Europe

Italy - Milan was beautiful, and Cinque Terre was totally unbelievable.  I believed I could live life at this pace, particularly in the off-season, with so few people around.  I could even climb 380 steps every day if I needed to, to get that peace, and space, and silence.

Monaco - Monte Carlo was simultaneously beautiful and disgusting, all that opulence and flaunting of money was a bit nauseating.  I enjoyed it thoroughly; I would never live there.

France - Nice was also lovely, more like a real city, busy but liveable.  I managed better here because I could speak the language and read the signs.  My travelling companions were less keen on France than I was.  Vence, in particular, was fantastic.  Living in a tiny, quiet, medieval village would be okay with me.

Spain - I loved Barcelona, loved the excitement downtown, the inexplicable parades, spontaneous protests and demonstrations, the gorgeous buildings, the cliffs of Monteserrat.  But Spain was cold.  And it was even colder in Madrid.  The Royal Palace was astounding, as was the Prado Museum.  Watching football at the stadium was like nothing I have ever experienced in my life.

Then Lufthansa went on strike and things went a bit awry.  But we got an extra free day in Madrid to see the Templo de Debod, an ancient Egyptian temple, and time to wander aimlessly sipping cappuccino and watching people.

The journey home was hairy as a result, a patchwork travel itinerary which landed us in the States instead of Canada, where my luggage went missing, and capped off with a three hour bus ride on a broken bus which honked every time the driver adjusted the steering wheel.  It was all worth it.


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