Trip Notes and Observations

These were just a few of our observations and notes from our trip - It might help others that are planning a trip but mainly it's for us to remember.

Walking - We walked a total of 114.5 miles! 

Reservations – Everything we booked worked to perfection from planes to trains to cars to hotels.  All hotels were booked on booking.com and cars, planes and trains directly from the websites.

Credit Card & Cash – We have been screwed over so many times by Bank of America while traveling but this time – perfection.  They have a new online system where you log your trip yourself – It sure worked for us – no fraud holds at all!  Kudos to Keybank as well – same idea and we made ATM withdrawals in every country with no problems.

Shower cords - There are cords in all the showers.  Nick read that they are for people that slip on the tile floors but that most hotels just ignore the alarms – oops.

Hotel Differences – They don’t supply wash cloths at all nor irons and ironing boards like the US does.  The only difference was the hotel in London did have an iron and ironing board.  I learned to de-wrinkle using the hotel hair dryer!  I also did laundry in the hotel bathrooms and just hung everything to dry – Rick Steeves would be proud.  I only ever saw one laundry facility in Atibes and I’m glad I didn’t have to spend time in there – like a sweat box.

Restaurant and Bar service - The service in restaurants and bars is so different from the US – they don’t hound you for refills nor bring you your check quickly at all – you have to get their attention – sometimes it’s annoying if you are in a hurry.

Tolls – We really wish we would have kept track of what we spent – it had to be at least 150-175 EUR.  Our most expensive one was 25 EUR for a stretch of highway in Italy.  Some towns/cities even have surcharges to enter and exit. 

Speed Cameras  - Especially in Italy – they are EVERYWHERE and HIDDEN.  The only way we knew about them was the warning from our car navigation system.  Plus the speed signs are super infrequent and it can go from 110 to 50 in an instant.  I would not be surprised if we don’t get a ticket or two in the mail from the rental car companies.

Car Navigation – It’s a must.  You cannot drive in Europe without it.  Garmin’s don’t give enough warning for the turns you have to take so they are easily missed and they don’t warn you of the cameras.  Spend the money and use the rental car navigation system.  Plus the navigation systems warn you of the speed changes and cameras. 

Driving in general – very stressful – we probably won’t do it again.  We would rent a car for a day but not worth the stress when you can just take a train.  Also it’s VERY expensive and just not necessary with the amazing public transit systems most everywhere.

Fruit – yes the kind you eat….So incredibly delicious and so much better than the stuff that is shipped to our part of the US.  It just tastes so much fresher and sweeter.

Currency – Euro bills look like Monopoly money British bills don’t fit in wallets very well.  The coins are freaking annoying because they are hard to read and some of them are very similar in size. 

Leftover currency – I’m bringing home a small amount of Euro (12 only) but we were brilliant leaving London and gave it all to our hotel to put against our bill – not coming home with any British lbs other than a few small coins.

Tipping – LOVED the no tipping tradition in all the countries!  Of course like I said above the services was not all that great either.  However in the larger cities they charge a service charge on your restaurant or bar bill.  We got anywhere from 12% to 15% tacked on.

Wi – Fi - Don’t believe the hype that it is pretty much everywhere – IT’S A LIE!  We only had it in our hotels and sometimes that was even spotty.  The airports – I could only get it on my laptop and very spotty on my phone – restaurants would advertising it but it hardly ever worked.

Pizza – No one cuts their pizza – not sure what that is all about.

Water – You have to ask for water (flat or sparkling) and sometimes they charge you.  Ice is non existent unless you ask for it.

Flying regional airlines – cheap but there is a reason for that – they would not let us carry on our bags and the planes are small and cramped.  However one tip – just gate check your bag and as a perk they will let you on the plane first. 

Airport Gate Assignments – One of the craziest things we have ever seen.  They don’t announce the gate assignment for you plane until ½ hr before the flight leaves.  So everyone is hanging out by the departure boards and then they make a mad dash for their gates.  Not sure of the reasoning.

TSA/Airport security – they are much stricter as far as liquids than the US.  I had to throw away stuff in the UK during our layover on the way to Paris because they much stricter rules than the US.  In Italy you cannot have someone “touching you” issues because their version of TSA pretty much touches your entire body during screening….yes it was weird.

View on Americans – We traveled in three countries, UK, France and Italy.  The nicest people to us were from France and the UK.  The Italians in general were nice but the service type workers – pretty much didn’t want anything to do with us and we felt like they didn’t like us much.  Maybe if we made more of an effort to speak the language it might have helped – will try that next time.