Introduction
I will be posting my travel journal here. It is an experiment that might make it easier to access. I don’t anticipate significantly changing what I write about. My aim is to minimize writing about activities (did this, went there, ate that) and focus more on reactions and the unexpected. My wife isn't with me on this trip, so I'm traveling solo.
Itinerary
I have two stays in London bookended by a rental car enabled drive along a short section the south coast of England, followed by a Viking cruise from Barcelona along the coast of France and around Italy, up the Adriatic, ending in Venice, train/air travel to Florence, Italy, Valencia, Málaga, and Madrid, Spain. I depart 9 April and return home 15 June.
Why England?
Without being banal, I’ve traveled there before and like England. Oops, that’s banal. I’m returning because I haven’t been to the south coast except one trip to Brighton for an academic conference and there are many options for WW2 museums. I went to Munich, Vienna, Slovenia, and Budapest last year. There were good museums in those places too, but it’s time for a change.
I like the food in England, the people, and the language (UK, Irish English is only slightly foreign to an American). London is a great city to visit, particularly for attending plays and musicals (this trip it will be four). I’ve been to northern England, Scotland, Wales, Ireland (Republic and the North).
I’ll be renting a car. I’ll have my “Keep Left” sign at the ready. It really helps coming out of parking lots or side streets when the visual clues are less robust.
Mind the Gap
Train-Platform gaps are big in England
A cruise?
It’s an experiment. I want to see if some form of cruising is compatible with my approach (base in a few cities, see some things in each, slower pace) and timing for travel (Europe Apr-Jun, Mexico and S. America Oct-Nov).
Cruises present challenges for me. First, choosing one. The standard cruise itinerary is one day here, overnight transit, next morning in there. I’m a low-intensity, get-to-know-a-place traveler with day trips. Cruises sell a product with a particular appeal: a package of destinations and amenities that can’t be customized much. Even with destinations that match my interests, I have to think differently.
Finding destinations that “worked” wasn’t easy. The only Mediterranean cruise that interested me was Viking’s Mediterranean Odyssey (May 4-19) because it starts in Barcelona (a place I like to visit) and ends in Northern Italy (a place I want to visit).
My challenges on the cruise is not to view it like going to sea on a Navy ship (no Navy showers or watches to stand), enjoy what is different about the experience (not compare it to non-cruise travel), and not over eat (think “small portions”). I can do it.
Why Italy?
I’m going to Italy primarily for the culture of northern Italy. This visit starts in Venice after the cruise finishes and I’ll continue to Florence. There is much good art and architecture there. It will be my first visit to Venice since the late 80s when my parents lived in Germany. What’s not to like about spending a week in Florence?
I’ll finish the trip in Spain — first on the Costa del Sol (first visits to Valencia and Málaga) and then Madrid (not new). I try to go to Spain every year to work on my Spanish.
9 April
I did my sleep deprivation routine the prior night. I do this to make it easier to sleep on the plane and convert to European time. I only slept for 90 minutes. I didn’t have trouble staying awake on the connecting flight from ABQ to Denver like I often do. On the Denver to London flight, I slept for about five hours after supper. I didn’t try falling asleep to a movie because that hasn’t worked on my last few overnight flights to Europe. I slept longer because there was no breakfast service (possibly canceled due to turbulence, but I can’t be sure because I was sleeping).
