Are you ready?

I'm not ready, but getting close.  Excited but nervous and all that stuff.  Zillion details of packing and trying to get checklists completed at home and work before leaving town.

In two days, three of us will drive to Chicago, spend the night, get on a plane the next morning, fly to New York, get on another plane, fly to Milan, meet the other three guys, get on another plane, and fly to Cluj-Napoca aka Koloszvar.  It's exhausting just writing it -- but then we'll be in Transylvania for nine days.  We'll attempt to answer the musical question: can six men do OK on a long trip without their wives to straighten them out?  I'm guessing it's yes, but we will miss them.  In fact, this will be my longest time apart from Marsha in the last 36 years.  It will be an experience in many dimensions.

I'm not too worried about communicating with the folks there: I enjoy languages, and know people can get along without a lot of common vocabulary.  I expect to use some of my college German.  I do worry about enjoying the food, and not wanting to offend our hosts.  This will not be like in restaurants where we can order.  But part of this trip for me is learning to worry less and let it be.

Sights to see, work to do, people to meet, songs to sing, and one great big hill to climb.  New places, old world culture and new languages.  It's gonna be great! (with the possible exception of cucumbers and/or tripe soup...