This 66-day time in Europe was a great introduction to the possibilities of long stay vacationing after retirement. My seven weeks in the Maritimes, last year, was a taste while this was a multi-course meal. This vacation was a fantastic experiment in four ways.
Firstly, it was relatively unstructured beyond our accommodations and plane tickets. Each morning, or evening before, we would think of where to go and what to do in general terms, letting our mood and weather determine our plans. With the advance loading of Googlemaps, with saved places to go and interesting places to eat, my efforts meant less time searching on a phone and more time on vacation having fun.
Secondly, it was the longest we had been in Europe since I retired. It was as long as some of my deployments in the Canadian Navy! The length was 25.5 days with Natalie and 40.5 without. We had also come to the same conclusion, by the time I returned, that I should limit my stay - after Natalie goes home - by no longer than two weeks. With two cats, making supper, and watering our garden, it meant extra work at home after her workday had finished.
Thirdly, it was the first time that all of our accommodations, where we had lengthy stays, had kitchens. We made our own breakfasts, and occasional lunches and suppers too, using local ingredients from markets and specialty stores. This meant an overall cost savings without sacrificing quality.
Quadrally…fourthly…fourth important thing about the trip was staying with R&J in Almazan, Spain. They rented a place, with a separate studio residence out back, for three months and rented a car. The joys of being in a nice town of 5000, with history and nature everywhere, and a short bike or car drive to many more places meant it was a great base of operations. A longer drive took them to most places in Spain they wanted to overnight at, for short stays. It opened mine and Natalie’s eyes on what could be possible with a long stay.
I have been asked what I liked most about the trip and I would say the unstructured nature of it tops the list. For my favorite places visited, it would be Venice. The goal of walking over every bridge meant seeing all of Venice, and not just the places tourists most often went to. I saw the differences in each of the islands that make up the city of Venice. Don’t get me wrong, I enjoyed the touristy places there (galleries, museums, churches, and historical places) but if I came here again it would be early spring or late fall to avoid the press of tourists in the central areas.
What is our next big trip? It’s hard to say. We have some ideas, but more research is needed as well as keeping our fingers on the pulse of world events, so stay tuned.
In the meantime, I am posting each day of our trip to Europe on my blog. It has more pictures than my emails and less pictures than my Facebook posts. I am on the 22nd of March, but will try to post one or two a day until the trip is entirely posted. Enjoy!
Some statistics on the trip
-2 countries and three languages (Spanish, Basque, Italian).
-9 cities/towns stayed at (Almazan twice) or 6.6 days average at each place.
-495.14km walked or 7.5km per day.
-1077 flights of stairs climbed or 16.32 flights per day.
Favorite Moments
-Almost every day in Venice.
-Ostia Antica when visiting the site of ancient Ostia.
-Rome’s Appian Way bike ride.
-Rome revisiting places we had been 14 years ago.
-Rome when just walking around and seeing what was there.
-Almazan bike riding, hiking, and lazy days with R&J.
-Spain last morning in Avila, first day in Segovia, the full day in Leon, and the full day in Bilbao.
My hope is that some of the information given will help you on your Spain and Italy trips, or at least some enjoyment. Have a good life.
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