My 90-year-old grandma taught me a way to pass the time while waiting for a big vacation: count the number of "sleeps" before departure.

I always liked that, and in two more sleeps, my wife and I head to Munich to pick up our BMW as part of its European Delivery Program.

I'm telling you this now, because I intend to blog every day from our various stops along the way. We arrive in Munich on Thursday, pick up the car on Friday, then drive to Strasbourg that afternoon. Saturday morning, we head to Paris, where we'll spend the next five days. Wednesday afternoon, we drop off the car (from whence it gets shipped back to Milwaukee) and fly to Madrid for four more days. We'll be back in Milwaukee on Sunday, March 9.

It's my first trip to Europe, and I'm pretty excited. The European Delivery Program makes it especially affordable, as it cuts almost 10 percent off the cost of the car. I didn't get any special treatment from Concours Motors, which facilitated the deal, but they did sponsor this travel blog, as you can see by the banner at the top of this article.

I hope to have Internet access at all stops along the trip, and I hope to have some great stories and photos to share. Check back Thursday for the first installment from Germany. If all goes well, this should be a fascinating and whirlwind 10-day vacation -- wish us luck.