Changes in European Travel Over the Years
We have noticed four major changes over our 30 years of European Travel.
1. Food - The Portion Sizes. The two of us used to walk away from a meal, starving, because European portions were much smaller than ours. A quarter of a chicken was normal for them, but not for us Americans used to eating a half-chicken, probably raised on steroids. How that has changed! Portions are now Huge with a capital H. Dinner the other night included: soup, salad bar, a dinner plate of Mixed Grill (small steak and pork chop) surrounded with enough French Fries for three people, grilled vegetables and desert! This was a normal, half-pension size meal for 8 Euros! Not that we're complaining and not enjoying every single morsel! Unfortunately, we can eat up to and beyond any amount of calories expended exercising. We admit it - willpower is not in our vocabulary.
2. No Smoking. Smoking was not allowed in the hotel dining rooms and one hotel even requested "no smoking" in your rooms. That is a major change!
3. Tap Water. Ask for tap water in a carafe and "ye shall receive." Another mega-change from the days when you were lucky to get a thimble-size glass of water for 10 persons in a restaurant. And then, the dirty looks from the waiters! No more...even Europeans have a carafe of tap water on their table.
4. English. Almost everyone has some familarity, if not fluency, in English. This can be considered a big bonus, or not, considering what your perspective is. On one hand, it no longer forces me to use my extensive 10-word vocabulary...but on the other hand, I wish it would force me to use my 10-world vocabulary. Whatever German, French or Spanish I once knew is lost.
Something that has never changed is the universal friendliness of the people - their willingness to help if you even pull out a map on the street and look puzzled. And, the beauty of the country.
We walked out of Hotel Post after dinner to discover another mini-festival...this one for children with all sorts of fun-things. A velcro climbing wall! Hilarious watching them stick to the wall as they tried to make their way to the bottom...View image...face painting, and mini-trikes to race up and down the street. A fun, FREE, time for all the children.
One more day of hiking and it would be time to leave the mountains behind and return to completely flat Chicago via London-Heathrow.
An experience at Heathrow deserves a page of its own...
