London/Berlin ’24 – Reflections

Janie and I found ourselves on the road to Canso the day after our return from Berlin, and used the time to chat at length about the why, how and what of this particular trip. It was a big undertaking with a lot of moving parts! It’s always hard work on the road, and the company of new travellers added a further dynamic of management and duty of care. Thus we tumbled back weary but with a bag of thoughts that deserve attention…

Summer Travel – Being in Europe in the summer, high season, is much different than our more common shoulder season excursions during March Break. We saw several obvious drawbacks, but Janie zeroed in on real benefits as well. I guess we note them here in order to capture the thoughts for future reference.

• It sure was busy at attractions! Even with advance, timed-entry ticketing in place we found access difficult. While at attractions (especially things booked in the midday) it was an exercise in navigation & concentration to focus on the content. Walking Tours, travel groups, student trips… all claiming limited space. Perhaps our most representative example of site difficulty was at the British Museum.
• To match traffic levels at attractions, an increased level of unpredictability in transportation was felt in all areas. Public systems (Subway/Trams/Trains) were being pushed while airports throbbed with flights from around the globe. The travel industry is back from the era of COVID woes!
• The opportunity for experiences like Festivals & Events is greatly increased. For better or worse, we landed to major events in London (Pride Parade) and Berlin (Euro 2024 – Football) that both added to our experience (watching crowds & parade/football watching in pubs) but brought new challenges (such as access to sites/transport). A mixed blessing!
• In short, there is added expense with summer travel. Perhaps some of what we saw was inflationary, but it’s $150 bucks now to even park at the Airport for a week. More important than ever to have a plan a & b (as per our Scotland diversion).
• Europe sure is beautiful and weather conditions were perfect! Walking in perfect weather, with full on foliage, dining out of doors… all an absolute pleasure!

Community – We got a really different travel vibe in the big urban areas this time. I attribute that to a couple of factors. On our previous multiple day stays in both London & Berlin we were straight up tourists. Our past focus was quite simply on tackling attractions, getting around safely and relying on the focused services in city core. Alternatively, this time ’round Janie booked Air B&B style rentals, and we found ourselves lodged in areas that people actually work & live every day. We stopped by community eateries, bookstores, markets, antique shops, cafes, and pubs. It’s a very different feel, one of conversation, opinions and connecting that we appreciated very much!

New Travellers – Paige & Josie were, in essence, brand new to the energy and demands that this style of travel presents. We don’t normally plan anything through agent or tour… we research, cost and plan our own itinerary. Thus, we are responsible for all the pieces… getting there, access, times, all the what, when, where and how. This means it’s not a “Sit & Get” experience and we are continuously planning and “present” in the process, with everyone actively participating. Hurdles presented themselves early and often. Whether one has the stress of a trip interrupting WestJet Carrier Strike, hungry and working to agree on a nutrition stop, or realizing that we just walked 10 minutes in the wrong direction… on the ground decisions and problem solving are constant demands. The trip was designed to see and experience as much as possible in a week span… and rolled with all the ups and downs of the “smack” to the senses (sound / sight / smell / feel) that is urban metropolitan life. The basic normal rhythms of sleep, food, and location are assaulted. There are always moments when you kind of ask… “What did I sign up for?”

In short, we’d both like to say that the girls rose to the occasion to not only survive but thrive in what was a packed itinerary, with very challenging transportation requirements, delivered by the two new adults in which they found themselves. Perhaps a keen indicator of their focus might be the fact that through 3 cities / accommodations, five separate airports, and countless busses / trains / subways, I’m not aware of us even losing a pair of socks!!! There was learning in both directions, and as we watched the girls adapt and overcome the new, we reviewed how we might change / improvise / adjust to support and enhance the entire learning opportunity. I think that we may all agree the attractions, museums and tours will have taken a secondary role in the educational experience to the learning at street level in the travel process… especially after seeing the growth in confidence we observed in the breadth of a week abroad.

Eating healthy – One of the focuses during our last few trips is a more determined effort to be “smart” eaters while on the road. Mind you, we’ve made great strides from the patch ‘em up fast food stops when the kids were young! Now, more than ever, my old bones seem to respond better when the food is good, to the point that when I go to grab that quick snack it has a noticeable negative effect. It takes many forms, but can be as simple as making sure we do a grocery run for breakfast granola & oatmeal / yoghurt / fruit. Start the day right! Even more so, it can be a tough grind for folks that have special dietary concerns. However, once again, some research will win the day. Paige showed us a great App for locating gluten free dining spaces (Find Me Gluten Free) that we experimented with in tandem with Google Maps!

Signs of a Good Trip – There were lots of signs that we made great travel!!! I always say that “If you want to come home, it’s a sign of a good trip” 😉. Whether it was Josie getting to the point where she was looking for her “own bed” or Paige missing dear old Lux while eyeing the dog walkers we passed in the streets… it supports the developed consideration and often appreciation of home. Janie and I both noted that we don’t think the girls spent a cent of their “currency” on themselves, buying mementos for the folks they love at home! Travel, at its best, exposes the differences between the world you are seeing and the world you know. It forces you to engage, compare, discriminate and push next level thinking processes. We live in a wonderful part of the world and I’m not sure I’d trade that for anything. I sense that our travel company experienced the same!

… London/Berlin ’24 – Gallery