From time to time, we share a random video to fuel your travel dreams. In this clip from my TV episode about Paris side-trips, my friend and co-author Steve Smith is joining us, as he so often does, just in time for dinner — and we’re eating like kings.
Little Things that Make Europe Magic
Sometimes, it’s not the big sights but little, foolish things that remind me of the great joy of traveling through Europe. Here are nine of my favorite little moments in Europe this year (click on each photo to learn more). I’d love to read about some of the little things that make your trip happier.
Sneaking into the Buzludzha Monument — an abandoned, communist-era memorial capping a Bulgarian mountain — through a hole just big enough for me to squeeze through…and surviving the experience with minimal inhaling of old Commie asbestos.
Finding a nice young couple honeymooning in Venice, who let me get into their conversation via my Europe audio tours.
Enjoying a dozen escargots — all for myself — for the first time in my life as a selfish treat. I enjoyed these for my last dinner in France before flying to Bulgaria (where my expectations for cuisine were lower than in France).
A cheap and simple local equivalent of burger and fries in Normandy — with great frites, plenty of ketchup, and a cold drink to enjoy while watching the local student crowd have fun.
Being so happy in a restaurant that I break off the stem of my wine glass.
Being served a finely decorated radish without ordering it.
Spending down time during a flight hatching a map while considering all the great fun we’ve already had making TV episodes…and where we might film next.
Standing on Omaha Beach with a guide who uses a ski pole to sketch out the thrilling play-by-play of that momentous day in a way that makes me honor and respect the courageous soldiers who established an Allied foothold in Nazi Europe.
Seeing an old painting that helps me visualize something that’s never been quite clear in my mind (like how centuries ago, pilgrims trekked to Mont St. Michel).
Narcissi-Sticks Invade Europe
Let’s officially rename these crazy things “narcissi-sticks.” I enjoy taking “us-ies” — using my biological “selfie-stick” (my very long arm) to take fun group shots. (And I love it when I can AirDrop them right away to the other people in the photo.) But watching people take selfies all over Europe — all day long, day after day — actually starts to seem a bit sad. What are your thoughts on the selfie epidemic?
The Best of What’s New in Europe
Europe is a work in progress. And a big part of my work is discovering what’s new. Here are a couple of my favorite new items in Europe. What’s your vote for the best new sight, museum, or experience in Europe?
My favorite new sight is the entirely revamped Museum of the Cathedral (Museo del Duomo) in Florence. It recreates the dreamy, almost ethereal space between the cathedral’s west facade and the baptistery across the square. And all of the original statues and bronze panels are placed in their correct locations — and all safely out of the elements.
The best new amusement I found was the Paris Ferris wheel, spinning slowly next to the obelisk on Place de la Concorde at the bottom of the Champs-Elysées.
And the view from the top gives a new angle on Europe’s grandest boulevard, crowned by the Arc de Triomph (with the business district of La Défense beyond).
Eyewitness Report: The Media’s Painting a Distorted Picture of Europe
We travelers know that the media can make faraway places seem chaotic or unsafe. One of our lead tour guides, Sarah Murdoch, shares her take on things from a smart, solo-woman traveler’s perspective in a wonderfully insightful blog titled “Adventures with Sarah.” In her latest post, she analyzes media-shaped images with her on-the-ground experiences in Rome (Jubilee Year mob scenes), Athens (refugee concerns), Paris (security issues), and London (after the Brexit vote). Sarah’s take is candid, fascinating, and answers questions that many of us logically have…and that’s why I’m sharing it here. Enjoy!
Photo: Sarah Murdoch