so thrilled for you. Love, love, love our venues!

Last edited Tue Feb 10, 2015, 12:08 AM - Edit history (1)

Please keep us informed! That is QUITE an itinerary!!! QUITE a trip of a life time!

Have been to several of those, but quickly, BARCELONA, GREAT walking city! Cutting through the heart of its emblematic Old Quarter is the tree-lined promenade of La Rambla, a former riverbed that today is a vibrant, colorful thoroughfare perennially packed with visitors of all nations.

along which: Gaudi +. http://www.frommers.com/destinations/barcelona/760372#sthash.fpyUGdld.dpbs

and nearby, famed moderniste Sagrada Família cathedral. http://www.frommers.com/destinations/barcelona/760370#sthash.PLvxMd7r.dpbs

Florence: ART! https://www.google.com/webhp?sourceid=chrome-instant&ion=1&espv=2&ie=UTF-8#q=paintings%20in%20florence%20italy

and bistecca fiorentina! http://www.panoramitalia.com/en/food-wine/article/la-bistecca-alla-fiorentina/778/

I will be in Barcelona July 2-3-4

I absolutely love Innsbruck.

I've been to Reykjavik several times and absolutely love it. Consider getting their City Card -- http://www.visitreykjavik.is/travel/reykjavik-city-card -- which gets you on the buses, into the museums, and into the city's thermal pools (which are fantastic!). If you want to splurge, the Blue Lagoon is a cool experience, but it's kind of pricey and crowded that time of year.

The food in Reykjavik is much more interesting these days, and there are some excellent restaurants, though they are also quite expensive. There's a nice organic fish restaurant called, appropriately, Icelandic Fish & Chips (http://www.fishandchips.is/). Not too expensive, by Icelandic standards, and the food is very fresh and tasty. The local sourdough bread is also worth trying, if you're a bread person. I still don't think I've had bread as good....

And whatever you do, DON'T eat the Hákarl! No matter how much brennivín they give you.

I have been working on this for 2 and a half years. I have been to all of these places except those singled out, but when I was there I was singing on a and since I was a hyper 11 year old I was kept on a very short chain and couldn't do much exploring on my own.

All the hotels can arrange all sorts of sightseeing and activity tours that take you into the country's weird landscapes.

For London, I suggest the Rick Steves guidebook. It's a huge, sprawling city, and it can be intimidating, despite the fact that everyone speaks English. However, this guidebook tells you exactly which bus or tube line to take to get to where you want to go, when the different attractions are open, which ones are tourist traps, whether there is an admission charge, etc. (The art museums are all free, which is good, because everything else is expensive.)

If you don't have housing set up, I highly recommend using airbnb in these places. They are generally owned by local people who are the best sources of information on the area. We have used them across the US, mexico and in europe and have never had a bad experience. Extra added bonus, they are generally less expensive than a hotel and you can usually get a kitchen, which will save you a bundle.

You are indeed very, very fortunate. We will probably be over there while you are there, so feel free to PM me your schedule.

I find that the best way to find my way around a new city is to go on a bus tour. I went to Barcelona a few years ago and the first day there went on a tour of the city, getting off every so often, then I spent the next few days going back to places I'd seen while on the bus. It started a bit of a trend, i did the same in Munich that summer too. It is a bit touristy but a great way of seeing everything.

I also really like walking tours. Most major cities have downloadable walking tours. Some even have recorded information that you can download and listen to along the way.