[Idyllchat] Rick Steves Books

[Jerry Clancy]

At 03:13 PM 3/12/2007, Jay Cloidt wrote:
>The only problem I have is that his itineraries are too fast paced 
>for me. I like to take it slower and wallow in the local culture. I 
>use his own advice to justify this, and that is, "Don't assume that 
>this is a once in a lifetime trip. Assume that you are going to come 
>back." He uses it to justify hitting 4 cities in a week. I use it to 
>say that I'll hit 2 cities this time, and I'll hit those other 2 
>when I come back.
>
>  - Jay

I couldn't agree more. "Don't assume that this is a once in a 
lifetime trip" is advice that I have given myself and others for over 
40 years.

And that's what happened. My first visit to Copenhagen in 1965 was 
supposed to be 3 days. It turned into 9 (in two segments) because I 
fell in love with both the city and the Danes. In the next 15 years I 
got back there three more times. Ditto Amsterdam and the Dutch.

Too many people whip through, e.g., Switzerland, in two days and find 
that, years later, their main recollection is that of the cute cows 
in the mountainous meadows with their bells that they passed on a 
tram. Nada on the people.

I guess the other problem I sometimes have with some travellers is 
that they seem compelled to schedule every waking moment with seeing 
"things." Stop it. Take an afternoon or evening or two off and 
meander in a most unplanned way and let serendipitous events take 
their course. Do you really think I spent nine days there as a 
twenty-something because it had Tivoli, Stoget ("Stroy-et") and a neat lake?

Jerry