Thoughts on Backpacking and Travelling Around Europe
MONDAY, JUNE 17, 2013Recently, I came back from a 3 week backpacking trip around Europe. The differences in Canadian culture compared to various parts of Europe can be subtle, but here are the things I noticed along the way, as well as a few potentially useful tips.
Advice
- - bring a towel, not every hostel has them, and can be used as makeshift pillow or other things
- - check if the hostel accepts payment by card, and adjust accordingly
- - check the weather -- I assumed it didn't rain on vacations, but apparently it does
- - bring a nice water bottle, or buy a big one when you get there
- - don't go into restaurants where someone comes out to greet you and tells you to go in
Random Observations
- - Venice is much nicer than I thought it would be (my expectations were low)
- - Japanese signage was more prominent than Chinese signage
- - I don't understand rules about tap water in restaurants, some would serve it to us, while other's refused
- - house wine gets cheaper the further south you go
- - McDonalds is slightly different in every country, I still regret not having the McBaguette
- - Italy didn't have free wifi at major stations (at least when I checked)
- - Indonesian food is a big thing in Amsterdamn
I'll be adding to the list as I remember them.