Well, folks, Randy Olson has done it again. Added something to my bucket list that I can’t not do. Randy is the doctoral candidate at MSU (that’s *Michigan* State University, for those of you not from The Mitten) who used an algorithm to determine the best-fit route to see the Lower 48 in a singular (epic) road trip. (See my earlier blog post on same.)
What Randy did for his road trip of US greatest hits (and covers all of the Lower 48 in one fell swoop) he has now done for Europe. From Randy’s website on his European Vacation:
Here’s the full list of stops in order:
- Innsbruck, Austria
- Munich, Germany
- Pag, Croatia
- Venice, Italy
- Tuscany, Italy
- Florence, Italy
- Rome, Italy
- Vatican City
- Amalfi, Italy
- Gozo, Malta
- Dubrovnik, Croatia
- Santorini, Thira, Greece
- Rila Monastery, Rilski manastir, Bulgaria
- Istanbul, Turkey
- Sighisoara, Mures County, Romania
- Budapest, Hungary
- Vienna, Austria
- Prague, Czech Republic
- Krakow, Poland
- Jägala Waterfall, 74205 Harjumaa, Estonia
- Lapland, Finland
- ICEBAR, Marknadsvägen, Jukkasjärvi, Sweden
- Bergen, Norway
- Copenhagen, Denmark
- Berlin, Germany
- Amsterdam, Netherlands
- Keukenhof, Stationsweg, Lisse, Netherlands
- Edinburgh, United Kingdom
- Inverness, United Kingdom
- Ballybunion, Ireland
- Cliffs of Moher, Clare, Ireland
- Cornwall, England
- Stonehenge, Amesbury, United Kingdom
- London, United Kingdom
- Brussels, Belgium
- Paris, France
- Pamplona, Spain
- Lagos, Portugal
- Granada, Spain
- Ibiza, Spain
- Barcelona, Spain
- Luberone, Bonnieux, France
- Nice, France
- Monte Carlo, Monaco
- Interlaken, Switzerland
Check out Randy’s full account at http://www.randalolson.com/2015/03/10/computing-the-optimal-road-trip-across-europe/. I would love to take a summer and do this trip, after my US Lower 48 tour, of course.
Incredibly helpfully, Randy has also included the Python algorithm that he did his computations with, so you and I can plan and optimize our next road trips. In fact, I am dreaming about (and starting to plan) a road trip from Boston to the Calgary Stampede a couple summers from now. This will allow me to hit a few more sites, states and provinces, while minimizing gas and time on the road. Thanks, Randy!
Wishing you a happy Life in the Car!
Life in the Car 