Total Days in Europe: 57
Countries Visited: 8 - Scotland, France, Spain, Italy, Denmark, Sweden, Ireland and Germany
Flights: 7 - Miami to Scotland, Scotland to France, Spain to Italy, Italy to Denmark, Denmark to Ireland, Ireland to Germany and Germany to Miami
Trains (long distance): 5 - 1 in France, 1 to Spain, 3 in Italy
Rental Cars: 3 - Scotland, Ireland and Germany
Estimated Kilometers driven: 1,500km TBC
Hotels: 24 different hotels and I never once forgot my room number!
Nights with free accommodation (thank you friends and family): 18
Favorite Meals
Breakfast: Hotel breakfast at Berghotel Kocklesberg in Trier (I'm not big on breakfasts, but this one was good)
Lunch: Los Caracoles in Barcelona (thanks Stefan)
Dinner: Ciro & Sons Ristorante in Florence
Favorite sights per country
Scotland: The A82 highway. Amazing mountain views.
France: Waking up from a nap and seeing the Eiffel Tower
Spain: Casa Battlo, especially the blue stairwell
Italy: The David
Denmark: Tivoli Gardens
Sweden: That piece of street art on my walk (Remember the sculpture of a woman looking up, so I looked up to see another sculpture of a boy hanging from a flagpole)
Ireland: The Wild Atlantic Way (drive by the ocean).
Germany: My relatives and the Rosenbaum name on so many things (homes, street sign, etc)
Most interesting or unique thing noticed per country
Scotland: Isolation. I could be on a one lane road in the middle of the country and literally park there without seeing another person for 20 minutes.
France: Gardens in Paris. There is always a place to sit down with your friends and enjoy a lawn/lake/sculpture garden.
Spain: Gaudi/Architecture. I'd be walking along, checking stuff out and all the sudden BAM! Amazing architecture like nothing else on Earth.
Italy: How different each city was from the next. Milan is nothing like Venice which is nothing like Florence which is nothing like Cinque Terra. They are all Italians. They all love their football teams, their families and their food, but each city is unique.
Denmark: I want to say the blonde, beautiful people. Not even Southern California can compare.
Sweden: Only being there for lunch didn't give me much time to see what was unique about the place. I will say that the lunch at the women's co-op was unique to me. And awesome.
Ireland: Green! So many shades of green! Green everywhere! Also, the Poison Garden in Blarney was unique.
Germany: Windows. Seriously. A typical window in a house or hotel opens in two ways (depending on the direction of the handle) though there is only one hinge. The window can open like a door. Or it can open like a laundry or garbage chute as if the hinge was as the bottom...but it isn't!
Scotland: Isolation. I could be on a one lane road in the middle of the country and literally park there without seeing another person for 20 minutes.
France: Gardens in Paris. There is always a place to sit down with your friends and enjoy a lawn/lake/sculpture garden.
Spain: Gaudi/Architecture. I'd be walking along, checking stuff out and all the sudden BAM! Amazing architecture like nothing else on Earth.
Italy: How different each city was from the next. Milan is nothing like Venice which is nothing like Florence which is nothing like Cinque Terra. They are all Italians. They all love their football teams, their families and their food, but each city is unique.
Denmark: I want to say the blonde, beautiful people. Not even Southern California can compare.
Sweden: Only being there for lunch didn't give me much time to see what was unique about the place. I will say that the lunch at the women's co-op was unique to me. And awesome.
Ireland: Green! So many shades of green! Green everywhere! Also, the Poison Garden in Blarney was unique.
Germany: Windows. Seriously. A typical window in a house or hotel opens in two ways (depending on the direction of the handle) though there is only one hinge. The window can open like a door. Or it can open like a laundry or garbage chute as if the hinge was as the bottom...but it isn't!
Things I wasn't expecting by country
Scotland: Seeing the actual desk that the "King's Speech" was written on
France: To love espresso, and be spoiled with amazing homemade meals (recipes/inspiration from Togo)
Spain: Delivery sushi!
Italy: To be moved to tears by fans singing at the Roma vs Genoa match
Denmark: To learn so much about Viking history
Sweden: To be there at all.
Ireland: Adorable and colorful towns
Germany: To see Highland Cows
France: To love espresso, and be spoiled with amazing homemade meals (recipes/inspiration from Togo)
Spain: Delivery sushi!
Italy: To be moved to tears by fans singing at the Roma vs Genoa match
Denmark: To learn so much about Viking history
Sweden: To be there at all.
Ireland: Adorable and colorful towns
Germany: To see Highland Cows
If you have any questions you'd like answered on the blog, let me know: sportik@gmail.com
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