In no particular order, here are some random observations that haven’t made it into any blogs.
- When traveling, conversations with strangers are usually about traveling. Eavesdropping on conversations has been so interesting, as I have heard about vacations to places I have never thought to visit, like Switzerland and Bulgaria and Mauritius and Cambodia. Much to Rob’s relief, none of these have been added to my “must see” list.
- Seattle is very popular internationally; pretty much everyone knows where it is. Portland is a little more obscure, although some Canadian and Swiss chatters both agreed that they had heard that Portland was a great town and would like to visit someday (I stayed mum, hoping for more dirt).
- TripAdvisor is HUGE in Rome and Santorini. Businesses all over the place had approval stickers in their windows and many had plaques near their cash registers commending their excellent reviews. In other news, I should have about 20 reviews to add to my TripAdvisor account by the time I am done. And the swag totebag they sent me to commemorate my 50th review has performed admirably on this trip.
- Santorini is a very tidy place. The locals seem to be in a constant state of improvement. Lots of sweeping, mopping, painting, wiping, repairing. Even without Egypt as a comparison, we were both struck by how clean the island was.
- Converse All-Star shoes “(“Chuck Taylors”) are universally popular. I have seen them on all ages and in every country we have visited, on locals as well as non-American tourists. I have been particularly aware of them since every time I see someone wearing a pair, I am tempted to tell them that the shoes have awful arch support and they are risking plantar fasciitis and really, some orthotics would be a good idea. Of course, I have kept my mouth mostly shut. Poor Rob.
- It’s a long story, but my ethnicity is something of a mystery. Most of my life, people have told me I look Italian. When visiting Istanbul in college, locals assumed I was Turkish. On this trip, locals in Greece started talking to me in Greek. Nobody in Egypt thought I was anything but a tourist weighed down with Euros to spend. Having studied the physical characteristics of various ethnicities on this trip, Rob and I have concluded that I am most likely Italian after all. That would explain my love of carbs.
- Much to my surprise, being warm for three weeks straight has been a little wearing. I am ready to not have to slather on sunscreen and take two showers every day. The weather has been postcard perfect the entire trip – hardly any clouds, temps in at least the low 80s, I haven’t wore long sleeves outside since we left Portland. On the other hand, I need more deodorant and the crease in both eyelids is crusty from all the sweat. Turns out in a pinch, lip moisturizer is not a bad eye cream.
- I miss green. Trees, bushes, soft leaves, delicate grass. I have been looking at blue ocean and yellow rock for 3 weeks. Beautiful indeed, but I miss the calming lushness of moist greenery.
- In a tragic development, the heat on this trip seems to have affected my appetite. Especially in Santorini. I was all set to eat my weight in feta and olives but I got full so quickly. All across the island, I was explaining myself and apologizing to waiters who were personally affronted that my plate was far from clean. I can’t begin to express how disappointed I am. In better news, Rob was surprised to find how much he enjoyed Greek food and the many ways one can serve lamb and cheese. He also had a honey-drenched waffle that transported him to a Very Happy Place for a spell.
- Nail polish is nearly impossible to find in Europe. I checked pharmacies and grocery stores in every country except Egypt. I only found one brand and it offered only a handful of color selections. I had no idea how spoiled we are in the US to have all the mani-pedi options at Walgreens and Target.
- Among English speakers, we ran into many more Canadians and Australians that Americans. I wonder if they have a different school year calendar?
- I am looking forward to being able to drink tap water and flush toilet paper.
- The most popular camera for tourists? iPads. I was surprised how many people were carrying around the thin tablets, holding them up and taking huge pictures. The last time I played with an iPad, it didn’t have a USB drive so there wasn’t an easy way to get the photos off the device, other than uploading them to some Apple-owned cloud. Between that and the inability to just slip the device in your pocket, I remain mystified why I saw so many of iPads photographing sites all along our way.
- I haven’t watched TV in three weeks. I haven’t missed it. I have only barely been on Facebook in three weeks, mostly checking on a friend whose mother is ailing and to send a couple of notes. I have been too distracted to miss Facebook, but I suspect I will jump back in soon enough.
- I don’t know how they do it, but so many women travel in white pants! Almost like a tan used to signify high-class living (you had enough time and money to lull about in the sun), wearing white pants while on vacation these days almost screams, “I can afford to pay for more baggage AND laundry services.”
- On that note, it seems that by the time we get home, we will have paid a total of 20 Euros to have our three large-ish suitcases follow us around. This is mostly thanks to a frustrated Lufthansa ticket agent annoyed with his airline’s non-responsive credit card machine (“Never mind. It’s your lucky day. Proceed to security.”) and code-sharing with a really nice Greek airline.
- No matter what language they are speaking and what culture they come from, families traveling together have the same issues, including the same restless-energy grade schoolers, the same eye-rolling teens, and the same need for mom to stop for the bathroom.
- Apparently the only people interested in free spritzes of duty-free perfume are teenage girls, of all nationalities.
- Without naming countries, we have come across several instances on this trip where people from a specific country very rudely have taken over our space. No regard as to if we were there first or if the area is set aside for us. It’s a good spot and they want it so they take it. Like a hotel patio or, very recently, half of my chair in the airport waiting area. Maybe it has to do with having come almost literally half-way around the globe to get here. Or maybe they are just used to having to fend for themselves down under there. Whatever it is, it’s annoying, despite the charming accent.
- Fans of “Pulp Fiction” already know there is no such thing as a Quarter Pounder in metric-based McDonalds. However, I can report that the Cheeseburger tasted just like home even though I am looking out at the Athens outskirts. The french fries were odd, though, but in a good way. They had a vaguely familiar flavor that I couldn’t place at first. A flavor that used to lurk in McDonald fries at home before the whole transfat, Olestra trend happened. Then it dawned on me. That flavor? Potato. Mmmm.
A couple more hours to go before flight #2 of 3 today. Since we are following the sun home, we are going to do our best to stay awake until we get to our east coast hotel tonight. By the time we land, I think we will have been awake for over 20 hours. Wish us luck.
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