Can you avoid tourist mayhem and still get the "Europe Experience"?

I've had stress on my mind a lot lately. It must be the holidays. I've also been going through our photos and videos from the last few years of traveling around Europe. The funny thing is, behind every one of the pictures and videos is a set of stories, some of them hectic, some of them more pleasant. As humans, we never like to show the hard times, only the good ones (isn't that the 'fun' of Facebook? :) ). While reflecting on these experiences, I realized that there were quite a few places to visit that purported to provide that classic European Travel Experience, but that were too exhausting to actually enjoy. Paris, Rome, London -- each of these were incredibly stressful, and we traveled during the offseason. Don't get me wrong, they're worth the visit and I wouldn't recommend skipping them altogether, but we just found that traveling as a family with 4 kids, there were more enjoyable, less exhausting experiences that still provided that uniquely European cultural experience.

So, with those happy memories brewing, we put together a new video on our favorite places to travel as a family in Europe--the places we definitely plan on going back to on our next visit. Watch the video (above) and get our two cents on each place below:

[OBLIGATORY SPOILER ALERT LINE, in case you haven't watched the video yet]
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5. Tarragona, Spain. 

The Mediterranean coast of Spain used to be a Roman settlement, and Tarragona has, perhaps, the best preserved sites. Add in the beautiful beaches, and this place was perfect. It was like being in Rome without the crowds, pick-pocketers, smelly subways...well you get it. No, it doesn't have Rome's splendor (we've done Rome, and there is no substitute) but we really enjoyed it as an ancient Rome experience. And what we enjoyed even more was how inexpensive it was to see it all.  We paid more for parking in a garage for the day than we did to visit all the Roman ruins. The Tarragona Family Card was under 50 Euro for the whole family, and we got admission to all the major Roman sites. Definitely worth it.

4. Black Forest, Germany.

Tour guides will tell you that Black Forest was therapeutic for those overburdened and facing stress-born illnesses. It only takes one visit to realize just how therapeutic the place is. A collection of beautiful Bavarian towns and throw in some waterfalls, an open-air museum, and, our favorite, a toboggan ride, and you'll not want to leave. People there are extremely accommodating as well. When we went, our AirBnB fell through and it didn't take much frantic searching before we found a place to accommodate us (and we have a family of 6!) Locals were happy to suggest homes and families we could talk to. Take a drive around the Black Forest for an enjoyable experience.

3. Rovinj, Croatia. 

Every stress-free trip list should feature a shanty beach town with beautiful views and ample places to relax, swim, etc. Rovinj is our favorite. We had originally booked a few days in Pula, but venturing 20 minutes into Rovinj made us realize that we had chosen the wrong place to stay. So much charm, and the local boat rides can be had for deep discounts if you ask, and if you travel in the offseason. Added bonus: the people of Croatia are incredibly hospitable. Some of the nicest people we met in Europe.

2. Lucca, Italy.

There's nothing big about Lucca. It's a small Italian town with the usual small Italian town delights. So why is it so high on our list? I don't know to be honest. We just really enjoyed it. Whether it was biking around the city walls or popping into a local pizzeria, it just felt like the complete Italian experience, minus the hubbub of tourists.

1. Salzburg, Austria.

Ok, we know what you're thinking: how can we put a major tourist destination atop this list?  Parking can be difficult in the city and there is a lot of foot traffic. But for us, the Salzburg Card made all the difference. For under 100 Euro, our family of 6 got to see all the best sites, plus we had full access to public transportation, making our visit to the city quite easy. Plus, how can you not feel relaxed in the city where the Hills are Alive with the Sound of Music.

Hope you enjoyed our list. Don't forget to subscribe to our YouTube Channel and leave a comment on places you'd like us to profile!

Sneak Peak at New Expatriate Snippets!

We just got back from our most recent escapade in Europe: 6 weeks in Spain, Ireland, the UK, Germany, Austria, and Slovenia. New videos are on their way. Enjoy this sneak peak and Subscribe to get the latest videos!

Triberg Water Fall: A Perfect Sunday Retreat

When we travel, we usually make sure to go to church in each area we visit. Because the weekend we spent in Black Forest coincided with LDS General Conference, we wouldn't get the chance to attend church, and without WiFi at our hotel, we also wouldn't get to watch conference live. So instead, we decided to enjoy the natural beauty of the Black Forest and have a Sunday devotional as a family. The location: the Triberg Waterfalls

It was an absolutely beautiful area, so beautiful that no one complained about the steep hikes. 

 

 

After getting some photos by the waterfalls, we hiked above the falls and found a place to stop, read the scriptures, and enjoy the atmosphere. 

We focused on Alma 30:44, where the prophet Alma says that "the Earth and all thins that are upon the face of it" are proof there is a God. Triberg was a nice backdrop to discuss that scripture. 

 

Racing through the Black Forest

For all its charm in cuckoo clocks and fairy tales, the Black Forest Germany also won us over with its many toboggan rides. After the hullabaloo of trying to find a new place to stay on the fly after our confirmed location nixed the confirmed reservation, we spent the remainder of the day speeding down the beautiful German hill side. 

One thing was clear when we first got on, these things are fast--faster than anything that we're used to in the US (in fact, I doubt these would pass the strict ride regulations in the US). Careening down the hills at a dizzying speed was an absolute blast. The blurriness of our pictures should attest to how fast these things went. 

The littlest of the crew was quite apprehensive when we first got on, and it was a bit hard to get him to get on. But it only took one race down the hill to get him begging to go again, and again, and again. Just look at that smile on his face:

The Black Forest toboggan rides...just another reason we love Germany!

Reservations: A lesson in flexibility

Sometimes your best laid plans don't work out, regardless of how firm you think they are. Last weekend, we booked our weekend trip for the LDS Switzerland Temple in Bern (which we'll cover in a future post) and the Black Forest in Germany (Schwarzwald). The Black Forest Tourism site has a section for booking rooms in large homes throughout the region (Traveling with a family of 6, space can be hard to find, so staying in a large place is often a must).

Before we left for our trip, we found a place that was centrally located, booked it, and received our online confirmation (note the obvious foreshadowing). After a 3 hour drive through windy, yet scenic hills, we arrived at our location. When we knocked on the door, an old woman who spoke in only German met us, and through her flustered expressions, we gathered that 1) she had no idea why we were there and 2) we would not be staying there, as planned. After showing her the email (which was in German) she simply shook her head and pointed down the hill, signaling to us to find another room. Now, this would not be too big of a deal if 1) it wasn't a holiday weekend in Germany and 2) we didn't have 6 people to find a room for.

Driving up and down the main road and into the various towns, the places we found said they had no room for us. After an hour, we were able to find a new place to stay where the owner was able to put us in two adjoining rooms. The place we found was in a nice quiet town, next to a quite idyllic Black Forest setting.

In the end, we paid more than we planned on, but we also learned that sometimes things work out, even if they're not the way you thought they would.

Driving in Europe: Austria Edition

Here’s where I provide my own cautionary tale so others don’t have to make the same mistake I did. This past weekend, we decided to set out for Salzburg Austria (as, undoubtedly, you will have figured out by the plethora of blog posts about Austria that you’ll be seeing in the next few days).

In getting our preparations together, we planned our route, our place to stay, and all of our activities. We had everything covered…everything except for one thing. And it could have been avoided if we did a simple search online for “Driving in Austria”. So without further ado, the highs and lows of driving in Austria. We’ll start with the low, because pretty much everything else was a high:

The Autobahn Vignette

In the US, we pay for tolls on the road as we drive. Lanes that require a sticker are clearly marked. This is not the case in Austria. Driving from Italy through the Brenner Pass (which is amazing) and just past Innsbruck, the Austria Autobahn requires a sticker, called a Vignette, to drive the roads. It’s a basic sticker that costs 8 Euro for 10 days. Not pricey at all. The problem is, it isn’t terribly clear that you need one, unless you’re fluent in German, of course. I only happened upon it searching information about a location we hoped to visit. The penalty for not having a sticker is steep: 120 Euro steep ($156). It took me 2 days to figure it out too (so 240 Euro steep for me).  The way they catch you? Cameras. Or at least, you hope they catch you with cameras, because if a cop pulls you over, they can demand 200 Euro in cash on the spot, plus the ticket you will get in the mail later. I can be grateful that I probably only have 1 or 2 pictures coming in the mail, and that the police didn’t notice my naivete. Apparently, the Vignette is also required in Switzerland, Slovenia, and Germany, among others.

Now on to the high points…

Side of the Road Wonders

Driving across country in the US usually reveals side of the road rest stops and deserted gas stations. However, in Europe, rest stops and deserted gas stations are replaced with deserted castles and rest “villages”. The drive from Italy to Austria also includes trips through the Dolomites and Alps. Plenty of side of the road photo ops, or if you’re like us, out the window photo ops.

 

Driving (and Drivers) on the Autobahn

If you listen to Rick Steves, you’ll avoid the Autobahn because he makes it into a hair-raising experience. If you’re like me, however, you’ll look forward to every chance to use the Autobahn, because you’ll find the best drivers in the world on it. I’m not kidding either. The rules are simple, if you’re slow, stay in the right lane. If you’re slow in the left lane, you get over. If you don’t get over, you deserve to be honked at or at least have lights flashed at you. And the best part, everyone gets it. Not once did I mutter out loud my usual rants in the car while driving in the US: “Get out of the way!” “Why are you going so slow” or, most importantly, “At least go the SPEED LIMIT!” (any one who has driven in the Midwest will appreciate that one). Even better, trucks are not allowed in the fast lane! The Autobahn is a perfect system where fast drivers can enjoy their freedom in the left lane and slow drivers can do whatever it is they do in the right.

Speaking of drivers, there’s one peculiar thing missing from the Autobahn that we regularly see on US Freeways: Skid marks. That’s right, I didn’t see one skid mark (and broken light fragments were curiously absent as well). Either the Austrians reallyknow how to clean a highway, or people are more attentive while driving. I suspect it’s the latter.

No Speed Limit

This is a bit of a myth, there are speed limits on the Autobahn, but there are also stretches where the speed limit isn’t restricted. In fact, instead of having signs that indicate the new speed limit, the signs indicate when the old speed limit is over. My GPS told me that those “no speed limit” stretches had a limit of 130 km/hr, but I can tell you that I had cars pushing me much faster than that…What can I say, when in Rome (or Austria)…

Stop Lights

Now this doesn’t have anything to do with the Autobahn, but Curls and I noticed something very efficient about traffic lights in Austria. Green lights begin to blink when they’re about to go to yellow, and even better, the light turns yellow when it’s going from red to green (just like in races). There’s no guessing, you know when to start revving your engine (and believe me, everyone does on the yellow light). Curls and I both agreed that the US should adopt this as soon as humanly possible.

Gas prices and Cost

I put this under the good side of driving despite the fact that you pay 1.29-1.59 Euro per liter (not per gallon). Cars here have much better gas mileage than in the US. For example, we drove from the Treviso Italy area to Salzburg (5 hours of driving) on a half tank of gas (which is about Euro 40). I don’t care how you slice the gallons to liters ratio, that kind of mileage and price is unheard of in the US.  Also, another highlight of Austria is gas is much cheaper there. 1.29 in Salzburg vs. 1.59 in Treviso.

In the end, the cost to drive from Treviso to Salzburg was 18 Euro in tolls and a tank of gas (about 70 Euro). For 6 people, that’s much better than taking the train.

 

Overall, driving the Autobahn was more than a bucket list thing, it was invigorating. It would’ve been even better had I done a little homework about the Vignettes beforehand.

Lord Byron's 31 Flavors of Europe

I'm really looking forward to going to Europe. So I decided to write a list about where I want to go when I'm there!

        

1. Croatia

2. Pompeii

3. Brussels

4. Rome

5. Milan (probably their futbol team there).

6. Venice

7. Barcelona 

8. Catalunya

9. Tuscany

10. Germany

11. Austria

12. Switzerland

13. France

14. Madrid
15. Amalfi Coast
16. La Mancha
17. Slovakia
18. Slovenia
19. Sevilla
20. Berlin
21. Prague
22. Luxembourg
23. Czech Republic
24. Hungary
25. Turkey

26. Salzburg
27. Neuschwanstein Castle
28. Munich
29. Florence
30. San Sebastian
and last but not least
31. Siena

 So that's where I want to go! And I'll see you later!

Down with the Bucket List

I have a problem with Bucket Lists. I get the concept: make a list of things you've always wanted to do, and commit to doing, before you kick the bucket. The problem with Bucket Lists is, whether small or ambitious, you indelibly end up putting it off until you're too old or too busy to do what you've committed out to do. Or, even worse, you've kicked the bucket before you even get the chance to finish your list. The problem I have with Bucket Lists is they're actually PROCRASTINATION Lists.

No, we need a better term for a list of things you really want to accomplish, one that represents living in the moment and taking advantage of opportunities as they come. Borrowing from one of my two favorite travel gurus, Phil Keoghan, I propose the NOW list. No Opportunity Wasted (NOW) is a concept the Eyebrow Raising Amazing Race host initiated with his book by the same name published about a decade ago. NOW represents taking advantage of opportunities as they come.
My concept of a NOW List is more than living in the moment. Rather, it's about living in the environment--to borrow from my other favorite travel guru, Rick Steves. If you've seen Rick Steves' videos or books, they're less about sight-seeing and more about sight experiencing, or more appropriately, culture experiencing.

The best NOW life is one in which you experience peoples and cultures rather than sites and tourist traps.

Therefore, this inaugural post on the InnoSense Abroad blog serves as a virtual brainstorm for NOW Experiences that fall outside the normal Europe Trip Bucket List, where Grand Canal Gondola Rides are replaced with Tomato Fights in Spain and playing pipes on a 150 year old organ in Paris, France. While this post will serve as a reference for NOW experiences, unique impromptu activities will be detailed throughout this blog with the Title and Keyword "NOW List".

Got any suggestions to share? Comment on this post.

The NOW List

1. Play the Pipes in St. Sulpice (Paris, France)
2. Float down the Aare River (Bern, Switzerland)
3. Take a Cable Car over Montjuic (Barcelona, Spain)
4. Join a neighborhood Paellera (Valencia, Spain)
5. Add pictures to the Billion Graves App from cemeteries like this and this while remembering to not BLINK
6. Go cliff diving at Cinque Terra (Cinque Terra, Italy)
7. Brave the sulfur smells and enjoy the hot springs of Saturnia (Orveito, Italy)
8. Teach kids in Italy English
9. Attend the free Italian Puppet Theater in Rome
10. Go "Castling" in places like these 
11. Go coo coo for cuckoo's in Germany's Black Forest
12. ...and then there's this (Italy)