Well, more accurately, it would be "Austria by September". Tracy and I are going to Europe. Much as I hate the general concept, we're taking a tour package. But I think this one will be different.

We certainly would get to see a lot: seven countries in 14 days. And frankly, I'm kind of glad that I don't have to worry about hotels and transportation and such. I'm sure getting around is easy enough, but at least with this one, they take you right to where you need to be so you can spend more time walking around the place instead of trying to figure out what turn you should have taken at that last roundabout, where the nearest rental car place is in Belgium, how to get over that fence to that certain spot in the woods, etc.

This all came about because I decided last summer that I wanted to go to Europe again -- the continent this time. And I happened across this book. I read it cover to cover. That sealed it for me. I bought a Michelin map of France and Holland, and sat down and started to see what a good 10 day trip would look like.

I wanted to see Pont-du-hoc, Omaha Beach, Carentan, Foy, Bastogne, Nijmegen, Eindhoven, and a couple other places. I didn't want to specifically see all the "Band of Brothers" battle sites, just a couple of them along with some other spots listed in the book. So Tracy and I were thinking that we'd get a rail pass, book a few hotels and sort of play it by ear once we got over there. We did that in London, and it worked out pretty well.

But then I saw the tour and figured that it's probably the only chance I'd have to get such a unique first-hand perspective of the war. And getting that perspective while standing on the exact places where the events occurred is just too good to pass up. (How else could you go see the grounds at Brecourt Manor? It's private property...) My goal was to actually be where everything went down. I wanted to see if that would impart a sense of gravity to the history, to make it somehow more visceral and get a feeling from the place. I don't know how much more visceral you can get with two actual vets telling you how it was -- while pointing at where it was!

So my reasoning is to do this tour this year, and if I want to go back and see Monte Cassino or Nuremberg then I can do that next year. But I might not be able to do the Easy Co. tour next year. Or, more correctly, Bill and Babe might not be able to. They aren't entirely young. (In fact, I saw this tour last year, for the 60th anniversary of WWII. I thought it was a one-time deal, and was surprised that they're doing it again.)

The only possible downside I could see is if tour is be "overly commemorative". There's one part where the vets review soem British WWII re-enactors. I don't have much interest in that. I just wonder if after a bit the tribute might get a little old or contrived. But probably not; I'm sure the spirit of the thing will be suitable for the occasion. Now that I think about it, even if it does get a tad maudlin at times, it'll still be worth it. And I also like that they provide airfare and meals. It's pretty much all included for you, so there's less to worry about and more to see.

It also occurred to me that my brother Shawn might like to go. I was thinking about talking to my folks and seeing if they want to pitch in on his ticket with me. He doesn't have the resources to go on a trip like this, but it would be something he'd remember for the rest of his life. He's a good traveler as well, so that'd be fun. Now if only I can convice Andy and UJ to go...