Vacation plans for the first part of may

Hello all, a few quick updates. First, I posted a few pictures on my flickr of my trip easter weekend with my landlords to Étretat, Normandy, where we stayed in an old Norman-style family house. It was an amazing weekend, a mix of solitude and family interaction, and I can't imagine having been any more welcome. And I really needed this escape from the city.

Second, my contract ends at the end of this week. Perfunctory and heartfelt goodbyes to come, but don't expect me to offer a synthetic understanding of my experience teaching quite yet...

Third, I'll have basically from next Saturday to some time in June to travel, which I plan on taking advantage of. I wrote out a tentative schedule for the first half of May, so I'll type that up for you and, and feel free to send recommendations. I'm going to get a one month Interrail pass, which means unlimited train travel in all of Europe, except France, my country of residence :(. So here's around April 25-May 16:

- Fly to Istanbul in late April (note: thinking of working there next year, so I'm visiting to see how I like it), plan on staying until May 1

-Train from Istanbul through Serbia and Austria to Stuttgart, Germany (arrive May2- 3) where I have a friend who I'll stay with until May 6.

-Train to Hamburg or somewhere in the Germany countryside for one day (May 7) on the way to Berlin.

-Arrive in Berlin on the May 8 or 9 (depending on whether I want to stay in another area a bit longer) and stay for 4 days, until May 13.

-Take train to Amsterdam and then on to Brussels between May 14-16

-Take bus from Brussels or closer to France border to Paris on May 16.

There it is, in very rough form. Will be couch surfing and maybe accompanied in Germany and the Netherlands. I'll be back in Paris for less than a week, and then I'll head to Spain and Portugal! Stay tuned.