by David McGuffin | Jun 14, 2007 | Uncategorized
Tonight we just finished a 10 day tour of London, Bath, Madrid, and Toledo with a group of eleven teenagers, two teachers and one parent. I must say this has been the most hilarious trip I have ever been on. The group was a perfect mix. The students got along, the teachers were well liked, and they even accepted me and Natalie into the group.
Even with all our pre-tour prompting about packing light and carrying-on luggage, most of the group showed up at London Gatwick airport with way too much baggage. Imagine carting your luggage out of the airport and onto the train. Then, once in central London, you get to haul everything down to the depths of the London underground, crowding in on the tube and jockeying for your own personal space. Finally, you have a “lovely” time lugging it all out again, up numerous staircases, to the station on the other end. Needless to say, our hotel was a welcome sight to the group on that Friday morning.
One of the highlights of the trip was taking the train to Bath and spending the entire day walking around, shopping, and touring the ancient Roman baths. In typical McGuffin touring style we had a picnic in the park consisting of fruit, veggies, meat, olives, etc. This was a big hit with everybody.
Picnicking seems to bring out the best in everyone because you’re there, sitting on the ground, laughing, sharing food, and generally having a blast with each other’s company. Every time we do this on a tour; whether it be in Paris, Neuschwanstein, or high on a mountain top in the Swiss Alps; my friends all come back saying picnicking was one of the best experiences of their tour.
All over Europe we’ve seen people having a good time in city parks. It seems to me that in the U.S. we are severely lacking in this green public space. At home there is no way I can imagine ditching my car, walking to a grocery store, buying a picnic lunch, and finding a park in which to enjoy the afternoon. Yep…picnicking is a winner! Just one more reason why I find traveling to Europe such a unique experience.
by David McGuffin | Jun 4, 2007 | Uncategorized
Hey everyone!
Since I have never been to Portugal before I had no clue what to expect. The only thing I did know, was that I couldn’t speak, write, or read a bit of Portuguese.
My first opinion of the city was that it was very busy with lots of people and speeding cars and taxi’s that honked every 5 seconds. However when the group started walking around the different parts of the city, we discovered good places to eat/drink and nice pedestrian shopping areas. The trolleys that drive up and down the hill are charming and fun to ride! It beats the heck out of walking up those steep narrow streets.
So, Lisbon is a great city and I can not wait to go back!!
-Natalie
by David McGuffin | Jun 4, 2007 | Uncategorized
A few days ago we joined up in Lisbon for my first tour of the summer. This is a pretty easy gig! There are six of us touring Portugal and southern Spain for a few days. The group consists of two old farts (me and Gerry), three guys ages 18-24 (Jay, Ryan, and Preston), and Natalie.
Lisbon is a great city. It really consists of three towns in one. Imagine two hills with a deep valley between them running out to the river, harbor, and finally ocean. So now that you´ve got a mental picture of the city here are the details. The valley contains the ¨new¨town which was built in the years following a 1795 earthquake. On one hill is the Barrio Alto area, home to local people, bars, shopping centers, and traditional folk singing, known as Fado. Across the valley is the Alfama area home to medieval Lisbon, crooked streets, a castle, and rugged sailor´s quarters from centuries past.
On our first night we visited the castle for great views of the city, harbor, and ocean beyond. It was kind of funny that I bargained for a¨family entrance¨ with Gerry being the grandpa, me the father, Natalie the wife, and our three boys! We got in for half price and the ticket salesman got a kick out of it too.
After the castle we found a great little tapas bar and restaurant called Resto. It was situated in a courtyard. Funky lamps hung from tree with electrical wiring strung about like silly string, none of which would ever meet electrical code back home. This was my kind of place where you can sit back with a drink and a friend and enjoy the ambiance of the city. We ordered the local fresh white wine known as Vinho Verde and an assortment of Tapas. Our waitress, Susannah, helped us out all night with the menu and insider tips on Lisbon´s nightlife and culture. We had plans to explore elsewhere, but why! This was a great evening.
I think it was here that Ryan, Jay, and Preston dreamed up a new slogan for my tours…
¨Take a BITE OUT OF EUROPE¨ with David McGuffin´s Exploring Europe.
What do you think?
by David McGuffin | May 27, 2007 | Adventures in Tour Guiding, David's Journal, Destinations
The flight to Edinburgh was completely full. But that did not matter. I watched a bit of the movie, had my pasta and vino for dinner, and sequestered myself for three good hours of sleep with my iPod playing Bartok all night.
We finally got to Edinburgh town center by 12:00 and we were starving. So we found a seat at the “World’s End Pub” for a good meal of fish and chips. After lunch, we hit the streets again and saw all the sights there are to see in Edinburgh. We walked along Rose Street and window shopped, hiked-up Calton Hill for a grand city view, watched people, and found a good bench in the park.
Later we made our way up to the Castle. The medieval buildings are impressive and you can imagine yourself walking those very streets as if you were back in the 1400’s. It was a Saturday so the town was busy but the people and weather were nice. However, it was a bit cold, but not too bad. I would say that the high was around 55’F, which is pretty nice in the sun.
Later in the evening we got a call from Lindsey, my friend, who goes to the University of Edinburgh. She wanted to meet us at the Waverly Pub later that night for a couple of pints. So, we set out to find a good place for dinner. This was around 19:00 and we forgot that it was a Saturday with a Bank Holiday on Monday to follow. We walked around a long time before finding a place that wasn’t full. The name of the restaurant was “The Wee Windaes” up on the Royal Mile. The food was really good and we made it inside before the rain and hail (who woulda thunk) started coming down. I had lamb chops and Natalie had fresh Scottish Salmon.
After dinner we walked down the Royal Mile and found the Waverley Pub. Natalie and I went in, but found the place deserted, save for a bar tender and a couple of odd sorts at one of the tables. We got a couple of pints of Tennant’s and grabbed a table. I should have known better, but my mind was telling me “this is gonna be a dud evening”…however my heart knew better.
So…two hours later we were holding court at our table. Natalie was defending “W” and being “chatted-up” by our newfound friend Andrew who was a “newbie” at the Waverley. Meanwhile I sat back and took it all in while catching up on the news from Lindsey and her adventures with the University of Edinburgh, her landscaping ideals and the ultimate defense of her dissertation. This was an original pub with warm “drawn-from-the cellar-drop-by-drop ale” taps and plenty of “Callie80.”
After a few hours and several more pints we bailed on the Waverley and climbed up the Royal Mile, spat on the Edinburgh heart, hopped-skotched on the corner stones, petted the bronze Greyfrier’s Bobby, and finally ended at my favorite E’Burg pub known as “Sandy Bell’s”.
The place was packed, but somehow Natalie had a mission in mind and cleared the way. We ended up right by the musicians and the “Trad” session in the back. (“Trad” is short for traditional music session). We all grabbed a seat and the jig began. Wow, what a night! The bartender kicked us out at 1:30!
So, you might be wondering how I managed to fly over from the US, tour a city, and still experience a pub until the wee hours of the morning? Just pace yourself, don’t take a nap, keep walking, and sing-a-long with the band!
Cheers from Scotland!
David
by David McGuffin | May 21, 2007 | Essential Travel Resources
I’m sitting here at the Atlanta airport with my travel partner, Natalie, waiting for our overnight flight to Edinburgh, Scotland. The last week has been busy, but I started packing six days ago. Over the previous weekend I got all my travel gear together. That includes clothes and gadgets these days! Digital Voice recorder for podcasting, camera, PDA, GPS, iPod, etc…..
I rushed home from my last day of teaching school and threw all my clothes and gadgets in my carry-on bag, checked everything twice and headed to the airport. En-route I realized I’d packed my contact lens solution, but not my contact lens case. No worries… I’ll pick a case up in Edinburgh. Now-a-days you can buy anything in Europe! So I’m ready and set to fly off. Can’t wait for the yummy airline dinner!
Hey, Natalie Here!!
I didn’t have as stressful a week as David, seeing as I’m still a student at the University of Florida, and according to my parents and working friends, don’t actually live in the real world.
Anyway, I also started packing a few days ago and I knew that even though I wanted to pack a lot of clothes, it is worth it to use a suitcase that I could carry on. If you have ever listened to me talk about packing then you know I am a strong advocate for packing light and carrying on luggage.
So, we are sitting here talking about shoes and David says he has packed the least ever. He has two pairs of shoes for 2 months. Well I, on the other hand, have kind of broken my own rule and packed a pair of tennis shoes. My other “European” tennis shoes are in Gainesville and I forgot to get them when I left school for the Summer. Oh well, I will make do with my other my other 3 pairs. Hehehe 🙂
OK, our flight is in an hour and we look forward to writing again from Edinburgh.
David and Natalie
