Here is what we learned about traveling in Europe:
- They really do NOT serve ice with their drinks.
- Water is served only if requested and then just a little. We learned to ask, when ordering, for 5-7 liters of water with our food and other drinks (we received a lot of “five?”)
- Don’t be fooled about the promise of laundry services – we were unable to get laundry done until we arrived in Spain. It was especially difficult because we only stayed 2 or 3 nights in each location.
- WiFi in Europe sucks – even when available, it is slow and disconnects without warning. Reminded us of Africa (a 3rd world country). In the seven hotels we stayed in, the only exception was Sercotel Hotel Gran Bilbao, where we finally had quality internet service.
- It is not necessary to reserve a gondola ride before you get to Venice. Wait and find one close to your Hotel, they are all over the place.
- It IS necessary to reserve and purchase tickets for the highest demand tourist sights, such as the Vatican, the Colosseum in Rome, The David, Eiffel Tower, and Louvre (well, basically all the Paris and Rome museums). It is not uncommon to have to wait 3 hours to get into these places.
- The London Eye moves so many people an hour (about 600) that even the longest line moves very quickly — forego advance tickets to ensure you go on a day you can see for miles.
- The bread is mostly dry.
- Shrimp is usually served in it’s shell — delicious but difficult to peel and VERY messy (and NOT deveined).
- Europe is no place for disabled persons. There is no consideration for mobility or lack thereof.
- Most people in the tourist areas do speak at least some English; however, other people that you might expect to speak English do not (such as many taxi drivers).
- Do not give servers large orders at small cafes or bars — these people are not used to working in volume and will forget items or mix up the order if it is too complicated.
- French people, in general, are not inclined to make eye contact or smile if they do not know you. If you do address them (such as a smile or ‘hello’), they will look away, assuming you are up to something. I was told by an American living in France for several years, that his French wife went to America and was dismayed by all the strangers who smiled at her and tried to start a conversation! What was that about? she asked.
- Being in France and Italy are like taking a step back in time; England and Spain seem to be in the same century as the U.S.
- What we call the 1st floor in America, is floor 0 in Europe. So, you have the ground floor – 0, then floor 1 is the next floor up, floor 2 would be our 3rd floor, etc. This can be tricky when using elevators.
- All of the hotels we stayed in required the room key be inserted into a slot near the door inside the room in order for the lights to come on and stay on. This is to ensure lights are off whenever you are not in your room.
- In Spain, they really do take a Siesta (rest) during the hours of 1 – 4 p.m. Many restaurants are open, but stores and museums are not — plan accordingly. Consequently, our Hotel restaurant did not start serving dinner until 8:30 p.m.
- Salads often have more meat and cheese than greens; ‘tacos’ are often not what we think of when we think of tacos (in Bilbao, the girls ordered steak tacos and got a large slab of steak – VERY rare – with no tortilla or veggies in sight).
- There’s no place like home and we are lucky to have been born in the fabulous (albeit flawed) United States of America!!
These are my observations and are not meant to disparage anyone in the four wonderful countries we visited. We had a wonderful trip and would not hesitate to visit again (well, maybe not Paris).
Safari So Good 
Leave a comment