The Big Meander

What was your favorite place to visit?

We have a list for Western Europe, and that list is broken into several categories. (You can see the full list at the bottom of the post if you’re so inclined).

• Favorite Big City: Marla ~ Madrid, Spain. She loved the food, the city, the Prado museum, the huge parks, the royal palace……ask her about it, but be willing to take some time to hear the answer ‘cause she has lots to say. Venice, Italy was a close runner-up for Marla but didn’t quite make the impression Madrid did.
• Favorite Big City: Erin ~ Florence, Italy. Many of the same reasons Marla gave for Madrid as her favorite big city are what made Florence Erin’s favorite big city; the food, the art, the Davids, the gelato, the fact that it is the cradle of the Renaissance, the ambiance……again ~ if you ask, be prepared to take some time with the answer. Madrid, Spain was Erin’s runner-up favorite big city ~ which means we cooooould live there if we had to.
• Favorite Medium City: E&M ~ Siena, Italy.
• Favorite Small Town: E&M ~ Trim, Ireland
• Least favorite no matter the size: E&M ~ Berlin

What was your Favorite Meal and/or Food?

• Erin’s most favorite meal so far on the whole trip was the Ropa Vieja/Padron Pepper/Pork Tenderloin/best cocktails with Chili lime on the rim in Madrid, Spain. We didn’t expect the food to be sooooooo good…but even if we had expected something amazing it would have easily blown past that to fantastic! (this restaurant is an exception to point #3 listed below).
• Marla’s most favorite meal so far on the whole trip was the white fish, tatties (potatoes) and broccoli Erin made in the AirB&B in Invergordon, Scotland. Hands down the best meal EVER. A very close second was the first Madrid meal.

What was the most valuable thing you learned?

(Full list at bottom if you’re interested)

1. Google Translate is 100% useful for reading signs, translating train announcements, translating instructions in the laundromat and generally helping us be independent in the countries we visited.
   • 1a. Read aaall of the instructions before putting any money into any laundry machine.
2. Eurail passes were 100% worth it. To fly or go by rail is often a trade-off in money/time, but we found trains to be more comfortable, have a more flexible schedule and an overall more enjoyable experience
   • a. Book a seat reservation. On some popular routes it’s required, but even when it’s not, it is a stress reducer to know you’ve got a seat.
   • b. Air travel is CHEAP in Europe, but that doesn’t mean it’s any easier than in the U.S…..first you may have multiple passport checks for reasons that don’t seem logical, second, you must walk the gauntlet of the shopping mall offering everything from booze to bras, and third, you may or may not have to walk another 1/2 mile to your gate….all of which mean getting to the airport sooner is better which translates to more time and effort than simply jumping on a train.
3. Do not expect every restaurant you go into to be a gem. Just like anywhere, the restaurant you choose in the moment may or may not have good food. 100% of the time, if we went with a recommended restaurant we were wowed by the meal.
   • 3a. Always make a reservation at the Rick Steve’s recommended places…….we didn’t several times because we were intimidated by the language. This is how we know not every place to eat in Europe is awesome.

Observations and Lessons Learned

In no particular order, here are a bunch of observations and lessons we learned over 3 months in Europe:

• The room key is used to turn on the electricity in most hotel rooms. We would get two room keys so that we could charge our devices when we weren’t there.
• Rick Steve’s free walking tour app is a great way to orient yourself to a new city.
• In 3 months, we only had to hand wash cloths in one hotel room.
• In several hotel rooms and AirBnbs in northern and central Europe, the doors on the shower are annoying half doors. We never mastered the art of showering with these and not getting water all over the bathroom floor.
• We rarely had flat sheets on the bed, just a fitted sheet and duvets (with duvet covers). Sometimes we each had our own duvets.
• American-style drip coffee was non-existent. The closest we got was Americanos.
• Smoking is still very popular, but at least it’s not usually inside.
• So many stairs…
• Public transportation is cheap and it goes everywhere.
• Most restaurants, including fast food, used real plates and cutlery. If it was disposable, it was usually compostable.
• Use taxis when hauling luggage from train stations or airports. It’s a lot more convenient when you’re trying to carry ALL THE THINGS and taxis are usually highly regulated which makes it affordable.
• AirBnb’s new “guest favorites” feature gets you really nice, very centrally located lodging every time.
• Booking.com is useful for hotel bookings: the more you use it the more discounts you get.
• AirBnbs don’t usually have much food in the pantry except maybe coffee. Expect to buy everything (including salt and pepper).
• City tax is charged everywhere. If you collect your receipts you can get what you paid back at the airport on your way out of the country.
• European washing machines in AirBnbs sometimes include a dryer in the same machine. These dryers usually didn’t work well and just “steamed” our clothes. If you have the luxury of a washing machine in your AirBnb, make sure to allow time to let your clothes air dry.

Western European City Rankings

Big Cities

Medium Cities

1. Siena, Italy
2. Verona, Italy
3. Derry, Northern Ireland
4. NewCastle, England
5. Pisa, Italy

Small Towns

1. Trim, Ireland
2. Bayeux, France
3. Conwy, Wales
4. Dingle, Ireland
5. SaltHill, Ireland
6. Invergordon, Scotland