During 3 weeks in May and June 2008 I visited Rome, Florence, Venice, Munich, Bern, Bruges, Paris, Antwerp and Amsterdam with the Great Museums of Europe tour (ART 176). I blazed through untold museums and churches, sampled dozens of delicious beers and slept in more hotels than I can shake a stick at. It was my most memorable experience in years. The camaraderie, friendships, personalities and little dramas made the people I traveled with as interesting as the places we visited. Barbara Saromines-Ganne, Professor of Art (LCC), was our fearless leader, and is among the best in the business.
This was the first time I traveled with a group (24 souls). I was apprehensive about traveling with a tour but in hindsight can say it was a wonderful experience. My concern was not having freedom to do my thing, whatever that may be. As it turned out, we typically had half the day and the evening free, so there was plenty of free time. Plus, the precisely organized schedule meant a lot was packed in 3 weeks. Hotels (3 & 4 star), trains, buses, airplanes, museum tickets, etc., were taken care of. You merely had to roll out of bed on time. Great Scot, they even provided a walkup-call and breakfast. And if you didn't respond, the boss-lady came for you!
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Europe is greener and more ecologically correct than the USA: hordes of bicycles, tiny "Smart" cars, trains galore, less food additives and less packaging. Oddly, with so much tasty food, the population is much slimmer than Americans. The only, huh, husky folk I observed were other tourists. Things ran remarkably smooth in Europe despite a lack of restrictions on drinking age and open containers. Go figure. Cellphones were conspicuously absent from European life. Yeah, they had cellphones but spend less time yakking on them than we do. Americans love prolonged and persistent cell chatter. Europeans prefer face to face and often consider cell yakkers rude. Cellphone prohibition signs were prominently displayed in restaurants, theaters, churches, museums, etc. Some theaters had cellphone jammers! While riding a bus in Rome, I saw a Korean tourist repeatedly asked not to yak on her cell. I'd love to see similar bans and etiquette in the USA. |
Cons? Pay toilets were a bummer. Imagine paying a Euro to tinkle after hammering a few brews? And what's up with Italian train toilets emptying directly onto tracks?
My favorite place was Venice and surrounding islands. Why? The beautiful light, rustic architecture, water and slow pace of life (no freakin' motor vehicles!) made it a photographer's dream. Just look down once in a while so you don't step in dog duty. Venetians love their hounds but don't pickup after them.
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