Final thoughts from two new World Travellers.

In reflecting on our trip we a,re so very happy to have done this.  The trip was more than what we could have hoped for. We were blessed with great weather except for only two days of the 47 days since we left Canada.

While there are so many others with more experience than us, we now consider ourselves to be world travellers and we have learned a few things. 

BEING NICE ISN'T ALWAYS THE BEST WAY.
So many times people pushed in front of us, or walked in front just as we were trying to take pictures.  The worst were the Asian people who seem to always talk very loud and look like they are about 10 minutes late for their next appointment.  We had to use our "chicken wings" as Sophia told us, sticking our elbows out and not always getting out of their way.

GET A NEW COMFY PAIR OF SHOES AND WATCH WHERE YOU STEP
On a trip like this, there is a lot of walking, some days more than others.  Having a great comfortable pair of shoes is what you will need and a newer pair so they don't wear out on you is a good idea. Be careful to watch where you are stepping, many of the roads especially in the older parts are usually cobblestone, but they are uneven and can easily cause a fall.  There is also a lot of marble that is very slippery when wet and still slippery on a good day.

WASHROOMS CAN BE DIFFERENT.
Many of the public washrooms cost money in Europe, usually only .50 to .70 cents.  Some have toilet seats, some only the porcelain bowl and in one case, only a porcelain plate with a hole in the floor.  It is also very common to have a female cleaning attendant in there with you in the men's room and in some places the ladies lined up for the men's room since the lineup was too large for their room. Men and ladies together in side by side stalls is rare but not unusual, especially in  smaller towns or areas where tourists don't often go.

In a number of our hotels, the bathroom doors were made of glass usually in the shower, but a couple of times the actual door to the room was also clear glass, with no privacy at all.

PICK POCKETS AND MONEYBELTS
Wearing a money belt is or should be mandatory at least for your passports. While we didn't have any problems, there are signs and warning everywhere about pick pocketing people who just love tourists. If you normally always were a belt, I have a money belt that attaches to a normal belt and after a short while you don't even know it is there and just looks like another belt loop of your pants.

TRY TO SPEAK THE LANGUAGE
Even trying to learn how to say please, thank you and you're welcome in the language of the country seemed to be appreciated.  At our dinner a couple of nights ago is where we found our best example. Barb and I were at a nice little corner table, served by a very happy, funny older gentleman who spoke mainly French. We were seated next to a table of 5 older Americans who made absolutely no attempt to even say thank you in French. The impression which was maybe not intended, but Barb and I just felt that because they live in the US, they only need to speak English and it is not their problem if others do not understand.  Barb and I got hung up with the word "cassis" in the sorbet deserts menu and we asked our waiter who didn't quite understand the question. A group of parisiennes sitting to our left, told us that it meant black current sorbet. We thanked them explaining that we liked to learn new words.

LAUGH WITH OTHERS AND LAUGH AT YOURSELF
In order to spend 28 days in the close confines of a tour bus and eat almost every meal with people you have never met before we think our group taught us the best way to survive.  It started really at our first meal where our tour director was telling the waiters about my allergy to eating any kind of nut.  She looked around the room then announced "where is Dave with no nuts"! This broke the ice, I got a new name tag and was called "no nuts" more than once.  Our group of 27 people was smaller than many other tours, but everyone was there for fun and we all laughed at and with each other everyday.

LOOK OUT FOR EACH OTHER
Our group was special in another way as well. We all, without being asked, looked out for each other. Everyone warned me if they thought nuts were in the food, my fear of heights was another thing where many asked if I was okay and celebrated when I crossed a high bridge in Delphi or climbed the mountain in Switzerland.  We celebrated others as well and almost everyone always looked back on walking tours to be sure that those of our group who walked a little slower, were never left behind. When getting to a meeting point, everyone knew who was missing and in most cases where they were last seen.

BE THERE ON TIME.
Our schedule was busy like all tours but everyone took the attitude that they would not be the ones to hold everyone up.  Sometimes a person or couple was maybe a minute late and took a ribbing from everyone when it happened. This was all in fun, but our group respected each other and we have been told that this doesn't usually happen on most tours.

WHAT ROOM AM I IN?
We have been in 21 different hotels including our cabins on two separate boats. At times Barb and I just looked at each other and said what room are we in?  Of course, we almost never knew what day it was and at times we even had to stop and think what city we were in.

PILLOWS.
Some hotels, like everywhere, just did not have the right pillows. We stayed in Switzerland where they only had feather pillows where your head would sink down to the mattress and you could not hear a thing.  Our nights of poor sleeping were mainly caused by these pillows that we didn't like, but there was always nap time on the bus to get us through.

DOGS WITH NO WHERE TO GO!
In Venice and again on our Ferry ride from Greece to Italy, there was no grass or anywhere for the dogs that we saw walking around on a leash. However we never saw any poop anywhere.

TRAVELLING ON A TOUR
These last two days have made us appreciate the tour with Trafalgar and how much we have been spoiled.  Our bags were taken to our rooms or back to our bus without us having to carry them, we only had to have them ready on time in the morning and outside our room. Our tour bus was always exceptionally clean ... Marcello our driver was always washing the windows so we would be able to get clear pictures. The bus took us everywhere unlike the taxi driver who got a little lost getting us to our airport hotel for our trip home. There is a rotation on the bus where you move two rows forward or backward every day. That way everyone gets a turn at the front and back of the bus and everywhere in between.  It works only when everyone follows these rules. Each morning breakfast was ready for us where the past couple of days we have had to find our own knives and forks at the dinner buffet because our tour guide was not with us to kick some butt and ensure there was a spot available for members of our tour.

Plan to gain weight, don't go to McDonalds, Burger King or Subway. They are all everywhere in Europe, but find the local restaurants and try the local food.

If ever you are looking for coach / boat tours in Europe, we would recommend Trafalgar. Contiki Tours are great and part of the same company for those younger than 35, where parties take a bit more priority. Another branch of the same company, Insight Vacations are similar but even more expensive than what Trafalgar offers because they stay in 5 star hotels.  Our hotels were fantastic, good sized rooms in very nice hotels, the trip was well planned out and the tour guides really know how to make everyone comfortable.  Our guide had her Masters in history and she told us about every country and the special places we visited.  She knew just where to go to get away from the crowds and see places that most would not know about.

It has been an incredible 47 days that we will never forget. We have taken approximately 6,000 pictures, been to 13 different countries, managed 6 different currencies, 3 different time zones and travelled over 8,000 km.  We have learned that we like to find places away from the crowds, like the little Piazza we found in the back streets of Venice, or the smaller laneways in Mykonos, or this little area where we spent our last night in France called Roissy en France near the Charles de Gaulle airport. As in most places, there are small hotels in this area servicing the airport, but Barb and I found a little park and when we walked through it we found a lovely little town with small stores, shops and restaurants.  We had dinner at one of them, it was quiet, not crowded and typically French. This is what we enjoy on our alone time.

The summer of 2015 has been very special. The main thing we have learned is that Barb and I love to spend time together with others and alone. This proves that we have something special. AND the favourite saying from our Tour Director about all of the things we have seen for the first time.  IT IS NOT WRONG...IT'S JUST DIFFERENT