Do you know about shoes in Europe? The men wear shoes. Yes, shoes. Not sneakers or trainers or tennies or whatever you want to call them. Shoes. Real, honest to goodness shoes….you know the ones? They take a bit of shoe polish and a good brush now and then.
You know the shoes that are advertised on Shoedazzle? That’s what is on the women’s feet. Stylish as all get out. How do you spot the North American tourists? That’s us in the comfortable walking shoes or sneakers.
So far on this trip I have been in Spain, Greece, Turkey and Germany and I am astounded by the number of locals that are smokers. It blows me away….everyone, everywhere, both sexes, all ages! Not too long ago I read that Turkey had declared a law banning smoking in all public places. The whole country has decided that means public enclosed places. Most of the merchants in the Grand Bazaar in Istanbul are standing out in front of their stalls or shops smoking….and the Bazaar is NOT an outdoor place. It’s fully enclosed with a roof….so the merchants stand out in the public walkway area, sipping on the endless tea and puffing away. Most of the restaurants in a lot of places I’ve been are located out on the sidewalks, with tables only inches apart, and well used ashtrays on every table. Today after arriving in Frankfurt I went for a stroll down the street and stopped for what I thought was a well deserved beer in a very nice looking, almost empty sidewalk bistro/bar. . Next thing you know, I am surrounded by smokers….about 20 people at the four tables around me…and everyone lit up. Need I say that I did not have a second beer. I hate to sound like one of those awful ex-smokers, and maybe under the circumstances I’m more sensitive than usual…but this is ridiculous! I thought these were countries of well educated people.
I flew on Lufthansa today for the first time. It was nice to discover that even on a short flight of just over 2 hours, we got fed a decent meal. I’m flying with them again on Thursday, non-stop to Vancouver and then back here the following Thursday. Hooray, I can look forward to getting fed.
I mentioned on Facebook a few days ago that I spent several hours one afternoon with another female solo traveler. We hooked up because we were in the same café…needed to go to the bathroom….decided to share a table from that point onward so we could take turns using the W C!! Now, that may not sound like a difficult thing to do…going to the bathroom. But if you have been shopping, have bags of stuff, a handbag as well and “need to go”, just what do you do with all your stuff if you are alone? Take it with you? Not a good idea to just leave it there as the tables are located outside and it would be so tempting for a snatch and grab situation. We both burst out laughingwhen we realized why we wanted to share space…nice to have someone else understand without having to explain! Anyhow, we ended up spending several hours together, drinking beer and taking turns heading off to the WC. She has been on the road for about 6 months, had just come from Germany (where I was headed next) and her next stop was Thailand. So, she shared some insite into traveling around Germany and Eastern Europe, and I could talk to her about South East Asia. After Thailand she thought she might go to Malaysian Borneo but knew no one that had been there and was a bit leery. I’d been there! She worked for a while in Alaska for an OSHA based safety products company and also taught WHMIS…and so had I. But HER job led to a transfer to West Africa for a year! And Anartica for a while. I found her interesting, she found me interesting. We discussed jobs and kids and travel and solo travel and how travel affects relationships and a lot of other things. A super afternoon for a couple of kindred spirits. I found myself, several times , wishing that you were with us Melinda, you would have loved sharing with us.
When I first planned this trip it was for all of April, May and June. And then my eye specialist in Victoria stepped into the picture and insists that I return to Victoria for this dam shot in my eye, 6 weeks after the last one. GRRR….I was very annoyed….did the research into getting it done here in Germany, or in Ireland…or somewhere other than having to go back home. Turns out it was a LOT cheaper to fly home for a few days and have it done there than to pay cash for it here with no medical insurance . Travel medical does not cover this as it’s not considered an emergency and in any case is a pre existing condition. So, home I go on Thursday for a week. Eye treatment will be on Monday. I hopefully will have some estate paperwork to finish up with and will get that finally finished with. To begin with I was totally annoyed that I was going to have to do this half way through my itinerary. And now? I am really looking forward to seeing my grandkids and Pam and Ted, and getting some stuff done before I head out again. So, sometimes, things really do work out for the better.
I’ll also be there when my Turkish carpets arrive! (Well, the day after actually) Did you know that mailing and insurance costs of carpets from Turkey is paid for by their government? It’s a super way to promote their carpet industry. And it is supposed to arrive customs /duty free in Canada, considered a work of handcrafted art. I’ll post photos of them when I get home. So much easier to do from my home computer.
Till then……goodnight from Frankfurt am Main.
Gute Nacht bis folgendes Mal.
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