In Spain, I would have taken a travel kettle and mug with plenty of coffee, tea and milk sachets, as well as energy bars so that I could get sustenance at any time of the day or night without looking for a restaurant. I would have studied a guide book for every single place we went to, including a detailed road map, as the GPS is unreliable at times, and I prefer to have a picture of the map in my head - having a photographic memory makes this easy. I would have gone onto Google and hopefully found every type of road sign including road markings so that I would know what I was supposed to be doing and where I could park.
I would have ensured that all accommodation was on the ground floor or at worst, the first floor, as there is often no lift and never anyone to carry your luggage. I would have taken only two pairs of shoes, one already on my feet - they take up so much room in a suitcase. Definitely wouldn't take a laptop again - no need as you can access a computer just about anywhere. I would have brushed up on my Spanish far more diligently.
In Paris, I would have spent longer than a week! I must say that second time round it was easier to identify where you wanted to go and not be too concerned with being a tourist, more relaxed and spending more time just observing the rest of the world go about its business. So the third time will be even better.
All things considered, I think we did pretty well for first-timers and have a good idea of what pitfalls to avoid for next time. I hope it won't be too far in the future!
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| Started raining in Paris, no umbrella, so told M&D to stand in the phone boxes! |
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| Standing in a queue for fruit and vegetables at the market! |
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