by David McGuffin | Aug 9, 2008 | Adventures in Tour Guiding, Experiencing Europe
Traveling in Europe for the last thirty years has given me a virtual catalogue of bathroom stories, but perhaps the most interesting one goes like this…
I was at a restaurant along the Autostrade in Italy where we’d made a stop for lunch. These restaurants are located conveniently every fifty kilometers or so along the major highways in Europe. They have great food, either from a buffet or from a selection of fresh-made sandwiches, and they offer clean bathrooms. When making a tour bus stop, the first thing everyone does is rush off the bus and head to the bathroom. These restaurants (branded as Autogrill) usually have the bathrooms downstairs which are maintained by a female attendant who keeps the bathrooms sort of spotlessly clean. This “cleanliness” usually comes with a compulsory fee of fifty to eighty euro cents per visit to the toilet, but it’s a small price to pay for a clean toilet!
Well, this particular day, the restrooms were booming with business and the lady attendant was having a tough time keeping up with collecting her “tip” and keeping the bathrooms clean. So when I went downstairs and deposited my change in her dish, I noticed the ladies’ line for the toilet was about twenty deep. There was no wait for the men’s room, which I guess you ladies will say is typical.
I walked in the men’s room and headed for the urinal which was just a ceramic tiled trough against the wall. It was “backed up” with guys “going” so I did have to wait here! While waiting, there was a commotion in the hallway. Women were speaking loudly in rapid-fire Italian. only some of which I could understand. But the general tone and message was, “We’re not waiting out here any more, let’s overtake the men’s room!” Moments later, the men’s room was invaded by several Italian women looking for an open stall. Well I had to go, and now it was my turn! So up I stepped, down with the zipper, and …uhmm you get it, right? OK, now I was ready to go, but all the confusion behind me had caused a momentary “blockage.” So there I stood doing nothing! Concentrating real hard and focusing on the wall right in front of me, I began to go… relief! Then to my horror, I felt something hitting my shoes. Had I missed?
Looking down I saw a grey mop being swished back and forth between my feet, and behind me holding the handle was the lady attendant going about her business of keeping the toilets tidy!
In my next post I’ll give you some practical tips about using Toilets, Tubs, and Bidets.
-David
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by David McGuffin | Aug 8, 2008 | Experiencing Europe
A few years ago I was hiking in the Alps near Interlaken, Switzerland. I was doing a little exploring on my own and checking out some new destinations for my tours. I decided to “take on” a rather challenging day hike high up in the mountains. Early in the morning, I took a train up to my starting point and off I went through the green meadows that seemed to cascade down the steep hills forever under a blue sky filled with puffy white clouds. It was a perfect day for hiking! There’s a lot to this story that I’ll have to tell at another time, but for now let me concentrate on the issue of water.
Three hours into the hike my water bottle was dry and I was looking for anything to rehydrate my aching body. I came across a little restaurant at one of the highest points on the trail and went in to buy a liter or two of water to get me through the next five hours of hiking. Well, all they had was water with gas! At the time I hated water with gas, but weighing the possibility of no water for the next five hours or water with gas, I purchased the water with gas. That’s the day I learned to like the stuff.
Europeans have been purchasing their water for as long as I can remember. Whether at a grocery or in a restaurant, it just seems acceptable to pay for water. Originally this stemmed from the idea that tap water was unsanitary or that the natural minerals which bottled “spring water” contained were good for you. Regardless of the reasoning, when in Europe, it is customary to purchase “bottled mineral water” when dining out or even at the grocery for consumption at home.
Bottled water comes in two varieties: with and without gas. Now you might ask why would anyone want water with gas in it? Gas is simply carbonation, CO2, the same stuff that makes a cola fizzy. But drinking it and enjoying it requires some practice in order to acquire the taste. The taste may even have to be forced as I was on my hike in Switzerland.
In North America, two popular brands of “water with gas” are Perrier (from France) and San Pellegrino (from Italy). Now-a-days, you can get these at most groceries in the US and at most finer-dining establishments. But you may have noticed that bottled water “without gas” is also very popular in the US too. So I guess North Americans may be taking on this custom from the Europeans.
The bottom line here is that when traveling in most of Europe, you should plan on paying for a bottle of water with your meal. Doing so will ensure you get fresh and clean water that is reasonably chilled. It will come with glasses but no ice. Two varieties are readily available: with gas, and without gas. It’s not a problem to request either and most often the waiter will ask which you prefer.
Here is how I make the request for water:
ITALIAN- acqua natuarale senza gas (no gas); acqua con gas (with gas); acqua frizzante (with gas); acqua gazzata (with gas)
GERMAN- wasser no gas (no gas); wasser mit gas (with gas)
SPANISH- agua sin gas (no gas); agua con gas (with gas)
FRENCH- d’eau sans gaz; d’eau avec gaz (with gas) Good news! In France it is customary to order a pitcher of fresh tap water at no charge. Simply ask for it! In French, it goes something like this: un carafe d’eau s’il vous plaît.
So there you have it… all you’ll ever need to know about drinking water in Europe. In my next post I’ll talk about how to get rid of it!
-David
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by David McGuffin | Aug 5, 2008 | Culture & Customs, Experiencing Europe
Here’s the scoop on ICE in Europe. Simply put, “There is no scoop!” Until recently, Europeans would look at you as being “mad” if you’d asked for ice with your drink. It’s not common, it’s not the custom and it’s only for outsiders. In the early years of traveling in Europe, a request for ice would simply get a quizzical look from the waiter. That’s provided you got the word “ice” translated into the local language. Then in later years, the request would get the response “Finished” from the waiter. That meant he understood your request, but would not honor it. Or more to the point, there just was no ice in the kitchen dedicated to putting into your drink. As one snooty Parisian waiter said, “There is ice for keeping fresh fish cold, would you like some of that in your drink?” But in recent years, a request for ice will get you ice… but only one or two cubes filling the bottom of your glass. The best you can hope for is that the little cubes will lower the drink’s temperature at least a few degrees before melting away into oblivion.
We North Americans are spoiled with ice-cold drinks. Think about it, we go to McDonald’s, order a large Diet Coke and get a cup full of ice with a little bit of cola. No wonder they make a killer profit! Ice costs practically nothing to produce. Ninety percent of the world’s population make do without ice everyday and don’t even know what they are missing. So it’s no wonder when my tour groups arrive in Europe, they are appalled when there is no ice for their colas, frappuccinos and water! Ice is only “expected” and taken for granted in North America.
Ok, I know it is possible to travel to Europe, be pampered, waited on hand-and-foot and get all the comforts of home. Doing so puts you in a bubble, a shelter for most of your tour, letting you out only a few hours a day to see the tourist sights, and then bringing you back into the safety and comfort of the bubble until the next tourist sight pops up on the itinerary. That’s all well and good and I am the first to say I love to be pampered. But this is not my “Exploring Europe” travel style. When in Europe, I love to try to fit in. I don’t mind bumbling the language while trying to speak it. I try to look at fashion and sort of fit in. I try to order the local food, drink the local drink and do it without ice if necessary. In short I try to become a temporary citizen of the community where I am staying, and on my tours I try to pass this philosophy onto those traveling with me.
So I say, “Why bother, why make a scene?” Instead, “Why not adapt to their way of life?” You know “When in Rome, do as the Romans.” There are two types of people who tour Europe: those who go with an open mind and “experience” Europe by adapting, and then there are those who try to impose their customs and expectations on those with whom they are visiting. It’s simple… do without ice and get on with experiencing Europe!
-David
Read the next article in this series: “Water and Gas”
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by David McGuffin | Aug 1, 2008 | Experiencing Europe
European customs, eating and drinking habits, and the general way of life differs greatly from those we have in North America. Diving into “their” way of life is challenging, yet essential to having a true and authentic travel experience. My travel philosophy has always involved “fitting in” and becoming temporary “locals” at our tour destinations. On my tours, that’s what we try to do… fit in and join the fun. Sometimes this means doing without ice in your cola and liking it, or maybe it means paying for your dinner bill with cash instead of a credit card. For me, it’s all part of the experience of becoming a temporary local by learning the culture, customs, habits, and EXPERIENCING EUROPE! In this series, I hope to address some of these cultural differences and suggest how to deal with them and enjoy the experience.
My first post in this series is titled “ICE? Usually None but if you ask it’s One” and will appear on August 4, 2008.
by David McGuffin | Jul 30, 2008 | Destinations
Saturday I flew on Delta Airlines from Jacksonville, Florida to Pisa, Italy. The flight happened to be a piece of cake! I left Jacksonville at 1:00 p.m. and arrived in New York’s Laguardia Airport by 3:00, and then took a limo shuttle to JFK. After a steak dinner at Todd English’s BONFIRE Restaurant in the terminal, I skipped the coach class dinner on Delta and slept most of the way to Pisa. By 11:30 the next day, I was on a train from Pisa to the Cinque Terre! Now that is the way to travel.
Today is Monday and I’ve shown my group around and we’ve landed in Vernazza. It’s now five in the afternoon. I claimed a spot on a rock in the harbor, got a pizza and a little vino, and life is good. This is THE vacation spot for Italy. Tonight I’ve booked a table at Il Castello, my favorite restaurant in the Cinque Terre. Can’t wait!
-David
