So I just went on a fantastic trip. Paris, Rome, Florence, Venice, Verona, Athens, Kalambaka and Delfi. While it wasn't a life-changing trip, it was eye-opening. It is a vast world out there, and there is much more to it than we have here in North America. So I don't know how long this will be, maybe two entries. I have a bit of memories and thoughts about my trip. We in North America are not nearly as big a deal as we think. Over in Europe, unless the states are starting a war, they don't think about North America. Mostly, they are just laughing at Trump and his trial. Canada doesn't even come up. Most of us know about Rome, Paris, and Athens. All those places might know in Canada would be Toronto or Vancity. Barely anyone had even heard of Edmonton or Alberta. I didn't expect them to know much, but not even knowing of Edmonton blew my mind.
So we flew to Paris. Charles De Gaulle Airport is a shit show. First, the people are rude and rush you through. As a North American, I am used to going to Mexico, where they cater to people and try to speak English. In Paris, that is not the case. I will give them it is nice they announce to go to gate 9 for cabs in the airport as there are a ton of randos trying to get you in a cab that will probably rip you off; other than that, I hate that airport. So as the kids say we had a boojue hotel. It was a boutique hotel, let me be honest. It is neat as a concept, BUT unless it is super nice, I would say stick to something tried and true. On holidays you want a comfy bed, a decent sized room and a good shower. In Victoria, we stayed in the Magnolia. I really wanted to stay in Oak Bay for an amazing boutique hotel. This place was not. It was small. Legit small, like sitting on the toilet, my knees touched the wall, and I am a small guy. Also, the elevator was a retro install, which is excellent for bringing luggage up, but it just opens on the stairs. If you are not ready, you throw out your back as I did. This sounds whiny, and it is; the experience was cool, but I am saying for a night or two. I would not like an entire trip in a place like this. It did have a cute little bar downstairs, and yes, a Parisian breakfast of croissants and meat and cheese was awesome!
So Paris is a bit like a pornstar, beautiful but dirty. Sadly, our time here was rainy, which never helps a trip. We did the tower, of course. I'm not too fond of height, but it is alright because it feels safe; we only did the second deck, though I can't imagine the top. The views are insane; Paris is a massive, sprawling city. Then we had both a bus and boat tour. This would have been much better on a nice day; the grey skies and rain bring it down. I mean, there is a lot to see, and it was nice, but ya grey days suck. Also, travel tip: do not eat by the tower! We had to rush between tours and ate two sandwiches, a coffee, two waters, and fries by the tower. With conversion, that was almost $100. My fries with conversion were $12. Also, this is different from American fries, where you say wow, that's too much. No, they were a mouthful. I love escargot, or I thought I did. Every time I have them at the Keg, I am so happy I figured I would try the real deal. I was told the more green they are, the better... So they are okay, but don't expect them to be like the Keg, garlicky and buttery, or at least the ones I tried weren't... Also, the wine was different from what I had thought. I prefer our wine here over fancy Paris wine. On day 2, we visited the Louvre. Do this for a couple of days if you go. There is so much to see, but how many hours can you honestly be in there? It is draining. A couple of things we didn't do that would have been cool if I ever got back would be the catacombs. We were just down the road from them, but you must buy tickets in advance. The second would be Moulin Rouge. We did not see a cabaret, but I was told people should!! Also, I want to visit Versailles. I had picked a city tour over that, but the castle would have been much more remarkable in the rain. In general, I would love to see that castle! The next day we flew to Rome...
The people of Paris are rude. Not just cause they don't cater to North Americans, but they are pushy and have no problem butting in lines. They do not even try English. I understand they speak French, but you would think people might try to communicate. Also, Paris is VERY multicultural. I thought it wasn't as much for some reason, but it was more than anywhere I went. Flat-out might be a culture shock for some. Also, there was not a hell of a lot of English TV, or it wasn't in our hotel. The funny thing was that we found a channel for English music videos, which was the main thing we watched. I have said it before and repeated it. Twenty-four years ago, when I was a foolish young man, I thought moving to Edmonton would be like Paris—eating in cafes and talking with new and exciting people. I read too much Interview With the Vampire. Paris is how people picture it just kind of full of rude people.... Also, one last crazy memory is that we were there on May Day. I guess protests are expected, then. Even though we drove by places where they were going on, somehow, we missed them. However, that night, we were walking down an alley, a shortcut, and then this van started rocking. Chanting is coming from it, and then the back doors blow open. A large group of guys hop out. We stepped up our pace. Probably nothing, maybe a soccer club. I don't know, but ya, that was freaky.
Before I get to Rome, I want to talk about travel, especially airplane travel. So we took Westjet to France, which took roughly 9 hours. We were in economy but put in a small bid to upgrade a long time ago. I was shocked that we got accepted two days before we flew and had a bill to pay! Had honestly forgotten. The upgrade is nice. You get a plated dinner. Not regular crappy airplane food. You get free drinks, a mimosa when you sit down, and a warm towel—some goodie bag and amazing headphones for the movies. The chairs reclined further and had legrests. These are all amazing, but either way, 9 hours is a long flight. Would I do it again, yes, if I could afford it. Hell, if I was going that far again, I might want the business class where you can lie right down! Anyways Westjet is always good. We flew AirItal to Rome, booked nicer seats, and it was a short flight, so that one was good. I played a trivia game on the plane until I got the high score; I need everyone to know how smart I am. Then we flew Sky Express from Milan to Athens. This is their version of Flair Air, which is cheap. It wasn't bad. The plane was only half full. Then, Aegean air from Athens went back to Paris. This plane wasn't the greatest. It just seemed old. Also, again, something you need to get used to, a bunch of these flights and airports had crappy English, SO you have to listen a lot and pay attention in the airports. Then, at Westjet home, we had the first row in economy, which isn't nearly as comfy, BUT you do get more legroom, so that's cool. I do love Westjet and was happy to be on them home. Also, I didn't know jet lag was as real as it was. We got to Paris and it took a day to get feeling right. Even worse was coming home; I was a bit sick, and I bet it was two days before I was back on a regular sleep schedule and didn't feel tired.
Rome is my favorite, the eternal city. We landed in Rome in the early afternoon, and the taxi took us to our Midas hotel. I will name it because it is good and people I think could stay there. Like everywhere in Europe, the beds are shit, but the hotel is excellent. We freshened up and headed to the heart of the city. Rome feels safe. It is clean and so full of tourists that it just feels safe. We learned there are three layers of the city—the Roman Empire times, the Renaissance, and modern Rome. There is SO much to see, so we hit the Pantheon and the Trevi fountain first. Then, some shopping in a little leather store. They were a lovely couple and drew us a map of where to eat dinner. It was a bit of a walk out of the main tourist area, SO it saved some money. Anyway, we get there, and the kitchen isn't open yet; they eat later in Europe, BUT they will serve wine while we sit on a patio in a cute little alley. They open up, and we have a delicious meal. If you get to Rome, try cacio e pepe. It seems like such a simple dish, but it is so good. The next day, we got up early and went back into town. Hint: if you want to do ANYTHING, you need to go early. Lineups get insane. Even at 8 AM, there were already dozens of people trying to get pics by the Trevi fountain. We got our pics then; it was way too busy the day before when we went. Then we walked over to the Spanish steps and snapped some good pics. Honestly, one of the highlights of this trip was the bike tour we did next. 4 hours through Rome. We didn't get to go in anything, but we did get an excellent overview of the city, or at least the ancient city. From the Cesar palaces to catacombs, city parks, and more. After, we rewarded ourselves with gelato. TIP: get gelato away from the main squares, and don't go for the bright colors. They are fake; the dull ones are the ones you want. After some shopping, we returned to the hotel; it was time to meet our tour soon.
I also want to know how we lost the "ancient wisdom" 2500 years ago when the world was good. Or it was way more advanced than it was 1000 years ago? We were creating more art, and philosophy and politics were better. Then we hit 476 AD. The Roman Empire grew too big, and it fell. Somehow, knowledge was legit lost. We hit the dark ages for almost 1000 years. This isn't me making a joke; how did that happen? How did we get so repressed for 1000 years? I am worried we are headed down the same path, but I am not getting into that right now. Hopefully, having the internet and free info will prevent that from happening again. It is shocking that we have so much going on 2000 years ago, and it just stopped for 1000 years. It wasn't just there, though. South America seems to be the same as parts of Africa. How did the whole world stop? A person goes to places like Rome and wonders how they built such wonders. They did not have what we have today but built more prominent, nicer things. That lasted! I drive around a lot and go through towns, seeing abandoned buildings falling apart. Ones that aren't even old, yet they made stuff to stand for thousands of years. So I repeat what happened: how did we stall humanity for 1000 years? Also, sadly, why did we not build like that here? I am a metis, and some of my ancestors lived here for a long time. I wish we had ANY old cities like that. Or any records. I know ours was an oral tradition and a nomadic lifestyle, but it saddens me that there isn't that history.
So, at first, my wife and I said we would stick to ourselves. Sure, we knew there would be other people, and I will admit, as they funneled into our meeting room, I was being judgey. We loaded up a bus and went for a quick sightseeing tour. We went to the mouth of truth and saw St Valentine's skull. Then we all went for a pizza dinner. We Sat with two older couples, and the pizza could have been better. At that moment, I thought, wtf did I get myself into? Everyone was quiet and boring; I think a lot of it was jet lag, though. If this is the tour, we should go on our own... So, on day 2 of the tour, we started with a walking tour and some history of Rome, back to Trevi and that area. Again, we had seen this stuff and were not overly impressed. Then we were told we had a plan changed and would go to St Peter's Square. We were supposed to go the next day, but the Pope would speak today. I will be 100% honest, it was neat. I am not a religious guy, BUT it is an experience. The masses of people that come there to hear him speak are extraordinary. People were crying, and he only spoke for 10 minutes. It is an experience for real. No, I am not about to convert, but to see God's rep on earth is something to behold. Then, it was off to the coliseum. We toured the outside.... It's incredible, but going in would have been more impressive. I heard rumors seeing the Pope took that away from going in. Not sure how I feel about that. Going in would have been great, but seeing the Pope was excellent, too. Then we had an hour to prepare and went out for our second tour dinner. This was when the ice began to thaw. Different people for supper, way better supper, and everyone was awake and alive after jet lag: live music and, all in all, a great time. I won't get into the people we met, but we sat with a guy and his mother that night. They were there as a grad present for him. They were super friendly people, and we spent a lot of time with them. After that, we started talking more and realized we would like some friends on the trip.
I want to call them street vendors even though that isn't right; I don't like them! Paris and Rome were the worst for them, but they were all over. Guys were selling water or cheap trinkets like in Mexico, where they hound you to buy something. A great scam is putting a bracelet on the woman and then demanding money even if you try to give it back. They tried that a few times, and one even snapped his fingers at me when my wife pulled away. Technically, they do not break any laws, but it annoys tourists. Also, I was unaware of how bad pickpockets are over there but keep your shit close!!! We were told, maybe not 100% accurate, but if you go to cops in Paris and say you were pickpocketed, you will get no help as that happens so much, and they have "real" crime to deal with. Also, don't sign petitions; it is a way to get you to look away so they can grab your shit!
The next day was the actual scheduled Vatican City. We went to the museum, the basilica, and the square again. Seeing everything they have "acquired" over the years was astounding. It was interesting to learn that the Pope was against the unification of Italy and that he was in lockdown for decades until he and Mussolini made a deal. Part of the fun of this trip is learning things and getting a lot of info. Then we hit the road to Florence. So, in Italy, they care about drivers. A truck/bus driver can only drive a certain amount a day. For six days then, they need a day off after that they can do six days again but then must have two off. It is all recorded, so drivers are treated well. Now that means we had to stop every hour and a half, two hours-ish. Every 50 or 15 km, they have stops. Now, these are gas stations on steroids. They have a coffee shop, warm sandwich places, and a sit-down diner. Also, there is a bathroom and anything you can dream of buying. So these stops were 45 minutes each, adding a lot of travel time. However, I understand! Also, our guide laid out the EU and socialism. I am not getting into politics, but he made it sound terrific. Rome was my favorite city on the trip. The time my wife and I had alone was incredible. The tour ended up being fantastic. It boggles my mind the history. MANY years ago, I bought a massive book on the history of Rome, and this trip made me think I should go downstairs, find it, and finish it. Of all the places we saw, this is the one I really want to go back to. Later in the afternoon, we hit our villa in Florence.
Tourists are a terrible double-edged sword for Europe. Europe, or the EU, has about 450,000,000 people and gets the most tourism anywhere in the world. Roughly 500,000,000 tourists a year. That means a billion people go through Europe. The amount of revenue that brings is staggering. Let's say just food, accommodations, and spending money; roughly, we spent $8000 between us or $4000 ea. Now I know some people will be less and some people will be more, so let's say we are in the middle, the average. That means tourists would bring in a number, which my calculator says is 2e12. Or 2 trillion?? It seems high, but no matter what, half a billion people per year will bring in massive revenue. (Google says $624 billion) If they lost that, many economies would crash. However, the locals are starting to hate it. Many cities are beginning to ban air BnBs in many areas. Wealthy visitors buy up the prime realty, and locals cannot afford to live because of the amount we are willing to pay to live there. Venice was very noticeable, where tourists outnumber locals 2 or 3 to 1 on any given day. I am not heading anywhere with this other than people getting tired of tourists, so you should be a good tourist. We had a guy touch some of the art in the Louvre, and the guide got angry, rightfully so. Use your fucking heads! Be polite! Gawd.
THIS PLACE WAS AMAZING. It could be an actual villa back in the day. Beautiful little front lawn with a bar. Nice big rooms, with a decent bed. I can't do it justice, but it was the nicest hotel we stayed in. That night, we had a wine tasting. So, a fun story: it was in an old castle. Many years ago, the castle belonged to the Pazzi family. Never heard of them?? Most haven't but they are in the Netflix show Medici. Of course, Sean Bean plays one of them. So anyway, they were the Medici family's first rivals. With the Pope, they planned to kill the Medici brothers. (Back in the day, the Pope was a massive dick, constantly plotting) It backfired; they killed one brother, but the other lived and killed 92 Pazzi, also destroying most of the records they existed. Of course, the Medicis became the most powerful family in Europe for a few centuries, all because the Pazzis failed. More recently, a family bought the abandoned castle in the 60s and set up a winery. So we were there for dinner and a wine tasting. The tour guide told us the proper way to taste wine, and I completely forget now, but the three wines he gave us were superb, and dinner was as well. Also, they are big into olive oil. Did you know that extra virgin oil is actually good for you?? Ya, we ended up buying some! That night back at the villa, I slept like a baby!!!
Florence is my one-day city. Given a full day, a person could see all they wanted there. It is a Renaissance city. It isn't as old as Rome, but they have an impressive Renaissance history. I want to go back and see the church with Michelangelo and Machiavelli buried in it. Besides that, you can walk around and see a couple of lovely churches, and the shopping is fantastic. Leather and Gold.... It is smaller, and you could do all the touristy things if you had a whole night and day. This place is more chill; yes, it still has a ton of tours, but it seemed more relaxed. The biggest thing is the Duomo; again, its size is mind-blowing. Pictures will never do it justice. If you are more into the Renaissance than the ancient world, this would be the city to hit. In the afternoon it was load up the bus and head to Venice....
So it was another bus ride where we stopped for a snack after an hour and a bit, and then we got to Venice. Oh, I actually used a super gas station and bought a rain jacket there; I didn't pack one. I told you these places sell everything! Venice isn't just an island, as they like to make it seem; it is a whole mainland city that, in reality, looks like an ordinary mainland city. They build cruise liners there, and seeing one's skeleton was mind-blowing. Those things are massive. We loaded into a water taxi and headed to the island. The taxi ride was also sightseeing, and they took us down the Grand Canal. Then we got the gondola rides. These are pretty neat; it is like people see in pictures. Calm and beautiful, note though, don't move! They are tippy. I just found out, like many things, these boats are handed down to children who pick up the trade... St Marks Square is insane. We don't realize here in North America how grand things there are. St Marks Basilica is wow. I haven't named some of the others, but the size of everything is mind-blowing. After getting a quick lay of the land, they boated us back to the mainland for the night. The following day, we went to the island of Murano for a glass-blowing demonstration. It is also a trade handed down in the family line and, sadly, is supposedly dying out. How hot the oven is and how fast they can make very nice things was wild. Another tour tip: every stop will give you a shopping chance. When we went to a gold place, we went shopping afterward—a leather factory, shopping after, and even at the glass blowing. So bring money, if you think you are going on a tour and you won't need a lot. You're mistaken; you will. We went to Venice Island again after this and had another walking tour. This one wasn't as good, the tour guide seemed bitchy, and it ate up the morning. I am saying we had to eat lunch and only had a couple of hours to do that and see Venice on our own. So we also didn't get to the museum here, which looked amazing. Also, don't eat in St. Mark's Square. It's overpriced, and what we had was far from excellent; we did go for a coffee a few streets away, and it was so much better. I should have had lunch there. Then we went to Burano for supper. This island has all the different colored houses you may have seen. Again, it's a great little shopping area with nice pictures. We were told we would have a seafood feast, but what we consider a feast here and what they do there is different. It was okay, but maybe they oversold how good it was supposed to be. Also, they said we would have to be rolled out, no... I could have had another couple of fish, and it would not have been over full. Last note about Venice: our hotel looked like a Soviet prison. I won't bitch about too many things, like I felt it was clean and such, but just old and grimy and legit if you see it from the outside, it looks like a prison. Stay on the island if you can. We were gone mid-day each time, and that sucked. Venice Island, for sure, would have been an amazing place to walk at night. Also, check out Caffe Florian if you can. We did not get a chance, and if I ever go back, I will. It is on St Marks, so I am sure it will be overpriced. Supposedly, it is the second longest-running coffee shop in the world; since 1720, it has been running.
I am ending this entry here. I wrote the whole thing out; it is too long for just one entry. The second will be smaller, but if I leave it on, this becomes a long-ass read for a blog. So, part two in a week or so if you want! Greece and some more generic thoughts
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