October 17th, 2015
Well, the party is over. Another “vacation of a lifetime” has come to its end.
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Time to go home. Euro's are gone.
(After we paid for our lunch at the airport ) |
Norm and I didn’t sleep particularly well last night – Norm simply because he was too hot under the heavy comforter that hotels seem to insist we need, and I probably due to my trying to mentally adjust to the return to “everyday life”. I hate to leave the party - or the people that have become good friends, not to mention the non-stop fun we have had!
Our group of 18 has traveled together for 31 days, helping each other, sharing tips as well as life stories. We spent many hours of the past four weeks together, many of them just relaxing at Happy Hours.
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Our group with the exception of one camera-shy woman, and a constantly
wandering photographer. Did Ed wander off again? |
Most of us are heading back home, but several are spending a little more time in Europe. There was a couple who took advantage of every tour offered this summer with
European Motorhome Tours. I am not sure I could travel for nearly 5 months in this small motorhome, keeping the busy schedule we had (Norm definitely would not want to) . This couple lives in their RV full time, so that may be the difference – it’s their “way of life”. How great for them – and boy, the places that they have seen, and the stories they have told!
Norm and my flight took us through Reykjavik, Iceland again on the way back. I am not sure it was worth the trouble laying over for only one night. We thought it would make us less tired when we arrived in the states, but dealing with all the luggage, checking in and out of a hotel, etc. was probably not a way I would repeat. We wished we just "sucked it up" and flew directly home. Live and learn. We did take a lovely walk in the sleeting rain to a great Thai restaurant a mile or so from the hotel, and the room was huge at
Hotel Berg.
We arrived in Boston 6PM the next day and went directly to my daughter's home. I stayed there all week while poor Norm drove to Connecticut to work on a consulting job. On the weekend we saw his daughter and her family, leaving for home on Sunday late afternoon.
It was great to get home!
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It's a good thing we brought warm clothes!
It was freezing ( literally ) in Iceland! |
How did we like it? Would we do it again? We LOVED it, and we absolutely would!
Norm and I have never done the “group thing” before. Not a bus tour, not a train or a cruise ship (well, I did a 3 day cruise once). We have traveled alone – fearing we would feel like sheep following the herd of people, being shepherded in and out of large buses and funneled into museums all day long.
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| Having a small, private group and tour guide was fabulous! |
This tour seemed to be different. It felt “intimate”. Only twice did we join another small group to be guided somewhere.
European Motorhome Tours knew how to avoid the crowds (when humanly possible). We went to the most popular places either early or later in the day to avoid the many buses of people delivered by the cruise ships or tour companies. When we attended a guided tour there was no jockeying for a position near the front so you might have a slight possibility of hearing the guide, or jumping in the air to get a glimpse over the sea of heads to get sight of what she might be talking about. The campsites were selected with care, providing us with the best experience. The “checking in” procedure was a non-issue. We just drove to our site, Dieter guided us in, and voila! We were done! Thomas provided us with internet access codes, Gabby checked out washrooms and laundry facilities. Within minutes, we had everything we needed.
But let’s face it. We are getting older. Perhaps not so “brave” in this scary world we now live in. We thankfully were constantly under their supervision. Not in an eerie way, but in a way that we felt safe. Any time we were out of the RV’s and in a strange place, all three of the staff were keeping watch – magically appearing if we absently wandered away. It was like having your own security team!
The first few times we went through the European automated toll booths, Dieter (the tour leader) jumped out of his RV, ran back, and stood by while each of us tried using our credit cards to pay the toll. It was so wonderful to have him there to explain the procedure, and help if we needed deciphering the foreign language, or those strange symbols that are supposedly “universal”.
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| Small, but doable. |
The motor homes are small. Traveling the back roads of Europe they have to be. The large unobstructed windows allowed us to view the sights far better than in a low riding car, or a seat on a bus or train. We traveled the back-roads when possible, seeing how the locals live, and marveling at the rows upon rows of grapevines, olive trees, or the fruit trees painstakingly trained to grow on vines.
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The streets are very narrow here in Europe. A large
RV is not an option if you want to travel the "back roads". |
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One of the many, lovely
showering facilities |
Although cramped inside, Norm and I had it pretty well figured out after a few days. One might have to step into the bathroom for the other to get something in the bedroom, or merely sit down while the other cooked dinner.
We learned it was much easier to carry the dishpan with dishes to the wash station than to do them in the little sink in the RV. Norm and I always had the same bed, and our “things” were always with us. No bedbugs, no new germs to contend with every night. Except for a couple of nights, there was no packing and unpacking. Your favorite foods in the cabinet, and cold beverages in the fridge. How great is that?
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| Norm at one of the many lovely sinks typically at campgrounds. |
Norm had the unpleasant task of emptying the little box that held our waste, but it only took a few minutes, and he only did it every 5 days or so. Speaking of toilets, how else can one travel all over Europe and always have a handy, clean bathroom?
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Window washing without a ladder was a team effort!
Hold a little longer, Norm! |
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| Not enough counter top space to make cooking an easy task. Under the glass is the stove and sink. Refrigerator, which surprisingly is "big enough" under that. |
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| Norm, don't be such a baby! |
Norm and I have both wanted to see more of Europe, and
European Motorhome Tours is definitely how we will see additional countries. A river cruise is still on our “bucket list” but maybe not “until we get old”.
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Where there were mounds of
bagged trash there was not much
loose all over the ground. Some
other places there was loose litter
everywhere. |
Our favorite place? We both loved Italy and the mountain regions of Greece. Greece was the main focus of this trip, and frankly it wasn’t what we expected. It was quite dirty and depressing. Witnessing the amount of trash and graffiti everywhere, it appears the people must feel pretty defeated and have lost some of their pride they known for.
And all of those ancient Greek ruins, for the most part, were scattered piles of columns and facades due to an earthquake, and what modern scientists are thinking tsunamis. ( They also were made of sandstone which is a very porous, soft material. )
Unfortunately, after the demise of the Greek empire, the Romans and ensuing inhabitants had little use for the old structures so most were torn down and the building materials were reused for newer structures - many of which survive to this day. For us it seemed more impressive to see a standing Roman coliseum than to see a destroyed Greek town that was a mere pile of fallen debris.
Let me just end in saying, we had a GREAT vacation! We are convinced that traveling by RV is our favorite mode of vacationing. We are considering the purchase of another, but Norm and I have two different ideas on size. I love the small ( a little bigger than the one we spent the last 30 days in though ). Easy to handle as we age. Unbelievable gas/diesel mileage. Easy to park, get the private sites ( or a distant friend or family's driveway ) and you wouldn't need to tow a car.
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| No hotel room would get you right on the sand! |
Norm wants big. ( 32-35 feet ). He was very comfortable and competent driving and parking our last one. We will have to see what is out there.
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I have to admit, taking care of the laundry was the biggest
inconvenience. Perhaps Norm's big RV would come with
a washer and dryer? hmmmmm....... |
Next year? Alaska is a place we have to get to, so it will probably be there. How we do it, we have to start researching. I am a hesitant to bring an RV up there on those rough, rocky roads. Not to mention the car we would tow behind us getting pummeled by rocks.
Perhaps we will rent an RV, take a cruise, and perhaps rent a house. We may join another couple from our trip.
The following year, we will most likely be back to Europe, traveling somewhere with Thomas and his European Motorhome Tours.
Thanks for following the Travel Tales of Norm and Alison!
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Some people need extra suitcases to tote home their
souvenirs. Our mementos will adorn our "travel Christmas tree" with all the others from previous vacations.
Easy to shop for, ( all tacky gift shops located on every corner, carry refrigerator magnets ) and you can take them home in your pocket!
The fact they are inexpensive is just a bonus! |
