiphol Amsterdam international airport (how I love, thee)

(7) Airplanes= 22,559 miles
Atlanta to Amsterdam: 4,401 miles
Amsterdam to Cape Town: 5,997 miles
Cape Town to Amsterdam: 5,997 miles
Amsterdam to Budapest: 727 miles
Budapest to Amsterdam: 727 miles
Amsterdam to Chicago: 4,120 miles
Chicago to Atlanta: 590 miles

(4) Trains= 450 miles
Amsterdam to Sneek: 84 miles
Sneek to Amsterdam: 84 miles
Amsterdam to Brussels: 141
Brussels to Amsterdam: 141

(4) Countries: South Africa, Belgium, Hungary & Netherlands

(4) weeks of illin' (coughing, sore throat, congestion...ick!)

(3) Metro Systems: Budapest, Brussels & Chicago

(1) Bad-Ass Safari Truck: 600 miles
Garden Route, South Africa

(1) canceled airline reservation (FML!)

U2: One Love in Chicago!

The main reason we went back to Chi-town was to see Charlie's favorite band, U2! I was a U2 virgin prior to this trip and Charlie's nephew, Andrew, was an all around concert virgin. Simply put: Bono rocks it! Seriously, that dude puts on a great show. We had GA tickets, so we went early (3:30 p.m.) and lined up with hundreds of other die-hard fans. Luckily there was shade to be had and we hung out under the trees until the line started moving around 5 p.m. Once we got into the stadium we went through a special line where we received a BIG black stamp on our hand (see photo) in order to get into the "inner circle". The "inner circle" is the space right in front of Bono and his boys, imagine Bono standing like 10 feet away...incredible! We hung out and played cards for two hours before the opening band came on at 7 p.m. Bono and crew took the stage by storm shortly there after. They rocked the stadium for two and a half hours. WOW! Getting out of the stadium was crazy, imagine a sea of people shoulder to shoulder for about 1/2 mile (see photo).

Chi Town: Take II

Another Fourth of July in Chi-Town (Chicago)! Charlie and I reunited in the Chicago O'Hare airport terminal two in front of CTA, the city trains In reality, both of us were excited to see each other (well, at least I can speak for myself) and so our long weekend in Chicago began. We met up with Charlie's brother and his three sons on the second day. Highlights of the trip included a riding rental bikes on the lake shore bike trail and a Chicago architectural tour by boat. The weather was amazing, mid 80's every day.

Ah, welcome back to the motherland!

Chicago

My last memory of Chicago was in 2001 when a group of five of us, including my father, limped our way across the Bank of America Marathon finish line. While the marathon was a great way to experience 26 miles of the Windy City by foot, this most recent trip allowed me to actually relax and enjoy the big city charm of Chi-town. It was a little hotter and did not include carb-loading, chaffing, or stretching my endurance, as this trip was all about vacationing. Ahhhh! We met up with Charlie's brother, Will, his girlfriend, and Will's three sons. It was an eventful three days, despite the fact that I escaped for a few hours every day to study (Oh, the joys of being a PhD student on vacation). We, of course, ate Chicago pizza, watched fireworks on the 4th of July, enjoyed the Taste of Chicago Festival in Grant Park, and took a wicked speed boat ride (of which I got soaked and the boys remained dry...hmmm, no wonder they told me to sit in that "special" seat). It was great to meet Charlie's family and see him in a whole new light as "uncle Charlie" (insert image of three small boys jumping all over him). The last day Charlie and I enjoyed a bike ride along the lake and a delicious dinner at Eve.