Let me stoke your travel dreams by sharing some of my favorite European experiences, roughly from northwest to southeast. Maximizing the experience is a dimension of smart budget travel that’s just as important in challenging times as saving money. Imagine these…
In Padua, Italy, sip wine with college students at an outdoor bar in the market square. Pour some fine olive oil on a dish, season with salt and pepper, rip a long strip from your bread, dip it, and bite. A student explained I was making the scarpetta — the little shoes. Soaking up the oil along with the conversation, we travelers become human scarpette,sopping up culture as we explore Europe.
Borrow a good knife from a friendly restaurant and hike from village to village through the terraced vineyards of Cinque Terre — Italy’s most exotic stretch of the Riviera coastline. Climbing through ancient terraces, surrounded by twinkling Mediterranean views and castle-studded villages, you’ll work up a thirst. Then, using a big leaf as a protective mitt, break off a spiny cactus fruit, peel it with your knife, and slurp it — sloppily savoring the sun and the fun as you explore the best of the Riviera.
When in Rome, drop by St. Peter’s early or late for a Mass at the high altar. With the alabaster starburst of the dove symbolizing the Holy Spirit before you, the greatest dome on earth rocketing above you, and the nearly 2,000-year-old tomb of St. Peter below you, eat the bread and drink the wine of the Eucharist with worshippers from around the globe. On the way out, kneel before Michelangelo’s Pietaand ponder what humankind can do for the glory of God.
In Bosnia, at the crest of Mostar’s single-arched bridge, survey the town that just over a decade ago was a killing field of sectarian strife. Take in the cityscape of crosses, spires, and minarets. Ponder the tragedy of Mostar’s recent past and the hope symbolized by the bridge upon which you stand — once bombed and now rebuilt. Then pay the kid in the bathing suit to make the dizzying jump from there into the river way, way below.
In Istanbul, wander away from anything of interest to a typical tourist, and find a convivial bar filled with Turkish men sipping tea and playing backgammon. Ideally, the bar has classic inlaid game boards — where their softer light wood is worn deeper than the harder dark wood, and stained with generations of laughter and smoke — and the players use handmade dice with unruly dots. Challenge a local to a game and gather a crowd. Learn to count in Turkish and holler the numbers as the dice are rolled. Bir, iki, üç, dört…Let the kibitzers move for you whenever you wonder which move is best. Expect to lose the game and gain a lifelong memory
Every corner of Europe offers magic moments like these to good travelers. Opportunities are rich and the stakes are high. Wherever you travel, meet the people, and understand the historic and cultural context of your sightseeing. Equip yourself with the best information and expect yourself to travel smart. Take the initiative not to just see your destination, but to experience it.
We stopped to snap some photos, and saw what looked like several trailers parked on a little point of land, sticking out into the Mare Ligure. So up and up we went, then down and down and around we went, and sure enough there were a dozen trailers parked right under the “No Camping†sign, so we joined them. ===== We walked around the town, then watched a dozen more trailers and RVs come in and park where there really wasn’t room for them. Some people were directing traffic, so we thought they must be friends and members of a club. One man said, “No, camping is free, this area is crowded every weekend.†The Italians are polite and helpful, an attitude not found in all parts of the world. (Monterosso, Cinque Terre) ===== A 15 minute walk along a picturesque, curious, narrow path, a niche hewn out of the rocky cliff and overhanging the Mare Ligure, brought us to the next town to the north. This trodden path is called the Via dell’Amore, or “Road of Love.†I had high hopes both times we were here, but we just walked. (Riomaggiore to Manorola) ====== After 435 years of history, the bridge at Mostar, Yugoslavia succumbed to gun fire and plunged into the Neretva River. A huge crane was used to recover the stones, and about 60% of the old stones were still usable. New blocks were cut from the same Tenelija stone quarry, that was used to built the original bridge. On July 24, 2004, eleven years after the bombing, the rebuilding was completed. ===== On the “other†side of Galata Koprusu, the bridge across the Golden Horn in Istanbul, the Yeni Cami (Mosque) has a maybe a dozen curved stair steps. Our photo shows a thousand pigeons perfectly lined on the edge of each stair, and on the wires above, almost as if placed there by a drill sergeant! When we returned here a few hours later, some of the pigeons had been fed, others were still hopeful. One man was selling slices of watermelon, and from the looks of the trash pile, had been selling successfully. (Istanbul, Turkey)
I lived in Arizona for a couple of years and while backpacking in the Mazatzal Wilderness once, I attempted to partake of a ripe prickly pear. Unfortunately I didn’t manage to peel away all of the spines. Nothing like a cactus spine to the lip to wake you up! It was still delicious, though. I never imagined that there were cousins of the prickly pear in Europe. Next time I am there, I will have to keep my eyes “peeled” for them.
Rick, it appears some recent blog comments, quite a few, have been wiped from the site. Just wondering what happened.
Editor’s Note: Thanks for asking, larry. Several of the responses posted to Rick’s March 5 entry violated our posting guidelines–specifically, they strayed far from Rick’s original topic, and many of them harshly criticized other posters. While we encourage different perspectives, we do expect them to be focused on Rick’s original topic, and be respectful of each other. Thanks to you all, and keep on blogging!
Take the initiative not to just see your destination, but to experience it. Excellent advice. I see so many travellers who pack their firmly held beliefs with their starched shirts and barely skim the surface of what is always a great experience…if one will just talk to the locals as if you had known them forever. I suggest straining the Prickly Pear juice and then pouring it over vanilla ice cream. Amazing little trick I learned down some dusty lane in Spain.
Rick, is there any possibility that you might lead a tour of Iran one day, or is the red tape involved just too much? Judging from the warm response to your Iran program, I’m sure many people would be interested.
Everything about the Cinque Terre is beautiful. We did one of the hardest hikes and then ended with the easy stroll down the lovers walk. The food is so good in every town, you want to walk and hike so you can eat what ever you want!
Rick, I have to chuckle at myself for how I read your post above. I was wondering what in the heck you were leading to when you were talking about borrowing a knife for a hike instead of, a walking stick or something. Great post as always. I was wondering if you find that your back-door experiences in Istanbul are easier because of your gender (therefore you would be more easily accepted than a woman)? The near-East is one place I really want to visit, and I will be searching the rest of the website in future visits for back-door experiences in Muslim countries that I could have as a woman that will allow a unique experience but not make me stick out in a way disturbing to locals.
It should be emphasized that Rick’s advice to “eat the bread and drink the wine of the Eucharist” at St. Peter’s in Rome is applicable only to Catholics. The reception of Catholic Eucharist is a sacred privilege limited to Catholics and members of a few Orthodox faiths, according to official Catholic Canon Law. While non-Catholics are welcomed and encouraged to attend Mass, the reception of the Eucharist by non-Catholics is a sacrilege. I don’t think any of us would dream of violating Islamic dogma and customs while visiting a mosque. Let’s be sure to extend the same respect to Catholic dogma and custom at St. Peter’s.
Thanks, Joe. I was wondering when someone would bring up the fact that non-Catholics are not to receive the Sacrament. I thought it was in poor taste, to say the least, that Rick would suggest it. He is a Lutheran and I am assuming his wife and children are Roman Catholic, so he should know better.
Last year when we went to the Vatican, we noticed that the entrance to the tombs of the popes had changed from inside to outside, with quite a shrine to Pope John Paul. Rick you have never said too much about the tombs of the Popes, it is a really interesting part of St Peters.
I was just in Rome for the New Year and must say the Tombs of Popes was the highlight of my trip in Italy…The Vatican truly disapointed me, it was a vast display of wealth and much of the art work was “taken” by force….much came from the crusades, which truly saddens me ( the Vatican stated they may give back artwork to respective countries as long as they still retained ownership..LOL) ….however, during the Colsseum tour, the Italians want to get back their artwork that is in other countries, the tour guide was honest and she stated that hopefully Italy will give back artwork to the countries that it came from…there would be a mass exodus of art from Italy…hopefully it happens…I hope Rick does a piece on “returning of art work” in Europe…it’s a hot issue these days…
Anyone have any tips or sense of where Euro fares are headed? I’m going to Germany (Bayern) and SW Sweden in November (so far the most economical upcoming time I could find) to visit friends and I’ll buy the tix now if the consensus is they’ll be unlikely to go down, or even likely to go up. Watching fares quite a bit in general, the trend I’m noticing is airlines, logically enough, discounting when the flights get closer (and are of course undersold). One example from today was Chicago to Shannon, then a discounter to (any of several possibilities near enough to Munich or Copenhagen) for about $800/person.
Rick said “In Istanbul, wander away from anything of interest to a typical tourist.” I did just that. After visiting the beautiful mosaics I decided to walk back through non-touristy areas. I saw a restaurant that was crowded with locals and the smell was awesome. I had my best meal in Istanbul there and the bill came to the equivalent of less than two dollars.
Hallo Mr. Steve, My husband and I are avid fans of your travel programs. I believe that I heard you mention that the painter John Singer Sargent was english. He was an american, born in Florence, Italy. His parents were Americans traveling widely in Europe at the time. Sincerely, Renate Houchin