SHOES
So, you ask - what shoes will I be taking?
Black Keen Carmel
Black Dansko Professionals - not the shiny ones
Chaco ZX2 black sandals.
Sunday, March 30, 2008
RECOMMENDED READINGS
Europe 101 - Art and History for the Traveler - quite funny actually. I know I'll be glad I read this one
Europe through The Back Door - the philosphy of the Rick Steves travel company. A more realistic, intimate view of Europe
England 2008 - Rick Steves book
Best of Europe 2008 - Rick Steves book
I'll pause here and explain why I'm reading so many of his books ... it's because a lot of the places this tour takes us to are not in normal guidebooks like Fodors, Lonely Planet, etc. Which could be a good thing or a bad thing - I'm choosing to think it's a good thing.
Eyewitness France
Chocolat
Heidi
Anne Frank's Diary
Charles Trenet's music - Love it! Bought a 3-CD set! I'll have to figure out how to play it on here.
I've seen Schindler's list already.
Culture Shock - France
Culture Shock - Germany
And finally, I've decided that I should know at least a little French, so I found a great online program through BBC.com
http://www.bbc.co.uk/languages/french/
THE OFFICIAL LIST OF 'RECOMMENDED READINGS AND VIEWINGS' for this tour can be found at:
http://tours.ricksteves.com/tours08/EUR/reading.cfm/rurl/code/EUR/
Europe 101 - Art and History for the Traveler - quite funny actually. I know I'll be glad I read this one
Europe through The Back Door - the philosphy of the Rick Steves travel company. A more realistic, intimate view of Europe
England 2008 - Rick Steves book
Best of Europe 2008 - Rick Steves book
I'll pause here and explain why I'm reading so many of his books ... it's because a lot of the places this tour takes us to are not in normal guidebooks like Fodors, Lonely Planet, etc. Which could be a good thing or a bad thing - I'm choosing to think it's a good thing.
Eyewitness France
Chocolat
Heidi
Anne Frank's Diary
Charles Trenet's music - Love it! Bought a 3-CD set! I'll have to figure out how to play it on here.
I've seen Schindler's list already.
Culture Shock - France
Culture Shock - Germany
And finally, I've decided that I should know at least a little French, so I found a great online program through BBC.com
http://www.bbc.co.uk/languages/french/
THE OFFICIAL LIST OF 'RECOMMENDED READINGS AND VIEWINGS' for this tour can be found at:
http://tours.ricksteves.com/tours08/EUR/reading.cfm/rurl/code/EUR/
I've decided to start my Europe trip blog a bit early. It's not like it hasn't been occupying a big chunk of my brain since September!
For whatever reason, I was never particularly interested in going to Europe. Then, while watching the Tour de France a couple years ago, I was struck by how beautiful some of those places were and that was enough to change my mind. So - I talked it over with my aunt and we decided that we would go there in 2008 to celebrate our 'milestone' birthdays. I'm going to be 30 and she's going to be ... more than 30.
I knew I wanted to do a tour because as much as I love planning, sometimes its a nuisance to go find these places and plus there's always the question of, "Am I missing out on something really cool?" It just seemed easier to go on a tour. Originally I had been looking at a 2-week tour through a particular tour company, delighted that it went to all sorts of places in a very short time (see below). My best friend Nate from pharmacy school days had told me about Rick Steves tours but I had forgotten about them. I'm not quite sure how I wound up looking into those once again, but I did and I got hooked. It took some talking to convince my aunt that we COULD live 3 weeks out of one suitcase & carry our own bags. Those of you who know me, this is a perfect example of "do as I say, not as I do" because 1 suitcase for me is just the perfect size for a weekend.
As the departure date gets closer and closer, I am more and more happy that I chose this tour and I've been researching and reading oodles in preparation.
The biggest draws? Certainly not the PACK LIGHT philosophy!! ;-) It was things like:
**The tour size is smaller, a max of 28 people, so we all get 2 seats on the bus. Woo hoo.
**We don't cover as many cities in a very short amount of time, but that means we don't spend as much time on the bus. That's a good thing in my case, because I have a tendency to fall asleep if I'm not driving and I slept my way through most of the tours I took in South Africa!! I don't want to sleep on a bus through Europe!
**Their motto is "Great guides, small groups... and no grumps"! Ugh I hate grumps ;-) haha Oh wait, does that apply to me too? We all know what we're getting into before we leave, meaning ... staying at places with no elevators, lots of walking, carrying our own bags, etc.
**We get to see Neuschwanstein Castle, which was a big one on my TO-DO list
** We will learn how to use public transportation and learn how to travel independently (because they give us free time, not because they strand us) so I can go back on my own in the future.
So - we signed up for this tour in September, I believe, and since then I have been doing all the recommended readings, listening to the recommended music types, and even attempting to learn a bit of French. My aunt, on the other hand, just says, "I'll just hang around with you." Translation - she's not bothering to read or research anything! Oh well, that's probably why we travel so well together! hah
For whatever reason, I was never particularly interested in going to Europe. Then, while watching the Tour de France a couple years ago, I was struck by how beautiful some of those places were and that was enough to change my mind. So - I talked it over with my aunt and we decided that we would go there in 2008 to celebrate our 'milestone' birthdays. I'm going to be 30 and she's going to be ... more than 30.
I knew I wanted to do a tour because as much as I love planning, sometimes its a nuisance to go find these places and plus there's always the question of, "Am I missing out on something really cool?" It just seemed easier to go on a tour. Originally I had been looking at a 2-week tour through a particular tour company, delighted that it went to all sorts of places in a very short time (see below). My best friend Nate from pharmacy school days had told me about Rick Steves tours but I had forgotten about them. I'm not quite sure how I wound up looking into those once again, but I did and I got hooked. It took some talking to convince my aunt that we COULD live 3 weeks out of one suitcase & carry our own bags. Those of you who know me, this is a perfect example of "do as I say, not as I do" because 1 suitcase for me is just the perfect size for a weekend.
As the departure date gets closer and closer, I am more and more happy that I chose this tour and I've been researching and reading oodles in preparation.
The biggest draws? Certainly not the PACK LIGHT philosophy!! ;-) It was things like:
**The tour size is smaller, a max of 28 people, so we all get 2 seats on the bus. Woo hoo.
**We don't cover as many cities in a very short amount of time, but that means we don't spend as much time on the bus. That's a good thing in my case, because I have a tendency to fall asleep if I'm not driving and I slept my way through most of the tours I took in South Africa!! I don't want to sleep on a bus through Europe!
**Their motto is "Great guides, small groups... and no grumps"! Ugh I hate grumps ;-) haha Oh wait, does that apply to me too? We all know what we're getting into before we leave, meaning ... staying at places with no elevators, lots of walking, carrying our own bags, etc.
**We get to see Neuschwanstein Castle, which was a big one on my TO-DO list
** We will learn how to use public transportation and learn how to travel independently (because they give us free time, not because they strand us) so I can go back on my own in the future.
So - we signed up for this tour in September, I believe, and since then I have been doing all the recommended readings, listening to the recommended music types, and even attempting to learn a bit of French. My aunt, on the other hand, just says, "I'll just hang around with you." Translation - she's not bothering to read or research anything! Oh well, that's probably why we travel so well together! hah
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