This is Europe lite: the index of our six-week Europe vacation over the summer of 2002. It's arranged chronologically, so follow the gondolier (that's what the little thing is) from city to city. On each city page, there are pictures, some writing and a photo album.

This trip was part of an ambitious post-graduation plan of seeing the world, experiencing new cultures, learning our history and, in Eric's case, avoiding work. For more info, we've each got personal web pages, which you find here by clicking on Eric or Hari. To send us email, write to Hari at hkhalsa@alumni.ucsd.edu or Eric at arete527@hotmail.com.

title
Madrid

Madrid (6/26-6/29)
How not to get ripped off by taxis (don't take them), and assorted other beginnings.

Toledo

Toledo (6/30)
How many American tourists does it take to change a lightbulb? One -- to find a European to do it.

Seville

Seville (7/1-7/2)
Why not to get Mexican food 5,000 miles from Mexico. Including a vignette in verse on the Cantina Mariachi.

Valencia

Valencia (7/3-7/5)
If Toto were a shrimp, we'd say, "Toto, we're not in Kansas anymore, and frankly, we're concerned for your safety."

Barcelona

Barcelona (7/6-7/8) Why not to start a cathedral if you don't plan on finishing it (not including the "cathedral of ham"). Also, to receive these paragraphs on Spanish train stations, please wait until next Thursday, or, possibly, April ("I'm sorry, the word processor is broken, but please come back tomorrow before 7 a.m."

Finally, our first overnight train ride from Barcelona to Nice, where we met only one person we feared might kill us, and that was only because he was completely and totally insane.

Barcelona Nice Nice

French Riviera (7/9-7/12) "Je ne parles pas Francais" = "Hello, where is your real beach?"

Also, why it's good to be the king ... or Crown Prince Albert of Monaco. Wow.

Milan

Milan (7/13-7/14) Where to go when you want that nice, creepy, crawly, "I can still feel their little claws on my arm" feeling.

Or a tour of a soccer stadium. Also, plenty of cultural and fashion things.

Verona

Verona (7/14) Italian opera, performed in the ancient, historic amphitheater ... by a bunch of people in chipmunk suits in the pouring rain for a crowd of drunks.

Venice

Venice (7/15-7/19) Puzzling tourist traps in ancient Venice. And how cool will it be to SCUBA dive here in 10,000 years?

Florence

Florence (7/20-7/22) It was nice here.

Rome

Rome (7/22-7/24) Get air conditioning and the right color shirt. However, skip Total Request Live.

Also, as the mob goes, so goes the tourist trying to see the Vatican.

Pisa

Siena and Pisa (7/24-7/25) Don't blink, or you'll miss the Leaning Tower, which looks lovely out the taxi window.

Cinque Terre Cinque Terre

Cinque Terre (7/25-7/27) The best little place in all of Europe, where locals are locals, tourists are tourists, and dinner is eyeballs.

Paris

Paris (7/28-7/31) The end of the Tour de France, the Louvre, the Arc de Triomphe, the Champs Elysees ... all would have been great if it wasn't for the heat, humidity and smog. Also, a special note to travelers: Do not stay in our hotel, under any circumstances.

San Sebastian

San Sebastian (7/29-8/2) The closest thing to Santa Barbara this side of the Atlantic.

Madrid

Madrid, Part II (8/3-8/5) Our glorious return to Madrid, with many close-up photographs of El Estadio Santiago Bernabeu!

Amsterdam

Amsterdam (8/6-8/8) The final destination, where everyone speaks English, it's cold and everything is expensive again. At least the paintings were still ugly.