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chazzbanner
chazzbanner
18 July 2005 @ 10:33 am
travel  
This past weekend included the 16th, which means it is three months to the Malta/Italy trip. I had set this date as the point at which I would start seriously working on getting ready for the trip.

Yes, I have my plane tickets, and my hotel reservations (more about the latter, later!). I have bought a suitcase, and maps, and I renewed my passport.

What I need to do now is seriously start taking notes about where I what I want to see, and also write important things in a notebook which I'll also use for a trip journal.

I have a new method: I find train schedules (and sometimes bus schedules) and print them, then cut out the relevant section and paste them into my notebooks. I also look things up when I'm 'in country', and jot down updated schedules.

Other things that I note ahead of time are any public toilets that are mentioned in guidebooks (let's see, in Venice there are some near San Marcos, plus some near the Rialto I believe, and fairly awful ones near the Academia), and what the business hours are, and perhaps how much it costs to send a postcard to the States. Different things.

I've also started listening to an Italian spoken language CD. I'm glad I have the sounds down, from study years ago... gli' for instance, plus the importance of double consonants.
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Natasha: Boomer lost by ishadowfx[info]brightest_blue on July 18th, 2005 05:47 pm (UTC)
Best place for clean public toilets anywhere in the world? McDonalds!! they'll put ice in your lukewarm drinks too.


Also make sure your train schedules are current and if there are alternate routes, you know which one you want. We were supposed to visit relatives near Rotterdam once, on our way to Amsterdam, but missed that one, got on the next one, thinking it would be the same one and ended up going through Arnhem instead. I was all excited anyway because Operation Market Garden (an offensive with a name like that is bound to fail, just like D-Day would have failed if they had called it Wear Your Hawaiian Shirt to Work Day)and A Bridge too Far and Band of Brothers and all of that seemed to be much more interesting than husband's very old aunts we'd never met and couldn't communicate with anyway. :-) Woops, looks like I got off track here . . .

Oh, I'm so jealous of you! You're going to have a great time!
chazzbanner: James Purefoy by hotspot8202[info]chazzbanner on July 18th, 2005 09:01 pm (UTC)
Operation Market Garden (an offensive with a name like that is bound to fail
LOL - they should hve known!

Yes definitely, I'll check the schedules when I arrive -- anywhere. Another thing I remind myself of is stamping a ticket when you get on the bus - in Amsterdam for instance - or when you go onto the platform at a train station, in some countries. If you don't stamp the ticket you might get fined! A good thing to remind yourself.
Natasha: Lee- feeling lucky by beg[info]brightest_blue on July 20th, 2005 05:45 am (UTC)
I know, we once got on a tram in Amsterdam that was so crowded we couldn't get to the ticket-stamper. We were very nervous, but only had to go three stops, so we didn't get nailed.

The best thing to do is plead ignorance. "But, but, I paid for this ticket- I thought that was all I had to do." And then let your lower lip tremble like you might cry.

I once got in trouble with a train ticket (not my fault) on my way back to Germany from Hungary. I'd been traveling 36 hours, so I must have looked awful because the conductor let me off, thinking I must be a Yugoslavian refugee! (this was 1990) I wasn't too flattered, but I didn't get in trouble at least!
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