Top Takeaways (Twenty Three) - Western Europe

We've covered a lot of ground during two months in Western Europe but we feel like there is still so much more to see! Here are our top takeaways from our time in the Netherlands, Spain, France, Portugal, England and Italy.

One of our favorite spots: The Amalfi Coast.

1. Tourism is alive and well. While we knew that the countries we visited in Western Europe appealed to many tourists, particularly Americans, we still weren't prepared for the hoards of people we encountered near ever major sight. We tried to adjust to waiting in lines and fighting for the best view but we never really enjoyed the experience as much as some of our previous sightseeing.

2. Having said that, it's still possible to get off the beaten path. If you are comfortable missing some of the "must-see" places, you can easily create a unique and enjoyable travel experience, even in crowded cities. We bypassed the Uffizi gallery in Florence and didn't venture inside St. Mark's Cathedral in Venice but instead found empty side-streets and perfect hilltop views. Our preferences have definitely evolved over the past year and we now actively seek the road less traveled.

3. Besides maybe Japan, Western Europe is the most expensive area we've visited. Portugal aside, we found most places to be very pricey. If you are looking for a more budget-friendly trip, we would recommend Southeast Asia or Eastern Europe first!

4. Unfortunately, crime can happen anywhere. Of all the places we've been, we didn't expect France to be the sight of the single worst occurrence during our journey. We consider ourselves pretty tough New Yorkers and are constantly alert, but the truth is no one is immune from opportunist criminals.

5. Paris remains the city of romance. Alex and I had both separately been to Paris in our teenage years and didn't have particularly fond memories of the city; coming back together was a completely different experience. Given the city's size, we found it easy to just wander around and get lost in the charming streets and neighborhood parks. Even after five days, I felt like we didn't get to see everything and now I can't wait to come back!

6. England's reputation for disappointing food is unwarranted. Seriously! We admittedly had excellent hosts who directed us to the best restaurants but we had some of our best meals in the land of the British. Alex and I can definitely get behind the local pub food and traditional Sunday night roast!

7. Italian food really is as delicious as advertised. Speaking of food, we really can't deny the appeal of Italian cuisine. In addition to the perfectly cooked pasta, oven-baked pizza and fresh tomatoes and mozzarella, the local seafood and cured meats were equally tasty. Certainly not the healthiest way to end our journey, but probably the most delicious!

8. Nearly everyone speaks English. Alex and I rarely encountered a serious language barrier - the major cities in Western Europe attract so many tourists that English is widely spoken. My favorite example of this was an American mom and teen who commented (negatively) on my outfit in English while I stood next to them at a crosswalk in Rome; I assume my deep tan implied that I was an Italian, but seriously the Italians speak English too!

9. Traveling within the Eurozone is very efficient and highly convenient. In complete contrast to the US, train travel in Europe is fast, easy and relatively affordable. We were most surprised that no one checked our passports between countries (until we got to the UK) - guess we'll just have to come back for those passport stamps!

10. There will always be a reason to come back to Western Europe! We still feel like we barely scratched the surface and we are excited that we still have so many future trips to take. Completing the France road trip we didn't get to take and visiting Scandinavia are probably the two standouts for us.

Peak: Celebrating the wedding of our friends Blythe and Cody with our friends in Levanto

Pit: Getting robbed in Marseille

Next Stop: Japan (by way of New Jersey / New York)

London

Sarah and I took an early morning train from Paris to London on Tuesday. We were a bit surprised that we had to go through customs at Gare du Nord since we’ve traveled without any customs checkpoints throughout the rest of the EU, but apparently Britain has stricter border controls. Anyway, the train arrived in London right on time and we made our way to the luggage storage area to drop off our bags, then hopped on the tube to get to London’s financial district.

We met Sarah’s former boss Tom (from Blackstone) for lunch at Haz. Tom is now the CFO of Aviva, an insurance company based in London, so he’s lived here for the last year or so. We went into the meeting eager to begin the networking process that will be critical to our career “re-entry” soon; we left the meeting feeling great about our future options and opportunities. We still have a lot to sort out with our careers between now and August (when the adventure officially comes to an end) but we are excited for the next step in our professional lives.

After lunch, Sarah and I walked around downtown London for a few hours, taking in some of the classic tourist sights there before heading to Covent Garden to get one of her favorite treats from her time abroad here: a cookie from Ben’s Cookies.

Spotted this cool passageway on our walk to the Thames.

Tower Bridge.

We enjoyed the view at Covent Garden for a lot longer than it took to eat our delicious cookie!

By late afternoon, we headed to Russel Square to meet up with our gracious hosts for the week: Oya and Can. Oya is Sarah’s friend from her first job at Lehman Brothers and we attended her wedding to Can in Istanbul a couple years ago. We dropped our bags at their flat and headed out to their local pub, The Lamb, for a pint, then went next door to Ciao Bella for some delicious Italian food. We caught up for a couple hours over a great meal, then headed to bed to rest up after a long day.

Sarah woke up early on Wednesday and took advantage of Oya’s gym pass to get in a quick workout; I planned out our next few days here in London. Once we were both showered and caffeinated, we set out to see some of London’s most famous landmarks. The sun even came out for a few hours…which Oya and Can said is extremely rare!

One of the many quaint houses that make up the Russel Square neighborhood.

Classic London: red double-decker busses, war monuments and old buildings.

Big Ben.

Parliament.

Buckingham Palace.

After we finished strolling through St. James's Park, we got on a bus to see Sarah’s old neighborhood when she studied abroad here in 2005. Shepherd’s Bush was nothing special back then and not much has changed, but the leisurely walk back through Notting Hill was pretty nice.

A classic British pub we passed en route to Sarah’s apartment.

Found it!

When we were tired of walking, we got back on another bus to Oxford Circus to find some dinner. Sarah explored a few shops while I explored a few British pubs; we met at the one I liked best and had some classic British food for dinner. Great way to end the day.

Oxford Circus was packed with people. Most pubs were overflowing onto the street (well, more of a pedestrian walkway). Wonder what it’s like on a weekend!

On Thursday, Sarah and I went our separate ways for half the day, then synced up for dinner with our friend Mona. Sarah did some shopping – at least one of us had to go to Harrods! – and I did my best impression of an American tourist exploring London. The weather turned out beautifully today (apparently this is even more rare than yesterday!) so I had an excellent time seeing the city.

Borough Market.

The Shard.

St. Paul’s Cathedral and Millennium Bridge.

St. Paul’s up close.

In the gardens at St. Paul’s.

The skyline of London as seen from Primrose Hill.

The Regent’s Park.

In the gardens at The Regent’s Park. Not too shabby, London!

We met Mona at Dishoom, one of the best Indian places in the city. Both she and Oya / Can recommended it to us. The food was delicious and it was fun to catch up with Mona after a few years apart.

Friday revolved around a reunion with my old au pair, Jacqui, and her family in their hometown of Denmead. Before we went, however, we stopped by Burger & Lobster to try out their new breakfast menu. Sarah had been before on prior trips to London; the restaurant is known for only serving three things: a burger, a lobster roll or a lobster tail (all for the same price…so only suckers get the burger). The location in the financial district is experimenting with breakfast so we were able to get our meal at half price. I got the “burger” breakfast sandwich (which was amazing) and Sarah got the lobster scrambled eggs (which were only okay…more eggs than lobster). The train to get to Denmead took about an hour and a half and we met Jacqui and her husband Jamie at the station by mid-afternoon.

Our first stop: Jacqui and Jamie’s local pub for a drink before their kids got home from school. I was very fun to catch up with them, though Jacqui had to adjust to my scraggly beard a bit. This adjustment was not helped by the fact that a spider dropped out of my beard mid-conversation. I can only imagine that I walked into a web between their car and the pub…but it was a hilarious, well-timed mishap as we were discussing how to keep it clean, etc. at the exact moment it decided to appear!

Jacqui and Jamie’s children, Charlie and Hannah, were very excited to see us. Charlie showed us a magic trick, Hannah showed us her gymnastics moves. We had an excellent time catching up for  a few hours over a home cooked meal of delicious British food (which does exist!). We were sad to say goodbye, but hopefully we can see them all again sometime very soon!

Everyone (except Jamie, the photographer for this shot!) in the backyard.

The one disaster of our visit – an old bench in their backyard collapsed under out weight. It probably couldn’t have supported any three people, but it served as a reminder that Sarah and I need to get on a diet once we’re done traveling!

The rest of our time in London was devoted to our excellent hosts, Oya and Can. They were both off work for the weekend so we got up early on Saturday to take a train out of the city and explore the countryside on a long walk. Unfortunately, the beautiful weather we had over the past few days had gone and we were treated to a more “traditional” setting in the country: grey and rainy weather. No matter, we still had a great time and it felt good to do a long hike!

Green and grey views all day.

English humor.

One of the villages we walked through.

A creek almost at the end of our hike.

Take-away pints for the train home? Check!

Once back in London, we ate at one of Oya and Can’s favorite pubs and stopped for gelato on the way home to top it off. A very fun day, indeed!

Today is our last day in London before returning to the US. I can’t believe we’re actually flying home tomorrow! We were all a little sore from the hike yesterday so we had a relatively lazy day: a late brunch, a stroll around the hip East London neighborhood, a trip to see Oya and Can’s new flat (they just bought it and will be able to move in shortly!) and a Sunday roast to cap it all off. The perfect way to relax before our trip home tomorrow.

Our crew at the Sunday roast.

I could get used to eating something like this once a week…

Our flight is early tomorrow so we’re going to bed to get some rest. Can’t wait for the comforts of home tomorrow!