Back in USA

Sarah and I arrived home safely from our whirlwind trip to Europe. We started in Belgium, Brussels; then went Paris including a day trip to Normandy; then to London for a day at the Olympics; then Venice; and finally Rome; we even stopped in Frankfurt on our way home, albeit only for 1 hour in between flights. We did this all in about 10 days.

It was quite an itinerary, and for Sarah on her first trip to continental Europe, it was like drinking from a fire hose. I am sure that as time passes, her appreciation for the experiences she had will grow.

As we discussed the trip near the end of our journey, I was surprised that she found day trip to Normandy the most interesting - I would have never guessed that. I was not surprised that she liked Paris better than Venice or Rome. Both Venice and Rome have an older, less clean feel than Paris. Paris has a more broad appeal having old, new, and everything in between.

For me, as I look back on the trip, I am reminded that the best and most memorable times often do not involve sightseeing, or taking pictures in front of famous monuments. The most memorable aspects is connecting with locals in their setting. In London, that was with our BT hosts getting to see them as proud hosts to the Olympics. In Rome, it was talking with our guide on the Segway tour about life in Rome. In Normandy, it was hearing a WWII perspective of a Parisian tour guide. I have the same point of view when I look at prior trips that I have taken over the years.

I would recommend to anyone traveling to far away venues, to take the time to hire some local guides to enhance your experience. If it doesn't fit within your budget, downgrade your hotel accommodations or have a picnic lunch one day vs. going to restaurant. In other words, paying for a guide should take a priority over food and lodging. The Internet is a great resource to find guides - I have never regretted hiring one.

Another recommendation that I would make is: less is more each day. Make sure you build in time to relax and rest. On a 2-3 day trip, you can go 16 hours each day, but after a week of that non-stop activity level, you will be too tired to enjoy much. I think we broke this rule a bit on this trip and as a result, we were very tired by the time we got to Rome.

Finally, my last recommendation is to just do it - get up and go. I ran out of pages on my last passport and for my new passport, I got double the pages and I hope to run out again.

Happy travels! To Sarah, congratulations on graduating high school and good luck as you start your college career in less than a month. Give some thought as to where we should go next year....