I turned sixty in 2012 but I’d like to go back a little further to 2005 when I took my first brave step and did a solo trip for five weeks to Europe and the UK.
Probably the most scary and also the most exhilarating experience of my life.
I suppose it would be called a bucket list but I called it my wish list of places to see in the countries I had selected to tour.
I discovered there were so many things that I hadn’t been told I needed to do, things I should have known and other things to avoid.
I went to Italy and discovered Rome. Walked and walked for 12 hours on the first day.
#1 lesson- do some training for walking sessions of this duration-I ended up almost not able to walk I was so stiff, but managed to power through and gradually got fitter and fitter BUT be careful here too! I lost so much weight the first week that my clothes were falling off me.
Lesson #2: pack what you think you want to take, then load it all up and walk around the block a few times on the roughest part you can find- see just how much you feel you can take of doing this overseas when you get lost or have to walk ten blocks to your accommodation! You’ll soon rethink your packing.
This trip was to be the first of many and it paved the way for what I like to call ‘snapshot tours’. Not only do I take lots of pics but it’s only a couple of days in each place, so becomes quite a strenuous exercise in packing, travelling, finding accommodation, unpacking, sightseeing, packing, travelling…..and on it goes.
The Wish List for this trip went like this…..
ITALY
Rome-
The Spanish Steps, The Vatican, The Vatican Museum, Trevi Fountain, The Colosseum and many more places in the 2.5 days I was there
Florence-
Statue of David in the Ufffizi Museum, the Duomo, Ponte Vecchio
Venice-
My gondola ride with ‘Fabio’, fabulous masks, the Lagoon, Rialto Bridge, Grand Canal, St Mark’s Square.
CZECH REPUBLIC
Prague-
The Old Town, Charles Bridge, St Vitus Cathedral,
GERMANY
Amberg, Hamburg, Nuremberg, Boppard and the Rhine
HOLLAND
Amsterdam- canals, red light district, peep shows, tulips, delph, windmills.
FRANCE
Paris- Eiffel Tower, moulin rouge, The river Seine, Arc de Triomph, Louvre (Mona Lisa) Sacre Coeur, Montemartre.
ENGLAND
Relatives and friends
NORTHERN IRELAND
Relatives and Friends
Loads of pics, stories and lessons learned along the way on this holiday.
7 STEPS FOR A SUCCESSFUL TRIP
1. RESEARCH, RESEARCH, RESEARCH
2. LOCAL COINS FOR TOILETS- most toilets in Europe cost, some automated but some with either women or men at the door collecting the money. Some even give you a few sheets of paper when the paper is not supplied! Some countries don’t like the euro so local coins are best to use
3. GET FITTER – do this before you go – I won’t make this mistake again
4. MAKE SURE YOU KNOW EXACTLY WHERE YOUR ACCOMMODATION IS- I booked for Venice but instead of being ON the island I was in the City of Venice. There is a difference! And in Amsterdam even my taxi driver didn’t like the area I’d booked!! It turned out ok but was on the edge of the red light district. Was a little worrying though.
5. BE VERY AWARE- checking my pics and videos in Florence I found out that a guy who’d asked me to go for a coffee(I paid) had actually been in most of them-so had been stalking me!!!
6. STRAP YOUR PASSPORT AND MONEY TO YOUR BODY- under your clothes of course. And NOBODY could have stolen my coin purse-it was hooked onto my G-string!
7. KEEP A DIARY AND TAKE LOTS OF PICS. – I didn’t do it properly the first time but at least I took a voice recorder. COFFEE TABLE BOOKS are great for Holiday memories. Memories fade, but if you keep the basic facts of what you did each day plus favourite pics it’s so much easier to relive the experiences and remember other things when they jog your memory
And ENJOY either by yourself (which is awesome as I can totally take your own time doing whatever you want) or with someone who genuinely shares your interest. Don’t so someone else’s holiday – you spend too much money and time and you’ll really regret it later. Just organise to meet up later- simple!
Lady Boomer 