Log Forty Two – Epilogue to Europe the Deep End

16 October 2017

This is the twelfth and last log in the Europe series.  We have been on this odessey for some seven weeks and next it’s the long haul flight back to the antipodes.

I thought I would finish the series with a few awards for outstanding or memorable people or events.

Best Tour Guide

Our Austrian tour guide who directed the Eagles Nest tour managed to get 30 tourists through a very crowded tourist destination with Germanic precision and timing.  No one was lost, no one became emotional and we all got to see everything we needed to see regardless of the crowds.

The staff at our hotel in Split were fantastic and our host in Budapest was super helpful in arranging an apointment with a local doctor.

Taxi Driver Rip Off

A German taxi driver who thought what might have been our change would make a good tip.  Just another holiday expense.

We have felt safe everywhere we have been and were only approached once by a dodgy purveyor of red roses.

Most Memorable Social Event

Oktoberfest was a standout event.  So many people, all having a great time.  The company we were with, the German beer and the whole atmosphere of the day not to mention the snuff made for a lifetime memory.

Worst Roads

The only place we drove was in southern UK and the roads are all good except in Cornwall some looked more like my driveway, in fact my driveway is wider and you can see further than Cornish country lanes.

Most Memorable Sights

This is really hard.  Everything was memorable from old cities through to coastal scenery.  Seeing your bags on the carousel is always a pleasant experience, just knowing they weren’t lost.  Here are few standouts:

Dubrovnik

Split

Venice

Cornish fishing villages

Buckingham palaceBest Meal

There are a few categories here.  The roast duck in Budapest will be talked about for many years, it was the best.  The cream tart in Croatia is something to be enjoyed at least once in your life.

In the UK I am a huge fan of the Cornish pastie and clotted cream on scones.

I am a man of simple tastes and on this trip it’s been the local fare that I have most enjoyed.

Best Beer

German and Czech beer are exceptional.  The Reinheitsgebot or German purity law is 500 years old and it requires that beer can only contain barley, hops, yeast and water.  It’s a good law; no hangovers.

Best Wine

This is very difficult because we sampled wines from many countries and all were good.  The most unique would be GRK, pronounced gerk, which is only grown and sold on the island of Korcula.  It is supposedly from a very ancient Greek grape variety.

Worst Meal

Worst ever was a meal in Dubrovnik just outside the old city.  It’s always good to have a low end benchmark against which you can compare future meals; I now have mine.

Best Accommodation

This is also very hard as the accommodation was all good and so varied. It included cottages, apartments, bed sitters and hotel rooms.  The settings included cities, the grounds of country clubs and golf courses, through to the heights above Dubrovnik and in the garden surrounding Lake Bled.

If I was to consider the best room in terms of comfortable bed, quantity of shower and hot water, room temperature, size and value for money it would be the Premier Inn in Cheltenham.  Yes, that was a surprise for me too.

Best Trains

You can’t  beat the German trains.

Biggest Challenge on the Trip

You would meet a local who would give you a huge list of things to see in their town.  Explaining that you only had two or three days in that location would not dismiss their enthusiasm and in fact would only encourage them to list more ‘must sees’.  You would walk away with your head full of destinations that would require several weeks to accomplish.

Biggest Challenge on Return to Normal Life

Culling the photos I have taken down to a reasonable collection.