General Impressions from our Latest Trips

 

Some obbservations from our latest trips (2020 - 2024) abroad:

• Cairo/Egypt is rated dead last in many magazines and travel blogs as places to visit, even lower than places like Kazakstan, and I kind of see why.  We were in our little UniWorld bubble, with an effective (and aggressive, and from the reactions of other guides, well respected among his peers) guide in Essam, sitting apart from the chaos of the Cairo traffic and the aggression of the ever present vendors at every sight.  It would have sucked had we been traveling on our own trying to navigate through the nightmare.  But, the trip was absolutely fantastic and I would highly recommend visiting Egypt, that is if you can afford a quality bubble like we did.

From our trips to Paris, Bordeaux, and Donestia, and London:

• Everyone still smokes or vapes, but at least laws now prevent smoking indoors.  But, much of the Parisian cafe 'scene' involves sitting outside the cafe people-watching.  But then you are subject to smoking...to such a health-conscious culture, why everyone still smokes boggles my mind.  Ugh...
• Everyone is lean, despite the great food and drink.  There ain't much obesity on display like in most American cities, and, if you do see an obese person, dollars to donuts it's an American.
• Pretty much the rest of the world is not "ADA-Compliant." Public transportation involves stairs, lots and lots of stairs.  Elevators and escalators, and ramps, are rare, so if you are traveling elsewhere, get in shape: do a lot of walking and hiking, and stair climbing.  I mean a lot!
• Museums in Paris are closed on Mondays, except for the Parthenon and the Louvre.
• There is a fine line between staying barely hydrated and finding a "public" toilette.  We've spent a lot of money and consumed a lot of calories (but with wonderful food and drink) just to use cafes' and restaurants' bathrooms.
• When going to CDG using an Uber, make sure you are VERY clear which terminal you need to be dropped at...our latest flight left from terminal 2A and we were dropped at 2E.  It wasn't a huge deal as we had plenty of time for the long hike over to 2A, but if your time is tight, make sure you're clear with the driver.
• Europeans have much more respect for their public places, and streets and roads, then we certainly do.  Americans don't seem to mind trashing their country, both cities and in the country.  Maybe I'm sensitive to the trashing of Oakland's roads and parks...it just isn't done, at least in the "touristy traffic'd" areas in Europe.
• There is an "order" to the chaos of Parisian traffic.  Bikes and motorbikes/scooters are allowed to filter to the front of cars at a stoplight, and are allowed to move first at the green light.