Final Reflections

On this month long trip, we have seen a lot of interesting and beautiful historical buildings and geographies. I have talked about many of these in my blog entries. I have also been intrigued by a number of technologies that we have seen. Here they are in random order:

DOORS AND LOCKS
As we travelled, I was fascinated by the endless designs of doors and locking mechanisms. Locking doors seem to be a technology that has been around for over a thousand years in an endless variety of designs to both the door itself and the locking mechanisms. I loved looking at the oldest wooden doors in the historical locations we visited as well as the most modern in the places we stayed. Many are quite different than those you find in our homes.

FOOD DELIVERY SERVICES
Just like we have Doordash and other food delivery services in Canada, so too there are many in all the countries we visited. What I found interesting is that often it is individuals on bicycles with large, insulated containers on their backs, not drivers in cars, picking up the food and delivering it to their customers.

SMART BENCHES
In a few spots, we saw benches with solar panels on their top surfaces and both wired and wireless charging available on their side panels. It seems to be a great idea in locations that get lots of sunshine.

TRAIN TRAVEL
We covered a lot of distance on a variety of trains on our trip. They make for a far more relaxing and enjoyable holiday than driving. Sometimes else is dealing with the traffic issues and the directions. It is also more enjoyable than flying because you see the countryside and you don’t have to go through the hassle of getting to and from an airport and through the security and screening process. You can waste the better part of a day for just a short flight between cities.

I do have to say, however, that the trains are much busier than I’ve experienced on previous trips to Europe, So, I’d recommend reservations even for first class travel where they are offered. I also found trains to be a little less reliable so if you are planning a long trip with several connections, be sure to allow extra time between the connections in case your train runs late.

STONEWORK
All the houses and buildings that date back hundreds and even thousands of years are built of stone. The walls, the roofs, the fences around properties and the driveways are all made from stone. As well, cobblestone streets are everywhere and its fascinating to look at all the different types of stone used and the different patterns in which they are laid. To me, it is the amazing stonework that gives the cities and buildings much of their uniquely European character.

TRUCK TRANSPORT
Roads in Europe are somewhat narrower than those in North America. It seems that trucks make up for the lack of width by going higher. We passed a number in England while driving around in our rental car. I doubt they would fit under overpasses in Canada and the US. I also did not see any containers on trucks so I’m not sure what happens when they arrive by sea. They must all get loaded onto trains and then emptied in train yards and loaded onto trucks? Seems rather inefficient!

BUILDING RESTORATION
Historic buildings are being restored to their former glory all over Europe. Air pollution has taken a big toll on over the years, It is a massive undertaking. In some cases, it means completely rebuilding. Everywhere you see scaffolding. Entire buildings are wrapped in it. Fortunately, many of the most significant, historic buildings have been completely restored. Last time I was in London, Big Ben was wrapped in scaffolding. It has now been completely restored and looks amazing!

OLD VEHICLES
We spotted an old Porsche in Innsbruck, an MG in England and a Nissan 240x in Salzburg, but beyond that all you see are relatively new cars. It seems no one keeps their vehicles very long and any older than maybe ten years seem all but nonexistent.

MEAL ORDERING
We found several restaurants where you choose your meals and customize them using a touch screen. When you place the order it gets sent to the kitchen and a short time later your meal is ready to go for either eat in or take out. At a restaurant in Innsbruck you are given a plastic card as you enter. You choose a meal, and a chef makes it to your specifications while you watch and wait. He then enters the details of your meal and any beverages or other side items you have ordered onto a plastic card. You take the card to the cashier when you are ready to pay. The card appears to have no chip embedded so it’s a mystery to me as to how the information gets stored?

WASHROOM FACILITIES
In the bathrooms of the apartments and hotels we stayed, I was impressed by the tankless toilets. I’m not sure if there is a tank hidden in the wall behind the toilet or whether they use a different technology. As well, in one of the public washrooms I was surprised to find a Dyson hot air blower to dry your hands built right into the water faucet!

Well, we’re back in Vancouver waiting for our connecting flight to Victoria. It’s 2:45 AM on out time so we’re feeling a bit sleepy! And, so ends our Europe Vacation 2023!En savoir plus