Lista.

The countdown to my Iberian adventure is officially on.  Over the past few weeks my travel mates and I have divided and conquered a long list to "to-dos" before we arrive in Madrid.  Our biggest priority was having a room reservation for each night we are traveling; as we all agreed that two hours knocking on doors hoping there's a room to rent when we've arrived in town is no way to spend any of our time in Spain or Portugal.  On Monday morning I awoke in a panic, still unsure of where we'd lay our heads while in Lisbon.  (Lisbon, of course, being one of the cities I was responsible for planning...)  Thinking about no reservations in Portugal triggered that pre-trip wave of anxiety that has often been known to hit once you're in the throws of a count down.  You know what I'm talking about, right? That feeling that there are a million and one things that need to be taken care of before the trip, ranging from the mundane - stop the mail - to the insane -hmm...maybe now is a good time to repaint my living room?? I'm not above telling you I started the work week in a bit of a panic.

Does this happen to you?  There's a 'before' window when planning a vacation where you have so much you'd like to accomplish before you get the rare and coveted opportunity to leave your daily life behind for a bit.  Not only are there preparations on the travel end, but suddenly there are things you've been putting off for ages - that run to the Goodwill donation center or getting the oil changed in your car for example, that suddenly take on an extreme urgency.  I know myself well enough to know that personally, this all part of the equation, that this is part of the fun of getting ready for a trip, a step in the process if you will, of mentally and physically preparing for my escape.  Because once I'm on that plane?  I do not plan to think about a single to-do.  Unless of course that to-do means sampling the local sangria and visiting the closest tapas bar.  And maybe also embracing the siesta.

Even with the countdown moving ahead with lightening like speed, this trip hasn't exactly sunk into my psyche yet.  I find it's always like that when you plan to visit a place you've never been before though, because how do you even know what to imagine if you've never seen the place before, right?  That, my friends, is one of the things I love about travel.  The mystery, the curiosities, the venturing off into a place you have never before been. 

Our hotel in Lisbon is now officially booked, our rental car reserved.  The joint spreadsheet my friends and I have been sharing is up to date, our itinerary basically set.  Sigh of relief.  This means the biggest items are crossed off the must-get-done list and the fun part of the trip planning can really begin.  Which is deciding what outfits I'll be bringing, obviously.  And making sure I have room for any and all Spanish and Portuguese trinkets I plan on bringing back home with me.

Good thing I'll be making that run to Goodwill to clear out some room in my house beforehand, eh?