Reflections by John
Now that I’m back at home and navigating not only the time changes from being overseas, but also our first day back, Daylight Savings Time ends for us here in Arkansas, I’m trying to focus on some thoughts of our recent three-week extravaganza!
First of all, our trip, for me, was far more than I’d ever expected it to be. Planes, trains and automobiles doesn’t say enough for sure. I’m overwhelmed as I think of how many amazing worldrenowned places we saw in such a short amount of time. I’m amazed at how many of my own personal bucket-list things that I’ve crossed off. Some of them have been life-long dreams such as actually being in Venice, Italy!
Stopping in Zurich Switzerland before traveling through the Alps on a train was extra special for sure. It was surreal for me to see the tiny Swiss villages, country farms, beautiful mountain tops was like a dream! I’ve always loved train travel, and this was surely a highlight for our trip. Watching the Swiss Alps come up over the horizon was a very special treat.
Something else to note is that I had several friends who were also on European tours. Seeing Facebook posts from John, Trey, and Jose, whom I hadn’t seen in over 20 years, (who by the way we missed by only hours from being in the same town at the same time) was super cool! Watching their pictures match up with mine was really interesting. John said at one point that we were very close to seeing one another but not close enough. I was hoping.
I’d have say that Venice was probably my favorite thing of our entire trip. But a close second was Ephesus. Venice was stunning. The buildings, bridges, night views of the narrow streets all looked like they had been contrived, built by set builders and lit by professional lighting experts. But they were true, real, and amazing. But canal boats, gondolas, sidewalk cafes inside the walls of the buildings were magical. People hustled through the winding cavern like streets as they moved to their jobs and came home. It was fairly clear to see who actually lived there vs. those who were tourists.
The cobblestone streets were especially interesting as they converged onto many “squares” that were actually designed to catch rainwater and push it into wells that popped up everywhere. Some were plain, while others were sculptural masterpieces! Honestly, I didn’t know their planning for these until on our way home. I wondered all around Venice what those things were!
So, I loved Venice and wasn’t quite ready to leave, but our next stop would be our cruise ship. So off we’d go on another train to Trieste, Italy where we’d go to the port to reach the Norwegian Dawn. We rush-walked forever to get there. We’d heard it was a fairly short 15-minute walk. But, with all of our luggage in tow, it seemed like it was miles! We were all sweating and exhausted by the time we got there only to find long lines waiting to go through the process of embarkation.
Off we were to 10 days onboard. Each day a different port seemed like a lot before we started, but by the end, it WAS a lot!!!
Highlights of our cruise were certainly the many sites we’d experience, but also the endless food, deserts, and the people. Some in our group enjoyed finer dining, while I rather enjoyed the options of the buffet. Being able to choose more keto friendly items made that much easier for me to navigate.
The places I enjoyed the most were Santorini, Greece; Ephesus, Turkey; Athens, Greece; and of course at the end of our three weeks, Paris France!
The first real ancient ruins I’ve ever seen were in Salona, Croatia. The tour guide laid out for us the history and the layout. For me it was really good to see them, but a little underwhelming because they remained fairly unrefined. I’m glad this was the first of those experiences for me as they only got better through the days ahead.
Santorini! Oh my goodness, our tour said “minimum walking” but that was truly not correct at all! First of all, we walked up hills to get to the mountainside cable car. Then a long wait to ride up the steep incline. After that it was continual walking, climbing, and looking over onto the sea below. It was beautiful for sure, but by the end of that day, I was exhausted! Actually I was exhausted after every day-long port experience! Our tour guide was excellent! Lilly was obviously well educated and familiar with the area. She was energetic, delightful, and kept us all connected. She was actually a native of Santorini and returned home after her education to reconnect with her family. I could easily envision her with her loud energetic Greek family around holidays just like the move “Big Fat Greek Wedding!”
Next stop was Ephesus, one of my personal favorites. I don’t have room to express all that I felt going through the ruins of the ancient city. The excavations of the streets, buildings, and public spaces was nothing less than amazing! I was very impressed with the streets and shopping spaces that were clearly visible. But most of all, I was most amazed by the discovery and reconstruction of the Terrace Houses. The wall paintings, floor mosaics, plumbing pipes were all so clear to experience. Decades of intense work had, and is still going on, to uncover the ancient city. I wish I could go back in another 20 years to see even more of this amazing place created over 2000 years ago!
When we got to Athens and disembarked, I knew it would be cool to see the Acropolis and its historic places. After extensive walking, climbing on terribly uneven walkways and stairs, and climbing up a gigantic hill, there it was! Larger than life, the huge columns and amazing sculptures were right in front of me! Seeing it from below was impressive, but standing right next to these structures was spectacular! I had to pinch myself to know this was real!
Then, off we’d go on a flight to Paris. I’d been in New York City several times and I believed this would be similar. But over and over I had to keep reminding myself I was not in New York! Oh, sure the buildings were very different, and of course the languages were also, but the energy and experience was so much like I’d had in New York. I loved it much like I did New York. I really embraced the people energy.
Each night there were throngs of people stuffed into sidewalk cafes. Talking, laughing, intimate connections were obvious scenes of friendship, family, and love. I imagined they were all just off of work, processing their day and living life with those they are close to as they readied themselves for another day.
Building after building, seemingly mile after mile of 6 and 7 story apartment buildings. Each block looking just like the other but unique in design and structure. I was captured by the many huge double doors into the courtyards in the center of many of the buildings. Those doors captured the history of horse drawn carriages that this city was built to contain. Lots of cobblestone, marble and granite that would sustain hundreds of years of people’s lives.
There was way too much to see in just a couple of days, but the experience was more than I could contain in itself. Of courseseeing the major sites there like Notre Dame, the Eifel Tower, Arch de Triumph, the Seine river were all wonderful but I’d seen so many pictures, they were what they were. It was the total energy of the city that captured me.
While we were there, we took a long bus tour to the Loire Valley to see two stately homes. Another bucket list item for me. I’ve always wanted to tour a European castle. The first one we saw, Chateau de Chambord, was huge and difficult to navigate. We missed some significant parts because we didn’t find them. The most significant aspect was the double spiral staircase right in the center of a cross designed building, wings on four sides. It wasn’t until after leaving that it became clear just what that was! It was an impressive design marvel for sure. Even better, I must say that Chateau de Chenonceau was spectacular. It had all the elements, a surrounding moat, huge fireplaces, an amazing basement kitchen, and it was fully furnished almost as if the owners still lived there. Definitely a favorite.
We rode on 29-30 different vehicles to take us to all of these places. Planes, trains, water busses, boat tenders, taxis, Ubers, phew! Every place we went it was a ride on something different. I finally made a stab at writing them all down. I don’t think the list is complete yet.
My favorite meal was Spaghetti Bolognese in Paris. It reminded me so much of my mom’s recipe, so totally comfort food. Other than that, I wanted so much to have a legitimate Greek Gyro, with lamb gyro meat and all. But I tried them twice, once in Zurich, and once in Athens and no lamb meat to be had, and they served them in a cone foil wrapper stuffed with French Fries as well. Sad to say, Arby’s Gyros are better!
We met a couple of interesting people. When in Kotor, Montenegro there was a huge set of rough rock stairs that would take you up to a church and further to a look out. It was far too much for me to encounter but while at the bottom, a delightful woman named Dee had just finished the climb and was back down! I looked at her and said, “Wow! Good job! Did you climb all those stairs?” She in fact did and we immediately connected and saw each other on our trip several more times. And, she had a friend with her that was just finishing his climb. Larry and I saw them later on the ship and he stayed and talked with us for a while We exchanged phone numbers and will likely connect again.
A trip of a lifetime for sure! I don’t think I’ll ever take a three week trip again! It was too long and took to much to readjust after getting home. But, we are talking about another European tour in a couple of years so that should prove to be more manageable.
John Smid
Comments
Post a Comment