“Do Unto Yourself as You Would Do to Others”
You wouldn’t judge your loved one if they were a little slow going up the stairs at the Colosseum. You wouldn’t get mad if someone was too tired to get dressed up and go out that night and just wanted to watch the sunset over the Mediterranean with a baguette, wine and cheese. You definitely wouldn’t get frustrated if they became a bit homesick one night and shed a few tears. You would go slowly with them on the stairs. You would enjoy that wine, baguette and cheese with them. You would comfort them with a hug. Why not treat yourself with the same grace?
“When Nature Attacks… Relax”
I wasn’t ready when that huge bird pooped on my neck as I leaned against the wall outside the Trattoria Sant’ Agostino, savoring the warm night after a delicious meal. It was green, and there seemed to be quite a lot of it. Fortunately, I had napkins in my purse (I always recommend putting your spare paper napkins in your travel bag at any time in Europe, because these are very handy). I WAS prepared for the rain, with my handy pop-up travel umbrella. What I wasn’t prepared for was slipping in a puddle and falling on my behind. When I got back to my accommodation it was stuffy, so I opened the window a crack. I hope I save someone the trouble of being eaten alive by huge mosquitos in Florence by telling you to make sure there is a screen in your window. I allowed myself to get very angry in each of these situations, but guess what? It didn’t help. What did help is the hydrocortisone cream and Benadryl that I always pack. When you need it, you need it.
“You’re A Long Way from Home, Dorothy”
You may be tempted to “save a few bucks” by booking a less expensive hotel while you are on your European adventure but listen to me: DON’T. Everyone who goes to Rome hopefully has a wonderful tour of the Colosseum from a highly educated guide, but sadly some of these people will return to their hotel after a long day with aching feet and find that their room “smells weird” or “isn’t comfortable”. You may find that many people speak English in Northern Europe, but they simply do not in the southern countries. What you need is a ”home away from home”, a haven where you are greeted with a friendly “Hello”. I unfortunately suffered the trouble of having a less than comfortable room at a couple of my destinations. This is a lesson hard learned after a long day of sightseeing, when all I wanted was to hear “Welcome back, Miss Esquibel”, and sink into a luxurious bed where I knew I was taken care of by the best of the best.
-Becky Esquibel
You wouldn’t judge your loved one if they were a little slow going up the stairs at the Colosseum. You wouldn’t get mad if someone was too tired to get dressed up and go out that night and just wanted to watch the sunset over the Mediterranean with a baguette, wine and cheese. You definitely wouldn’t get frustrated if they became a bit homesick one night and shed a few tears. You would go slowly with them on the stairs. You would enjoy that wine, baguette and cheese with them. You would comfort them with a hug. Why not treat yourself with the same grace?
“When Nature Attacks… Relax”
I wasn’t ready when that huge bird pooped on my neck as I leaned against the wall outside the Trattoria Sant’ Agostino, savoring the warm night after a delicious meal. It was green, and there seemed to be quite a lot of it. Fortunately, I had napkins in my purse (I always recommend putting your spare paper napkins in your travel bag at any time in Europe, because these are very handy). I WAS prepared for the rain, with my handy pop-up travel umbrella. What I wasn’t prepared for was slipping in a puddle and falling on my behind. When I got back to my accommodation it was stuffy, so I opened the window a crack. I hope I save someone the trouble of being eaten alive by huge mosquitos in Florence by telling you to make sure there is a screen in your window. I allowed myself to get very angry in each of these situations, but guess what? It didn’t help. What did help is the hydrocortisone cream and Benadryl that I always pack. When you need it, you need it.
“You’re A Long Way from Home, Dorothy”
You may be tempted to “save a few bucks” by booking a less expensive hotel while you are on your European adventure but listen to me: DON’T. Everyone who goes to Rome hopefully has a wonderful tour of the Colosseum from a highly educated guide, but sadly some of these people will return to their hotel after a long day with aching feet and find that their room “smells weird” or “isn’t comfortable”. You may find that many people speak English in Northern Europe, but they simply do not in the southern countries. What you need is a ”home away from home”, a haven where you are greeted with a friendly “Hello”. I unfortunately suffered the trouble of having a less than comfortable room at a couple of my destinations. This is a lesson hard learned after a long day of sightseeing, when all I wanted was to hear “Welcome back, Miss Esquibel”, and sink into a luxurious bed where I knew I was taken care of by the best of the best.
-Becky Esquibel