1992 Europe Travel Journal
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Too sexy for Milan
I shimmy my tush between two tables to my seat. The small tables are snug in this Pizzeria. The restaurant is packed. We are in Milan, fashion capital of the beautiful, sophisticated Italy. The guy sitting next to me is hot. Holy crap. Sarah is sitting across from me. Her knowing glance tells me she has noticed too. Should we introduce ourselves? We order a bottle of wine first. He is sitting so close. Like, right beside me. There is about 6 inches between our tables. I take a long gulp of the red wine. It’s warm. Another sip. Spicy. I wonder if he is a backpacker like us. I…
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Mountain activities in Interlaken
We decided to go tandem paragliding in Interlaken. There were tons of activities and excursions at Balmer’s Hostel, and the paragliding advertisement caught our attention. After thinking long and hard about spending the money (100 Francs), we decided to go for it. Balmer’s is a fun hostel amidst lush green mountain slopes, snow capped peaks, turquoise lakes and crisp alpine air. This traditional Swiss chalet has all the amenities and more, like a games room and cozy common room to hang out with fellow travellers. As welcoming as the hostel is, the location is the real prize. The hostel offers a slew of outdoor activities to experience the mountain scenery…
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Switzerland notables
A very good friend of mine is a master at creating “top 10” lists. She has a wonderful way of summing up a whole year with a list of ten notables. I am going to take a page from her book (or annual seasonal address) and sum up our foray through Switzerland with 10 highlights (in no particular order). Bern, even in the rain, such a darling city Eating Toblerone in Bern, somehow tasting even better standing on Swiss soil Raclette lunch in Neuchâtel, perhaps even better than our raclette party back home Swiss yogurt – so good, so creamy, so many different flavours Cozy thick duvets in Swiss hostels,…
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Tranquility in Chamonix
I watched the changing scenery from my train window as we headed into the Alps. There was no denying the rugged mountains were stunning. We even had a great view of the snow capped peaks from our hostel. But after sunny Spain and the excitement of Barcelona, the cool weather and tranquil mountain town was an adjustment. The small town of Chamonix was pretty quiet. Many hiking trails were still closed for the season. Instead, we immersed ourselves in the majestic Alps the easy way. We crammed into a cable car with a tour group to try to get a glimpse of Mont Blanc. The blizzard at the top completely…
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An old list is new again
I almost overlooked it. Again. A page at the end of my old travel journal from 1992. A little list. A forgotten list. A lonely list. We covered a lot of ground on that backpacking trip at a steady pace. It was always my intention to return. I kept a list, in my journal, of places I wanted to visit someday: Lagos, Portugal Menorca, Spain Morocco Cinque Terre, Italy* St Gilgen, Salzkammergut region of Austria Bacharach, Rhine River, Germany *Cinque Terre is the only place I visited, ever so briefly, on my backpacking trip (see Monterosso). It is my handwriting. Otherwise all is a blur. Who gave me these recommendations?…
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A picnic to remember in Châteauneuf-du-Pape
Picnics were commonplace for Sarah and I over the course of our travels. Bread and cheese was our sustenance. Many picnics were not ideally located, or were soggy as we sought shelter in a train station, huddled under a tree, or perched on a park bench. Most quite frankly are long forgotten. A glorious picnic is a different story. It warrants some wistful reminiscing. In Châteauneuf-du-Pape I wrote “we had a picnic the way I imagined our picnics to be”. We headed out into wine region from our base in Avignon. It was early spring, the vines were spindly and the earth dry and pebbly. There were no grapes on…
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Merriment in Barcelona
I had a blast in Barcelona. My journal is filled with adjectives like “super”, “incredible” and “fun”. It was the vibrancy of the city; the fun company (we were touring with our energetic friend Carolyn); the lovely weather; the spontaneous Easter egg hunt in our hostel (thank you Sarah!) We laughed, we had good time. I was fascinated by Antoni Gaudi. I had absolutely no clue about this famous architect. Never seen any photos. So his creations were a complete surprise … and bizarre and unusual. Perhaps that made the discovery all the more thrilling. We wandered in a park with a “huge cascade of fountains, statues and stairs galore”…
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Chill’n out in Gandia
We drank sangria and learned that nightlife only gets going after midnight in Spain. The nightclub was practically empty at 11:00 pm, but the music was loud. 🎵 Don’t go, don’t goooo, don’t go away… I’m begging you to stay… The club was a short walk down the beach from our beachfront youth hostel on Playa Piles. On another night, we watched the sunset and made a fire by the beach with the other travellers staying at the hostel. We were all there for the same reason. A beach holiday within our holiday. After three weeks of checking off European cities (12 in total!) and three sleepless overnight train trips,…
