After every trip I think of so many things to write about. So many questions to explore about culture, language, cuisine and technology. But time is limited and life catches quickly!
So what should I write about by three week trip to Europe! I’ll try to capture the essence, some pictures, some tidbits and promise to write more later :). Before leaving I said to friends that I don’t really like Europe but I treasure the travel for opportunity to spend time with friends and family. And above everything else big goal was to practice traveling light.
Well my trip sort of challenged by thought that Europe is not interesting and an extension of developed world. With that in mind let me cover all the countries and cities I visited. Of course better travelogues are Rick Steves domain, by the way I got a bit introduced to his books - must say informative great tips to save but a bit too American stereotype focussed :).
Italy
In a week I just got a bare taste of what this country I had to offer. I decided to pick a city in south to visit in addition to Milan. Next time I’m highly inclined to do a week of hiking in Tuscany region.
Milan & High Fashion
Over 3-4 days I became almost a well versed expat! Numerous trips to the cathedral were always educational from learning about italian bikes to almost signing up for a 10K! The nightlife was abundant and 10 € buffets interesting. I did get acquainted to some high fashion - thanks to my friend and timeout. Among other things I witnessed a €250 shirt in a factory seconds shop for a designer label!
Rome & History
My appreciation for Rome and roman history only grew through the rest of trip. I saw the roman wall in Barcelona and got an appreciation for the extent and impact of Romans! It seems like in a sense Roman Empire had a knack to market themselves and establish a strong institution, techniques and a “roman” way of things.
The Vatican and the art in the museum was a good site. Accomplished sculptors doing phenomenal paintings - sort of Vogue magazine of the papacy. Every human has an ideal body :).
Amsterdam
Among the canals one can’t fail to notice the cleanliness of this lovely city. After spending four days here I thought I could live here!
Spain
With an economy doing not so well and a political turmoil with the Catalonia - Spain is a bit of a mess. But not so much when you look at the lifestyle, weather, and food! I loved the country and more than any other place, it completely blew my expectations. The cultural tours in Madrid and the architecture in Barcelona made me to think about how this came about - and now I have new found curiosity to learn more about Arab culture, influences, music and of course cuisine!
Barcelona, beaches and architecture - Catalonia
A hightech city with lots of amazing architecture and Gaudi genesis creations. More on the city soon!
Madrid & espania
We had a very lovely host in Madrid. I got to practice my spanish and siesta skills! More on the city soon!
In did a lot of interesting things on this trip. Most notable tidbits - ?
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I spoke only in spanish with a hostel mate and another fellow Australian traveller (!) commended me on my language skills. I think he was generous but hey my spanish is improving - seriously (!), well to prove that I’m going to write an article on the trip in Espanol..
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Visited a lot of museums! here is the proof …
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Spent a lot of quality time with friends and family. I think more I do it, the more I love the idea of vacation with friends and family. It relaxing, bonding and energizing.
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