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From Dreams Come Adventures

“Travel is fatal to prejudice, bigotry, and narrow-mindedness...” — Mark Twain

Hello 

                   My name is Suzie and I have been dreaming of returning to Europe after 30 long years (life really does get away from you)—so as a 50th Birthday gift, I decided to give myself this amazing adventure. Although a certain pandemic delayed that for a couple of years, we are finally here (insert excited squeals here). My travel companion was a certain fuzzy stuffed monkey named Bongo who kept a daily log of his trip. You can find his backstory on his own tab,  and his daily posts at the end of each country page.

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 “We travel not to escape life, but for life not to escape us.”
—Unknown

Why Rick Steves?

                                                                         I have watched Rick Steves’ videos and explored the website for many years (building my dream adventure in my head). The question of “why'” Rick Steves is so silly to me. For me, there was no other option. To be serious, it was because of the philosophy of Rick Steves travel and a simple word—

  • Balance of Free Time and Independent Adventures

  • Balance of Fast Pace and Slow Wandering

  • Balance of Educating and Independent Study

  • Balance of Big Cities and Charming Towns  

Balance.

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Rick Steves Best of Europe in 21 Days covered many of the key sites I wanted to see plus more that I didn’t even know I wanted to see. From the artistic and creative in Amsterdam, the sobering and thought-provoking at Dachau concentration camp, the historic and flamboyant canals of Venice, and the glamour and lights of Paris. This tour gave me the knowledge of where I want my next in-depth adventure to be (surprisingly not where I would have thought).

Why Best of Europe in 21 Days?

I love to learn new things and I like the idea of not just following the leader but learning to spread your wings and do things on your own (public bus in Rome and the underground in Paris) but with a safety net. (Thank You, Andy!

 “Travel is rich with learning opportunities, and the ultimate souvenir
is a broader perspective.”

—Rick Steves

 “True navigation begins in the human heart. It's the most important map of all.”
—Elizabeth Kapu'uwailani Lindsey

Site Navigation

                                                             This scrapbook is broken down by country with a few extra pages. You can navigate through this adventure by using the country tabs at the top or by the next/previous buttons at the bottom of each page.


Keep an eye out for:

  • Colored and Underlined These are linked to specific information (this will open in a new tab for you).

  • Quotes—“The great thing about inspiring quotes is that they pack so much wisdom in so few words.” Chris Hughes

  • Bongo’s Blog—The musings and insights of one fuzzy stuffed monkey.

  • Preparation and Packing—Dedicated tab with information and a few tips on preparing for this trip.

 

Welcome to this adventure. I hope you enjoy yourself and find inspiration for the adventure you dream of. 

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 Day - 28 Well it is 28 days until Mom and I leave for Europe. Mom was actually considering not taking me. Seriously!! What was she thinking. Luckily my aunts talked some sense into her. They were seriously questioning if she was on drugs. It will be nice to see Europe again. It has been 20 years.

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 Day - 28 Tested out my mode of transportation. Pretty comfy. Questioning the color. But what can you do when your mother is obsessed with pink? Don’t get, it but to each their own.

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 Day - 12 Mom says we don’t need to take one of these for me. She says fuzzy stuffed monkeys are immune. Less than 2 weeks before we are off. The warm fuzzies seem to be more clingy than normal. I wonder if they know we are going on an adventure without them.

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 Day - 8 Mom says we have very limited luggage space (one carry on and one day bag). She says I can take only one of my custom made berets (tricot personnalisé par Teresa). How is a fuzzy stuffed monkey to decide?

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 Day - 7 Some last-minute education and research. I think this book is broken. It does not tell me how to translate “fuzzy stuff monkey” into French.

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 Day - 14 hours Mom says you should relax and have a good meal the night before you fly. Mom worked today and is now cleaning her house so I am relaxing for the both of us.

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