From My Trip to Yours

Hello Vanessa. I appreciate your report on your trip in Europe.

1. Thanks in part to this forum, we had both eyes open at all times and saw outrageous pickpocketing attempts all over Venice, Rome, and a few in Paris. My boyfriend even managed to intercept a few pickpocketing attempts on other people, which was appreciated. In a crowded street in London, I felt a stranger slip his hand into my (empty) back pocket. It was very, very fast. I don't mean to alarm anyone, but once I knew what to look for, I saw lots of pickpocketing attempts. This forum was invaluable in that respect, and I am very appreciative. Just be careful with your belongings and use common sense out there.

2. The flat iron/hair dryer issue. Ladies, leave the one you have at home. I brought my flat iron with me on this trip (and also on my first trip to Europe in 2005) with adapters and a voltage converter. It worked ok but never got hot enough in some cities or got too hot too quickly in other cities. You will not have a problem finding a well priced flat iron or hair dryer overseas and it will work better over there anyway.

3. Again, for the ladies interested in what fashionable Europeans are wearing, I noticed a LOT of black leggings with dresses and lots of skinny jeans that taper at the ankle. Lots of scarves and lots of bright shoes. I was given a crash course by good friends from Paris and, as I have also learned in this forum, Paris women love to dress up a simple black or dark colored outfit with colorful accessories (but not earings, which I found interesting).

1. Learning even simple words or phrases like "please", "excuse me", "thank you", "where is.." and "how much is..." in other languages will take you a LONG way in interacting with locals. We went to so many places this trip and I also tried very hard to pick up the local accent to pair with the very few words I knew wherever we went when trying out various languages. This is probably what partially contributed to being mistaken as a local in Bruges, Paris, and Flornece! It's a nice feeling!

2. Europeans do wear backpacks for their daily travles. Students and workforce alike, so don't worry too much about sticking out. Again, it's not going to be the backpack alone that gives you away as a tourist. It's likelty to be a combination of factors. We saw backpacks everywhere. Messenger bags, too.

3. Don't be afraid to take a day trip to a city or town that is not really mentioned in your guidebook. My boyfriend and I always do this and have added many places to our "Secret List of Places in Europe". I know not everyone always has the time to simply point on an arbitrary point, say, north of Paris and go there to check it out, but if you do have the time, go for it. The best parts of our trip were finding places that most tourists haven't really discovered yet (they do exist!). We had many such places all to ourselves. Plenty of locals were happy to tell us about off-the-beaten-track places to go see, so don't be afraid to ask!

Thanks again for all the help, tips, and suggestions in this forum. Hopefully, my small list here can contribute in some way to this great forum. I can't wait until the next trip! Bon voyage, everyone!

Great post Vanessa, and beautifully written! Thanks for sharing.

thanks for posting,, sounds like you have a great time,, and its fun to hear about it!

Great post! Thank you!

What a great read, Vanessa. Thanks for posting. I've never seen a posting on La Rochelle that I can recall. Can you tell us more about that area? I think that's the general area where my husband's ancestors are from, but it's not a place many seem to go...at least those on this board.

I agree, thanks for the great information! I'm thrilled my 7 year old daughter can bring her crocs and not look rediculous! I think I'll go buy a pair for my son. They really do find them very extremely comfortable.

I don't own any Crocs, and don't know who invented them, but wish I had. Then could afford many more trips to Europe.

What a great response!

With regard to Sharon's inquriy about La Rochelle in France.....definitely go. It is a very cute little seaport town with the biggest aquarium in Europe, a really neat portside tower to climb and the best shopping to be had outside of Paris (in my humble opinion) that won't cost an arm and a leg. There are very few tourists, which is also nice. However!! The real draw about La Rochelle is the island right next to it, about 20 minutes by bus. It's called Isle de Re and we were fortunate enough to have a friend host us (who happens to be the Mayor!) and she showed us everything. It is one of the most beautiful places I have ever seen. White sandy beaches, no American tourists (lots of British ones though), excellent food, peace and quiet without being boring, and easy access to many wonderful sites. I hope Rick Steves never puts it in his guidebooks, but I'll happily spill the beans to you guys since I happen to love this forum. La Rochelle and Isle de Re are gorgeous! A google search won't do it justice.

As for Crocs, I think they are the ugliest shoe in the world but hear they are quite comfortable. Europeans seem to like them in softer/non-neon colors but they are in store windows everywhere over there. My boyfriend really wanted to take his Crocs along on our Europe trip but they are that bright neon yellow color and I said, "I'm telling you, no one over there wears those things..." Boy, was I wrong. Now he wears them proudly around our neighborhood insiting he is on the cutting edge of fashion. Sigh.

After reading Vanessa's post, I wanted to add that in Paris the worst places for pickpockets and scams seem to be at the Trocadero and at the base of Sacre-Coeur. Really keep your eyes out and be on your toes - there are throngs of African immigrants trying to put bracelets on your wrist or 'keys to the city' in your hands and then charge you for them. I do not mean this in a racist way - they just WERE all African and were clearly operating together. They grabbed by husband's wrist and walked with him for twenty yards or so and only backed off when I grabbed my husband's arm and yelled at them. I know many tourists don't want to make a scene, but in some cases, that's what they prey on...

As for the shoes, I agree that Converse and the modern style sneakers ARE in style. But if you wear New Balance or other obviously athletic shoes, you will stand out. We've had a great experience with Clark's Privo and similar style shoes. We also tried to dress our jeans up a bit with a scarf or a courduroy jacket.

What goes even farther than dress is one's attitude -we tried to use as much of the local language as possible and to be gracious. Just like in the US, there are helpful people and rude people, but it balanced out! :)

Venessa, loved your post. Thanks for sharing.

RE: have to comment on crocs...
I live about a mile from the Crocs home office/main factory. Some hippie guys from Boulder invented them. They have warehouse sales all the time and I cant believe I see about 200 people lined up at the door before they even open. Ugliest shoes in the world. UGLY.Gagged when I saw a Crocs shop on Oxford street in London!!!

I also noticed in London that girls and ladies of all ages wear black tights all the time. Under dresses, long shirts, and shorts as well!

well written and true one needs to be aware of their surroundings all the time....
As for crocs....I don't care if all of a sudden everyone in Paris is wearing them...as I REFUSE to wear them here or there...and I don't care how comfortable they may be....LOL

Crocs are great. They are extremely comfortable and really light weight. I think they're kind of cute in a funky sort of way. However, I only wear mine around the house.

And Vanessa, I forgot to thank you for the interesting and helpful post.

I had no idea people in here were so anti-Croc. I thought I was asking for trouble when I tentatively put out there that I really(!) dislike this particular "shoe". The dark green or black ones look okay I guess, but why my boyfriend insits on parading around town in the bright yellow ones is beyond me......!!

Vanessa, thanks for the info about La Rochelle. It is definitely on my "go to" list now.

Crocs are ok, but I can find so many more comfortable sandals for the amount of time spent walking on vacation, especially in Europe. The streets are old and filled with cobblestones. I have
crocs but never would consider them for vacation.
Comfort for me means not only my feet feeling good
but my back and calves as well. I don't think Crocs offer that.

Happy Travels!
Debi

Great post Vanessa - your assessment of some of the most frequently discussed issues will help others . Glad you had a good time and thanks for the update!

IMO it isn't always easy to distinguish "locals" or "Europeans" from "tourists." Some of these categories overlap such as Germans in Italy, etc. Chances are, a lot of the people you see in your travels are tourists of some sort, so it is difficult to generalize about what "Europeans" are wearing. I think Crocs are comfortable for some people, but not for me. I wear a sturdy lace-up, non-Converse shoe because that is what I need for lots of walking. Sandals for evening and occasional wear are also part of my wardrobe.

Vanessa, that was a wonderful post and a delight to read. As so many have said to you, it was beautifully written.

I just got back from Oahu and was shocked to see some of the most beautiful young women (Japanese) wearing Crocs, and they actually looked amazing! They have small feet in general so maybe that's why their Crocs looked so good. I swore I would never buy a pair of Crocs but I did recently for gardening, LOL

Glad you were able to spot the pickpockets and avoid being a victim.

Thanks Vanessa for taking the time to post. It's always fun and informative to read other people's experiences. What a great trip! Also appreciate the shoe notes :-) And to all you others: Let he who is without Crocs cast the first stone (or blister). Bought my first pair for gardening too; that was 4 years ago and they have been on me feet since (and their replacements) and in the rose bed, Paris, Holland, Italy and England.

Thanks for taking the time to share your useful information. I really appreciate it!

I like to add my two cents as I just got back from Europe:

1. On the train in the Rome train station, a neatly dressed young woman came up to speak to me. She spoke very softly so I leaned closer to hear. She said, "All the Second Class seats are reserved." And I go Huh? Why? to myself. Suddenly my adult son came between us and raised his arm abruptly to separate our bodies. The young lady quickly disappeared. She had just opened up my purse! My son couldn't see what she was doing, but just did not trust her coming so close to me. Good thing. It was the first day of my trip. Even though my valuables were in my money belt, there were still things in my purse I didn't want to lose like my American eyedrops, favorite moisturizer.

2. Be super careful if climbing the Acropolis. Very slippery uneven paths full of loose stones and potholes. No railings, lots of people jostling, pushing their way up and down. Very crowded too. I passed a woman being assisted down by two men. She had a bloody gash on one knee and an ugly purpling sprain on the other ankle. In fact, I spent more attention having to watch where I was going than listening to the guide.

3. The Milan train station cafeteria did not have much hot food to sell. The little grocery store adjacent was good for inexpensive picnic supplies, but it closes at 10 pm, or at least on the night I was there.

4. We arrived at the Milan train station very late. I was guarding our bags while my son went to find directions and buy tickets. At 9:55 pm, he rushed back and yelled, "Hurry! They are closing the subway!" Sure enough, as soon as I went through, the gates slammed shut behind me.

5. The water taxi in Venice from the train station to St. Mark's Square is now 9€. I would have gone for it, but my son's on a budget, so we walked. Not bad. Just took 45 minutes of brisk walking.

1. Rome streets are hard on wheeled bags. Streets are uneven. There are potholes and missing stones. Getting off and on subways are hard on wheels too. If you are thinking of getting a wheeled bag, it would be worth it to get the best wheels possible. I also think the wheels that can turn 360 degrees (spinning bags) are easier to maneuver in tight spaces.

2. I connected through Heathrow both on arrival and departure. On arrival, security did not ask me to take off my shoes and let me hand carry my boarding pass and passport through. On departure,however, Security took my passport & boarding pass and put them on top of my belongings going through the
   x-ray. Both items fell off after they passed through and dropped through the rollers. I quickly summoned one of the Security agents. He managed to find my passport, but not my boarding pass. So I had to find the appropriate ticket counter to get another one. That took an extra 15 minutes. Just something to remember if you have a tight connection.

Thanks for your kind attention! I have enjoyed reading all the posts and have learned a lot of valuable information.