Vacation: All I ever wanted.

After years of big talk, Karen and I have finally committed to taking a train trip across Europe next April. That doesn't give us an immense amount of time to plan/save/learn Estonian, but it does put a fire under our collective booty to make this long-planned journey a reality.

So it's easy to say, "I'm taking a train trip across Europe." Oooh, how romantic and bohemian. But now, we actually have to figure out some things. Like, how do you take a train across Europe? How long does it take? And, perhaps most importantly, where the hell are we going?

The goal was to hit three spots, which unfortunately are not in a convenient line. Paris, Prague, St. Petersburg. (Why St. Pete? I dare you to read this book and not think it's the most amazing city ever.) The rough plan is to fly into Paris, pick up our friend Alexia and spend a day or two recovering from jetlag while enjoying the city, then head out to Prague by train. After a few days there, we veer north to St. Pete and fly home from there.

Easy peasy, right? Well...

My preliminary research on one-way flight tickets shows they're a wee bit astronomical, even a year out. Then there's the wacky route. Paris to Prague isn't a stupendously crazy route, but it does involve quite a few choices on where you pass through (anybody have a preference on Stuttgart, Bern, Zurich or Strasbourg?).

Heading out of Prague and toward St. Petersburg presents a few more challenges. A direct route cuts through Warsaw and a corner of Belarus, which is apparently worth avoiding because of the extra charge for the privelege of riding through scenic Belarus.

That led me to look over at the non-direct route along the Baltic Sea. I can't say I've ever dreamed of going to Lithuania, Latvia or Estonia, but they might end up being pretty sweet. Or I might just end up seeing them out a train window on the way to Russia.

So this is your chance to weigh in nice and early to help shape our travel plan. Are there any cities/countries we should hit/avoid? Have you traveled across Europe? Any good tips? We won't be sleeping in parks or staying in youth hostels, but we won't be doing a luxury tour, either.

If nothing else, use this post as a place to talk about your dream trip...where would you spend a week or two? No islands, please, unless they don't have an airport. Then I want to hear about it.