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A European Vacation
Sep. 21st, 2011 10:13 amMy parents just returned from a 10-day European vacation (their first), in which they visited London, Paris and Rome. They had a great time, albeit a bit tired. They are in great shape for their ages, but being a bit elderly that's a lower standard.
They went as part of an AARP-sponsored tour, which was good, as it gave them some structure. It was not, however, one of those "everybody in the bus" tours, so they had some free time to shop, eat at a cafe, or otherwise hang out. They did get exposed to some to of the vagaries of Europe, including:
Drinks - My dad drinks gin martinis, and mom drinks vodka tonics. For some reason, they had a hard time getting either of those drinks in a form they recognized.
Plumbing - the hotel they stayed at in London, the Marble Arch (?) was apparently built pre-WWII, and had some of the vagaries of old-style plumbing. They also discovered that many European buildings in the tourist areas were built pre-indoor bathrooms, and so the toilets were in unusual places.
Money - My dad decided to buy money from the currency exchanges at the airports, so he had to pay fees. Me, I get cash from ATMs whenever possible, but that confused them, except for one successful attempt in France.
Despite all these problems, they enjoyed themselves immensely, and are already talking about going back!
They went as part of an AARP-sponsored tour, which was good, as it gave them some structure. It was not, however, one of those "everybody in the bus" tours, so they had some free time to shop, eat at a cafe, or otherwise hang out. They did get exposed to some to of the vagaries of Europe, including:
Drinks - My dad drinks gin martinis, and mom drinks vodka tonics. For some reason, they had a hard time getting either of those drinks in a form they recognized.
Plumbing - the hotel they stayed at in London, the Marble Arch (?) was apparently built pre-WWII, and had some of the vagaries of old-style plumbing. They also discovered that many European buildings in the tourist areas were built pre-indoor bathrooms, and so the toilets were in unusual places.
Money - My dad decided to buy money from the currency exchanges at the airports, so he had to pay fees. Me, I get cash from ATMs whenever possible, but that confused them, except for one successful attempt in France.
Despite all these problems, they enjoyed themselves immensely, and are already talking about going back!
