J and K Adventures: European Trip Summary, Part One

After about 14 hours of travel and 24 hours awake, we arrived at Portland and gladly took the shuttle to the Howard Johnson's for sleep, sweet sleep. Max picked us up the next morning and we were glad to see home, complete with Freddy and the cats.

Construction and remodeling halted while we were away but quickly resumed, and I (Kathy) am now back at work in the basement. Europe seems like a wonderful dream.

So it seems like the perfect time for a wrap-up of our trip. We also have a lot of cool pictures we'd like to post. Starting with Best and Worst:

Best Viewpoint: (Kathy) So hard to choose. Number one would be looking across Lake Lucerne. And it's a close call, but I'd say standing in the cow field in the shadow of the alps is number two. But the rooftops of Berne are close. (Jeff) Taking our cruise on the Wolfgansee in Austria - warm sun, cool breezes and views everywhere that could grace a postcard.

Best Country: (Kathy) England is my favorite because of the friendliness of the people and not having to speak another language. Holland (Amsterdam). There was a electric feel to the city, very alive but with a citizenry that was mellow, friendly and devoted to a "no stress" lifestyle. Walking the canals and marveling at the architecture was such a treat.

Best City: (Kathy) I loved Amsterdam. Number two would be Vienna. (Jeff) See above but Berne is second in my estimation - a nice city to stroll.

Best body of water: (Kathy) The Wolfgangsee. Closely followed by the canals in Amsterdam. (Jeff) The Wolfgangsee and Lake Lucerne in a dead heat. Both of those days were special, very special.

Best Dinner: (Kathy) We had such delicious food in so many amazing settings. The tapas in Bristol were varied, unusual and sumptuous. So was the dinner we had in Lucerne (spanish food). (Jeff) Very hard to choose a "Best" as there were so many Bests. Meals that stand out was the Curry restaurant we went to near Malmaison - totally unexpected and my mouth still has a tingle from all of the spices. Close 2nds would be our last dinner in Paris and our lunch at the top of the Jungfrau - what a view!

Best dessert: (Kathy) Apple struedal in Salzburg. (Jeff) Chocolate mousse in any number of locales.

Best Ice cream: (Kathy) Above and beyond--Paris! Close second--Salzburg. (Jeff) Got to say ditto, ditto

Best Hotel: (Kathy) The hotel in Vienna was great. It was a really old building and had high ceilings, air conditioning and a good bathroom. But the Ibis in Bristol was pretty good too. (Jeff) Amsterdam, old world flavor with a great location

Worst Tourist Trap: (Kathy) Weston super-Mare in England. And most of Interlaken. (Jeff) The Jungfrau for it's inability to limit the number of people at the top of the mountain.

Worst Idea either of us had: (Kathy) Trying to find Sand Beach in England. (Jeff) Taking the train from Amsterdam to Vienna - we should have flown!!!!!

Worst Bed: (Kathy) The Cambrone In Paris. Small and hard. (Jeff) Brussels - the room we were scheduled to stay in was so bad, (the bed reminded me of a sway back horse) that we forfeited a days charge and found a different hotel.

Worst Bathroom: (Kathy) They were all tiny. Again, the Cambrone. (Jeff) Ditto on the Cambrone but the hotel in Berne is a close second. The showers were about 24" X 24" - a very tight squeeze.

Worst Food: (Kathy) The McDonalds on the way to Vienna or the buffet at the President in London (Jeff) Most of the food we had in Salzburg - a town that lives up to it's name - Salt town. I get thirsty just thinking about it.

Best sunset: (Kathy) Amsterdam: The reflection of the sunset on all those old tilting buildings with the canal in the foreground. Wow! (Jeff) Interlaken with the hang gliders framed with the towering snow capped Alps behind them - talk about Alpenglow!

Things that I learned which I should reread before our next journey: (Jeff) No cotton clothing - takes way too long to dry! Also, bring less clothes - we thought we had cut things down but we could do even better - 4 pair of underware, 4 - 5 shirts, no jeans. Finally fewer countries - we saw so much but I would have enjoyed digging deeper into the culture and ambiance of the countries we visited..
(Kathy) Yes, fewer stops with more days in each so we could get out in the country and explore. Also pack less stuff: I never wore makeup....just sunscreen. But I packed it all over Europe. And for clothing, light layers is the way to go. Forget anything heavy and hard to dry. Also, although it's fun to learn on the fly, a little study of each town's transportation system would be helpful BEFORE you had to find your way to somewhere. And make sure the hotels have air conditioning.

Things I was glad I did and would do again: (Kathy) Pack light and take it easy. That's what we did and it made the trip so much better. It was great that we got our hotel reservations before the trip so we always had a destination. It was one less thing to stress about. And having a good breakfast included in the price was great. You always knew you could start out well fed.

And last but not least, The thing I was most glad I did and would definitely do again is travel with Jeff. We did not have one fight or major disagreement on this trip and it was an amazing journey to add to our past journeys. As we come upon 5 years since we first met, Jeff continues to surprise me with his knowledge and adaptability, and humor-filled, optimistic attitude. He talks to everyone, no matter what language they speak and makes a good impression wherever he goes. It is a pleasure and privilege to travel though life with him.

(Jeff) Before the trip, I had purchased an electrical adapter/transformer which has room for 3 plugs and room to plug in 2 computers/phones - great device! Protected the hardware and plenty of room for all of our needs. Thanks Kat for the plug but you are the one who should take a bow. Your ability to navigate strange towns, willingness to try new things, adventuresome spirit made this a truly wonderful journey. I love a minimum of stress/drama and there was next to none and over 5 weeks, two days and countless miles - that really is an amazing testament.