Our Tour Begins...with a Belgian Bus
Throughout our trip, this Heidebloom bus would be our second home. It was brand new with lots of perks, such as a fridge stocked with Belgian beer and other refreshments. Because our tour group was small, we had plenty of room to spread out. We had plenty of breaks to stretch our feet and grab a bite to eat.
Tony, our fearless bus driver, navigated expertly through the tiny streets of Europe. Our group got to know him well, and by the end of our tour, we had a tearful goodbye dinner in his honor. He entertained us along the way with his collection of music. And once, after he fixed me a cup of hot tea before climbing back on the bus, he spiked it with a splash of some Italian peach liquor!
Tony, our fearless bus driver, navigated expertly through the tiny streets of Europe. Our group got to know him well, and by the end of our tour, we had a tearful goodbye dinner in his honor. He entertained us along the way with his collection of music. And once, after he fixed me a cup of hot tea before climbing back on the bus, he spiked it with a splash of some Italian peach liquor!
Travel Tips
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Meet MargaretMargaret was our wonderful tour guide. She was very knowledgeable about things to see and do in the locations we visited, and how to get around on foot. She was relaxed, had a great sense of humor, and always made us feel safe.
Every evening, she would leave us a note, like the one below, to inform us about the plan for the next day. She held daily office hours at our hotels so that we could ask her for suggestions and advice. Website NavegationYou'll find important sights on our tour highlighted in bold, as well as links to some of the references that may be less familiar. Don't miss the sidebar on Versailles - it deserved its own page!
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A Word on Packing
I know, I know - you're ready to get to the good stuff. But I can't go much further without talking about packing because it was all I thought about in the month leading up to our trip. I had read Rick Steves' advice on packing. I didn't want to get tripped up in the airport by carrying a bag that was too large to fit in the overhead bin, but I didn't want to risk the possibility of my luggage winding up in North Pole by checking it. So, I made the decision to pack all of my clothes and toiletteries for 18 days in my college backpack. I'm not talking about a backpacking backpack. I'm talking about the tiny little thing that I carried my homework around in.
I had a photo of it all packed and bursting at the seams, but it somehow got lost in iPhone cyberspace. Believe me, though, I crammed every last cubic centimeter of my North Face Recon. I spent hours with potential clothes to pack spread out on my bed, agonizing over whether or not all my shirts would match my pants. I edited my color-coded packing list over and over. By the beginning of April, I knew the maximum carry-on allowances and liquid requirements as well as I knew my own phone number. Are you beginning to get the feeling that I'm a little OCD??
In the end it was worth it, though. I felt pretty happy (okay, it was more like smug!) when we were walking from the boat to our hotel in Venice and everyone else had to stop and lug their rolling suitcases up a flight of stairs. It gave me more time to enjoy the views of gondolas floating up the canal - definitely worth sacrificing an extra outfit or two - plus it gave me the excuse to buy more things on our trip! Next: Paris.
I had a photo of it all packed and bursting at the seams, but it somehow got lost in iPhone cyberspace. Believe me, though, I crammed every last cubic centimeter of my North Face Recon. I spent hours with potential clothes to pack spread out on my bed, agonizing over whether or not all my shirts would match my pants. I edited my color-coded packing list over and over. By the beginning of April, I knew the maximum carry-on allowances and liquid requirements as well as I knew my own phone number. Are you beginning to get the feeling that I'm a little OCD??
In the end it was worth it, though. I felt pretty happy (okay, it was more like smug!) when we were walking from the boat to our hotel in Venice and everyone else had to stop and lug their rolling suitcases up a flight of stairs. It gave me more time to enjoy the views of gondolas floating up the canal - definitely worth sacrificing an extra outfit or two - plus it gave me the excuse to buy more things on our trip! Next: Paris.