Travel Tech

We won't have to wander without direction.

Maps: check.

Compass: check.

Those are the tools we used in Italy in 2008, and they served us well. We have both -- more maps in advance this time, thanks to thoughtful relatives -- and plan to again use them well.

We also have GPS-equipped spacephones -- Galaxy S3's, which by now are probably considered by some to be outdated -- with European data plan. There's the 8-inch Android mini-tablet. All have multiple travel apps.

We will use the same cameras as we purchased for Italy.

We're each carrying dozens of books and articles in the form of Kindles. Every time I come across an online travel article that looks to be helpful for this trip, I drop it onto the e-device using a tool called Readability. It's occasionally flaky, but it fulfills my desire to have readings close at hand. No physical books, but there is space in our single checked bag (a luxury, to be sure) for those that we acquire on the trip.

In the planning stages, Globe-Dominating Empire Google Maps has (have?) been a marvel. Its Street View helped with the final decisions on our accommodations, and gives a remarkable sense of the terrain. It isn't the same as being there, but it provides some idea of neighborhood and further whets the travel appetite.

In the end, we will probably again choose to spend significant hours wandering without precise direction. We are happiest stumbling into neighborhood eateries, a pattern dramatically reinforced during our first major travel journey together, New York in December 2001. There, we discovered a Revolution-era pub near Battery Park, walked in, up the stairs and into a dining experience not in the guidebooks. Actually, it may be in the guidebooks, but we weren't using any of those. :)

Will GPS add to this? Incrementally, perhaps. That I don't trust GPS directions probably makes it more useful, so we plan to use it. Mostly, though, we like our field of vision. We see more that way.

Little known Bruges

Photo from "10 Things You Didn't Know About Bruges"

This came out today: "10 Things You Didn't Know About Bruges" and it reminds me why we chose to make a stop for a few days in Bruges.

During our month-long trip to Italy, some of our favorite spots were the small towns like Lucca, Orvieto, Sorrento, and Cinque Terre's Manarola. Of course we loved Rome and Florence, but they, especially Rome, can be overwhelming after a few days. 

And just typing out a list of museums, walks, sights, cafes, etc. that I hope to visit in Paris is exhausting. Clearly, even in 6 days, we won't be able to do everything.

Bruges will be our vacation from our vacation.

Photo from the New York Times article, A Weekend in Bruges

Oranje, Les Bleus, Red Devils

Dutch team colours

I'm a fair-weather futbol fan: just follow it during World Cup years -- this is one of those years -- read the newspaper stories about Portland's Timbers and Thorns, and take in whatever Sports Illustrated manages to drop into its mix.

Sports bar in Rome, May 2008

I expect we may meet a lot of fans who are more die-hard in Europe. One of our first views of Rome in 2008 was a sports bar with a crowd (about 60 people, I think) watching Catania play Roma. Similar scenes were repeated throughout our month-long trip. My memory tells me that the people at the sports bars in Florence were the most boisterous, but it's not a clear memory. We never sat down to watch a match.

As it turns out, there is a good chance teams from all three countries on our itinerary will be in it when we arrive in Paris. (As I write this, France is hammering on Switzerland 6-2.) This isn't, of course, central to our travel adventure, but it is sure to be interesting. France is doing surprisingly well, and I recently read that Paris, as if it were not enough things already, is becoming known as a city of sports fans. Our three-night home in Bruges, Hotel Navarra, set up a room specifically for taking in the action. If all goes perfectly (at least by my way of thinking), the Dutch will play in the final while we are in Amsterdam.

That's the sideshow. I'm most looking forward to walking, eating, architecture, watching people and meeting people. Eleven days until departure!

Eating Out in Paris

I haven't started looking at restaurants that we must go to in Paris, Bruges and Amsterdam. When we were in Italy, we stumbled upon so many lovely restaurants that I almost prefer to leave it up to chance.

But today a colleague recommended a restaurant called Tribeca, on Rue Cler, and just for the New York-name, I looked it over.

It has some amazing reviews!

And the menu looks yummy.

So we may just visit this place, but we'll still probably prefer to stumble.

Midnight in Paris

 

I admit that I love most, though not all, of Woody Allen's movies.  "Midnight in Paris" is partly responsible for the choice of Paris as a destination this summer.

So of course we looked to see if there was a tour. Heck, there is a Sopranos tour in New Jersey.

There is. But at 80 euro per person, a bit pricey: http://parisunderbelly.com/tours/midnight-in-paris-tour/

So I'm thinking about this self guided tour: A blogger named Laura so very very kindly lists all of the locations of this comedy: http://www.parisperfect.com/blog/2011/10/midnight-in-paris/

And Google Maps has mapped out the entire tour: http://goo.gl/maps/TLW4s

And, there are the videos: http://youtu.be/O_fJR8TnsxE Lots of videos: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1xwsFMR68D8,

Oh, and to show how totally unoriginal this idea is, the Paris Tourist office has an official guide: http://www.v2asp.paris.fr/commun/v2asp/v2/MIDNIGHTinPARIS_internet.pdf

The Midnight in Paris Walking Tour