New Friends

John: The idea of this trip was very appealing to us but as Barb and I discussed the required tasks before we would be able to get on the plane to anywhere, there was some work and research to do. But, as usual, whenever I discuss things with Barb things seem manageable and I know they will get done. While trip logistics consumed its fair share of our effort and conversations, I enjoyed discussing the positive things we each hoped the adventure would provide us, positive attitude and behavior changes, new and exciting places to experience, hanging out in English pubs, drinking German beer, tasting different foods and meeting people with different perspectives. I especially enjoyed Barb’s hope, “I want to meet people and develop a bond of friendship so that they visit us in our home town.” While I liked the idea I had my doubts of its probability of happening.

I enjoyed thinking of the idea of visiting Europe, talking with people and seeing their city through their filters. We would meet their friends, learn some of their customs, create an international web of friendship. In turn, when appropriate, we would tell them about our home. After we learned about some of their preferences we could match those up with comparable activities or things our home town offers, enticing them to visit Weaverville. We would take them to music shows, breweries, have an international party and invite our neighbors and friends to show them how wonderful our town is and the people are.

Barb: I loved the idea of meeting new friends abroad but loving the idea of it and actually going out and meeting new people? Well, for introverts that is not always an easy thing to do.

John: But how and where would we meet our new foreign friends?

Back home in Asheville we met almost all of our friends, since moving there, as a direct result of our time spent at the Root Bar. So, why not meet new international friends at a local pub? Maybe, since we would be staying in someone’s house or apartment we could meet the neighbors, while I was mowing the yard. We could meet them in the produce section of the grocery store, we wouldn’t be dining out for every meal.

Maybe I would take a glass of lemonade out to my neighbor when I heard him mowing his lawn. After I said something clumsy in French he and I would laugh and I would work up the courage to invite him and “la monque”, the misses, for dinner sometime. We would either attempt escargot with chard, a local dish, or, if they preferred, an American staple, 22 ounces of prime cut USDA steak and a pounder-pound baked potato with all the toppings. After they thoroughly enjoyed their meal they would make us promise to let them give us a tour of their city to see the sites and visit their favorite pubs and meeting places. Then, after the tour and several fun outings together we would befriend each other on Facebook. When the time arrives and we have to move to our next Sit our new friends would have a mini-party where we all promised to stay in touch through social media. As time passed and we were following them, not to be misconstrued as creeping, we notice they are planning a trip to the States and it corresponds with our return! They accept our invitation and then you are all invited to meet Pierre and Amandine Macron from Banniers-Charente France at our house party. It could happen!

What about the village square? You know, the center of those European towns. The ones with the 500 year old functioning fountain, with granite steps on four sides where all the people of the area go every night to drink wine, eat local tapas and talk about current events. I would love doing that and the prospect of meeting a future transatlantic friend would be possible. The only problem is we haven’t seen such a place.

Barb: Yep, I had some of those ideas too. I wasn’t sure how we would make new friends, I just knew I wanted to. I wanted to introduce my new European friends to my Asheville friends. I wanted to stay in touch. I wanted to meet new people and then see them again down the road.

John: While almost every friend Barb and I have met since moving to Asheville could be directly linked to the Root Bar we also realize it didn’t happen in the first month from when we started going there. So, going to a local version of the Root Bar in Munich Germany meeting a couple with similar dispositions and attitudes was a low probability option. We did, however, meet a couple at a beer garden in Munich.

The beer garden was set up in a way that was conducive to meeting people. It was outside under a huge chestnut tree surrounded by outdoor vendors selling cheese, charcuterie, beer and prepared food. There were picnic tables lined up in 25 rows of 20 tables with the benches touching each other, to maximize the seating per square foot. We had been there mid-week and on the weekend and it was always busy with people and seats were at a premium. We walked around and saw a table that definitely wasn’t full and asked if we could squeeze in to sit. I would venture out to decide on the food and get a couple of pints of beer. The picnic tables were full of people eating from plastic containers, enjoying a pretzel or had trays of food from one of the vendors and most of the people had a pint or liter of beer. It had great energy and people were talking and laughing. The beer garden in Munich we frequented was in the Marienplatz and called Viktualienmarkt, One night we met a couple,a little older than us, sitting next to us. Barb struck up a conversation with them and before you know it the four of us were chatting away. After a couple of hours they invited us to visit a wine party across the Marienplatz. We made our way there but there wasn’t much energy so they suggested we all take a bus to another drinking place on a river. There was a local band playing mostly German songs. We opted for the first table with four seats and it was just in front of the stage next to group of young people thoroughly enjoying the music, food and beer. They were having a fun time singing raucously to all the tunes they knew. We stayed there until about 11p and the couple rode with us on the bus and walked us to our train to be sure we make it back safely. They were a nice couple and we enjoyed ourselves. But I don’t anticipate we will every hear from them again, mainly because we didn’t exchange digits and they did not give any indication they were social media types.

When I considered what our interaction with our hosts would involve, I didn’t think it presented much opportunity to bond into a friendship. Since we were strangers and would only be together for a few hours it didn’t seem like we could bond to the level of friendship that takes months or years to cultivate. Before our first Sit I assumed it would be a business type meeting. We would meet our hosts, discuss their expectations of us for the animals and the house and we would learn whatever we needed to know that was not included in the welcome kit provided during the hiring process. They would go off on their trip and we may or may not meet them when they returned. But the actual process was a little different for some of our hosts. They usually picked us up from a bus, train or airport terminal. After arriving at their home we and they did discuss responsibilities and ask questions and we got a quick tour of the house and property. The level of detail was different for each set of hosts. After that it was different for some of our Sits. Some hosts asked us to arrive the day before their departure and stay overnight. At first, I felt a little uncomfortable at the thought of staying in a house with strangers and accepting their undeserved hospitality. But, I wanted to challenge some of my unnecessary hang-ups and it did save us a hotel expense, so we stayed.

Barb: That was an uneasy feeling for me too. So we go to a stranger’s house and we have to spend a whole evening with them. What do we talk about? What do we do? Should we go to bed early? Stay out of their way? What if it gets awkward because we just don’t hit it off with them? To say I was nervous about that part of the Sits is an understatement.

John: More than half our sits asked us to arrive the day before they departed. In each situation, our hosts either took us out to dinner or prepared a meal for us, each picked us up when we arrived in town. Each of the dinners included liberal drinking and the conversation flowed effortlessly, talking about the weather, American and English politics, and almost any other topic. Each of the dinner celebrations lasted for a couple of hours and carried on into late night drinks at their homes and in each case Barb and I felt a connection with them. We were intrigued by some of our conversations about our country and they told us they found Americans to be friendly, which we were pleasantly surprised to hear.

Barb: We made friends! All our hosts have been so welcoming and accommodating. Whether it was leaving us train cards, flowers, wine, coffee and jams, we always felt appreciated. But the hosts that we got to spend time with, whether it was staying overnight or meeting beforehand and seeing them after they got back from their trip, have kept in touch with us. With them we shared drinks and conversations, had dinners and breakfasts and walks together. Memories we will treasure. We have met new friends, friends of our hosts, that were so friendly and sweet to the American pet sitters who like sparkling wine or wanted to see an English garden. And of course there is Mou, the one who fed us and introduced us to the best Bangladesh cuisine.

Of all the experiences we have had here in Europe, meeting our new friends are the best.

John: While I wasn’t confident we would make transatlantic friends on this adventure and believed the limited time with our hosts precluded that possibility, I admit I was wrong. Considering the people we’ve met I would not be surprised if we maintain a distant relationship or, possibly, another face to face visit. Of course, we will invite all of you to meet them.


Cheers!
John and Barb

Amsterdam

We arrived in Amsterdam in the afternoon. Our train from Paris took us right into the heart of Amsterdam. From there we hopped a tram to our host's place, the number 2 tram which National Geographic described as a "once in a lifetime experience" as it passes some of Amsterdam's great attractions and you get to see so much of this amazing city. The neighborhood we were staying in was in the city and it was it's own little place with a great variety of shops, bars and restaurants. We could have spent our week in that neighborhood alone.

Our host Patricia lives in an older building in Amsterdam. The buildings are all beautiful and her apartment was perfect, with tall ceilings and windows . To get to her apartment, you climb very steep, narrow, winding stairs. Holy cow! Once you arrive at her apartment, there is another set of stairs to arrive on the main floor. The bedrooms are yet on another floor. My knees were screaming! But a week in this fabulous city was worth it!

We found a great little restaurant in the neighborhood to have dinner that first evening. The next day, we hopped on the number 2 tram for a ride back into the heart of the city.

Amsterdam is known for many things, the canals, bikes, the red light district and coffeeshops (not for drinking coffee. If you aren't sure what I mean, I encourage you to look it up) As curious, informative travelers who want to experience all a city offers, John and I immersed ourselves into the Amsterdam vibe. Hello! Amsterdam rocks!

Each day we ventured out whether it was to the heart of Amsterdam or just within the neighborhood. John could get a good IPA in Amsterdam (beers in Europe are not what we Ashevillians expect beer to be, I think we are spoiled). We found a great little bar that served cheap beer while we people watched. We walked through the red light district during the day, I think it made me more sad for the women than anything else.

The food was great in the city, 2 places in particular. One day we went to an open market with vendors that sold everything from baked goods to Nike's along with a singing Elvis to entertain the shoppers. At the end of the market was a little stand that sold Doner kebabs and wraps. We had one of the best wraps that we have ever eaten - lamb and veggies. I would have taken a photo but we downed it in record time!

Down the street from our apartment, there was a take away Indonesian place. Never having Indonesian food we were curious. There was always a line out the door and we ended up going there twice. We aren't sure exactly what we ate but it was delicious! Oh! And in Amsterdam we discovered Stroop Waffles. Not sure what they are made of, possibly a cookie cracker with a caramel filling but they are to die for. We pack them now in our backpacks and pick them up whenever we see them.

 One day we visited the famous De Pozenboot - the cat boat. This is a boat on a canal that is a refuge for stray and abandoned cats. They have adoptable cats on board but the real stars are the permanent residents who for one reason or another are unadoptable.


Some afternoons I'm not quite sure I remember what we did.

We really enjoyed Amsterdam and all it has to offer. I have to say it is probably the most beautiful city I have seen. It is clean, the buildings are beautiful as are the canals. The people are friendly but man watch our for those bikers, they have the right of way and some are very aggressive! Visit Amsterdam if you ever get the chance, it is amazing!

If you would like to see more photos from our time in Amsterdam, you can just CLICK HERE

Cheers!
Barb

A Night in Paris with Grouins

We had our final bottle of sparkling wine on our last night in Bannier-Charente France, staying up later than we had planned. We set the alarm for 6:30a allowing us enough time to put the home back in order, pack and be cleaned up for our ride from a friend of our host that morning. We both woke long before the alarm so we started our short trip for our single night in Paris with less energy than planned. The three hour train ride to Paris was easy but when we exited the largest terminal in the city we were unwittingly on the opposite side of the huge building. So, what could have been a five minute walk to the hotel took about 25.

Our hotel room was perfect with purple bed cushions and transparent red plastic light covers over the bed. We had intended to see several recommended places but did not have enough energy so we opted to find a restaurant bar close to the hotel.

Barb found several on trip advisor but settled on La Pointe du Grouin, pronounced Grow-au and the French translation is snout, as the one found on a pig. It is a wine bar serving small plates. The restaurant owner/chef chose a grinning pig as the emblem for his wine bar. The reviews were all very good and it was only a block away. Barb said we needed cash because the restaurant used a token system for payment.

We walked a couple of minutes, passing several places that looked nice to eat and drink, then saw some people sitting outside. Above a partially rolled up tagged corrugated metal door was painted the word Grouin and knew we were at the right place. We went inside and realized there was no table service so we grabbed a couple of menus and headed for a picnic table for eight with only two women seated at one end. I literally squeezed into the back corner blocked in by a heavy artificial tree and the table. The menu listed different types of wine priced by the glass, 2 Grouin, .5 liter 10 Grouin, and 1 liter for 20. At the top of the menu a note indicated 1 Groin equals 1 Euro.

The menu was all in French so we picked words we thought we recognized for the first two tapas, Grouin pane and Tapenade and Panache de Jambonde pays, we translated bread, olive paste and ham. The total was 28 Grouin, 10 for the wine and 18 for the two tapas. Since I was penned in Barb took responsibility for ordering the food and deciphering the token system and navigating a French menu with bartenders with adequate or no English. Luckily the bartender was cute and she flashed her smile so she didn’t have a problem. Here’s how the system works. On the wall, next to the bar is a “Grouin”, currency, dispenser that accepts paper Euros in any combination equaling 10 Euros. After inserting enough Euros the machine dispenses coins in denominations of 10 Grouin the equivalent of 10 Euros or 2 Grouin. Barb fed in 30 Euros and the machine dispensed 2-10 denomination Grouin and 5-2 denomination Grouin. She showed the bartender the menu and ordered our wine and two tapas returning to the table with a 2 Grouin coin. So, our two small plates and 16 ounces of wine cost 28 Grouin or €28 or $32. I will let that sink in while I describe the food, restaurant and atmosphere.

The Tapenade came with discs of hard puffed crackers and the Jambon plate was dried charcuterie, mozzarella balls soaked in olive oil and herbs on a small bed of arugula. I have only recently incorporated olives into my diet and am proud to say I have not shied away from one in 4 years. The tapenade was scrumptious even though the crackers used to get it to my mouth were flavorless and too crunchy the flavor of the tapenade was fantastic. The second dish was deliciously seasoned mozzarella and cured ham. The wine was dry and pleasant. The restaurant has a good wine selection for people that are knowledgeable.


There were about six tables, all occupied on the front walk. The inside of the restaurant was divided into two dining sections similar in size to the patio area separated by a bathroom area, and the bar with food prep and cooking space. The bar was in the corner of the restaurant immediately in front as you enter the restaurant. One worker takes most of the orders and completes the Grouin transaction, there is the dishwasher and food runner behind him and a third worker with his small work area behind the dishwasher.

After we finished a third appetizer, Andouille de l' argoat & patates which was just incredible, we went to the bar and bought another half liter of wine.

By that time most of the tables were occupied inside and there were still people outside although it felt chilly to us. The bar had a steady flow of customers there placing orders for tapas and wine. One woman ordered some take-away food and a magnum of champagne. While she waited I saw her give the bottle a slight kiss. There was a constant low roar of sounds coming from the two dining rooms with much laughter and talking. Behind the bar the three guys worked continuously and efficiently.
The cashier guided new people through the currency explanation, in French or English, gave tips on the menu items and different wines and completed the transaction by dropping the Grouin coins in a basket and giving the customer a rock with a number painted on it. Our barstools were directly in front of the dishwasher. He completed his primary job easily and had time to slice bread for the cook and pick up dishes and briefly converse with guests.

The bar was busy with a friendly energy and the workers completed their work and serviced customers promptly and politely. The walls were filled with odd decorations and the bar had just enough room for the customers with the remaining space taken up with menus, baskets, glasses, bottles of wine and other supplies. We contemplated more wine but were about out of steam so we left, satisfied and satiated.

I was curious why the restaurant would create a system of currency unique to a single relatively small business. There are several advantages I thought of immediately, employees don’t have to touch any currency for each transaction, less chance the place would be robbed and bookkeeping would be simplified and cash only.

This system would never be accepted in the US and only works for basic reasons, in France tipping is rare so the question of the effect of the token system being advantageous to customers or the workers is not relevant. The main reason this token system could be considered is the menu price is the exact amount owed by the customer. There are no additional taxes or other charges are added to prices. So, if the menu indicates €3.50 you pay only that exact amount. The owner has priced everything on the menu in €2 or Grouin increments so it is plausible to combine combinations of tapas and foods to equal €10, which is the only amount the Grouin machine will dispense. For instance, our initial order left us with 2 Grouins remaining. We wanted more to eat so we selected a tapa for 8 Grouin and two glasses of wine for 4 Grouins. Barb used a €10 bill in the machine and combined with the 2 remaining Grouins we had zero Grouins remaining.

We thoroughly enjoyed the food and the experience and from the reviews it seems we had many others that agree. I may never see a token system at another restaurant so we will remember that uniqueness as well.

If you would like to watch a short video from our night at La Pointe du Grouin, just CLICK HERE

Cheers!
John

A Month in France

John and his convertible

We communicated with Veronica and Frank for months before our housesit. We worked through an issue with needing a car during our stay (Frank ended up buying a very cute Fiat convertible which they graciously let us use). Throughout our conversations via email, John and I felt very good about our impending stay in the rural countryside of France.

We were not wrong. Veronica and Frank were wonderful hosts. Our first night there, we shared wine in the garden and met their family and of course Henry and Etta, They then took us to a local restaurant, L'Auberge du Noyer, where we met many of their friends. Good food, good drink, good music, great company. We headed back to the house with their friend Stephen joining us. I mentioned to Veronica and Stephen how John and I are sparkling wine drinkers. The next day Stephen and his partner John dropped off a very nice bottle of sparkling wine.

The next morning Veronica and Frank headed out. There we were, staying in a beautiful 17th century French farmhouse with two adorable cats named Henry and Etta and a very cute convertible! The house is magnificent! Built around 1650, the house sat on the road used to travel from Paris to Spain. Travelers would stop there to rest before continuing on their journey. The garden is beautiful and the setting is something out of a storybook.

Test taste of roqueforts

For the next 4 weeks we would drive into the nearest town for groceries, visit some of the smaller towns around the area and just relax. It was a nice break from all the traveling we had been doing. We "nested". The kitchen was big and well stocked with anything we needed for cooking so we took advantage of that. We made a lot of meals. The local grocery store, E.Leclerc, was amazing! Foods we do not have in the states and honestly, the quality of food was better than what we are used to. In particular was the roquefort cheese, it was out of this world! One of the best foods I have ever tasted.  Every week, John and I would try different varieties.

Fresh peaches from a neighbor

We loved having a kitchen to cook in! One of the neighbors brought us fresh peaches from her yard. John made jam which was delicious! We also made bruschetta with peaches and goat cheese.

Stephen and John invited us to join them and their friends visiting from the UK at L'Auberge du Noyer. It was country western night and they would be having a bbq menu and live music. Couldn't pass up the opportunity to experience a little of home in the french countryside! We had a great time! The food was good and the duo played some great country hits. The place was packed!



One day, we had a visitor at the house. I was in the living room when John announced, "There's a chicken in the house". I said "There's a chicken in the house?". John says that's exactly what I said. There in the dining room was a chicken! She walked right in through the open door and was making herself at home. We opened up the door in the dining room and she walked right out.

Henry

Etta

Henry and Etta were great company. Etta warmed up to us right away and spent her nights (and most of her days) on our bed. Henry on the other hand was elusive at first. At the beginning of our stay we went almost 4 days without seeing him. We did figure out that he was coming home to eat and leaving afterwards. By the second week, he was hanging out with us daily and eventually even would nap with us while we watched TV. One night Etta did not show up for bedtime. She did come running in in the middle of night, checking the closet, bathroom and every corner of the room. She abruptly left and we did not see much of her the following day. That night she showed up in the bedroom with a present. Seems she had been stalking a mouse and finally caught the poor thing. John deposited Mickey outside and Etta returned to her routine of sleeping on our bed.

Unfortunately, we left for Paris and Amsterdam before Frank and Veronica arrived home. We're hoping we stay in touch and that one day we can host them in the mountains of North Carolina.

To see more of my photos from France, just CLICK HERE

Cheers!
Barb

Bilbao Spain

In between our Sits in Hereford, England and Poitou-Charentes, France, we had a couple of days open so we chose to visit Bilbao on the northern coast of Spain. Barb had read about Leon Spain and bars that served complimentary pinxtos, pronounced pink-saws, served free at bars when buying a glass of wine. Pinxtos are similar to tapas and popular in northern Spain. Various toppings are usually served on top of a piece of bread with a toothpick to keep it all together. Our dear friend Bob G. taught us how to have “app and go’s” (going from place to place and sharing appetizers) when snacking and drinking in Asheville so we knew it was a fun style of eating allowing us to try different foods. Also, neither of us ever thought we would be able to travel to Spain so we found a cheap flight and off we went to Bilbao for two and a half days.


We took a night flight into Bilbao and enjoyed a cab to our hotel down curvy mountainous highway roads to the flatland of Bilbao. The lights of the city looked very appealing. Our hotel was in the heart of Old Town but it was late so we unpacked our stuff and thought about what we might see in the morning.

As we exited our hotel in the morning we walked into beautiful old town! There was a nice energy from the many people walking on the pedestrian cobblestone walkway. To the left was a road with several buses and I saw train tracks I later learned were for the tram taking people around the city. We opted to walk toward the courtyard admiring the tall buildings on both sides of the walkway. We passed a couple of side streets with gorgeous old buildings with seating and canopies in front of some of them. We saw an opening a short distance from us and in a few minutes reached an open courtyard with many seats around small tables with huge umbrellas advertising the name of a restaurant directly in front of the seating areas.

Pintxos

We went into the closest restaurant, Bizuet. It was a narrow store with a row of tables and a counter filled with plates of pintxos, tapas, on two tiers with a section of small plates stacked with a spoon and a packet of sugar. There were a half dozen people seated at the counter and a few others scattered in the remaining seats. The man behind the counter was very busy working the cash register and setting fresh pinxtos in front of the customers and removing empty plates and coffee cups.


I perused the selection, cold fish omelette on French bread, fried octopus ball on top of salmon and French bread, ham and cheese on French bread and many others some with creams, cheeses, meats, fruit, you name it, both sweet and savory. I requested “Dos cafes y un con leche.”, perhaps a grammatical nightmare but understood and probably appreciated. The second worker behind the bar looked at me briefly then quickly turned to the coffee machine and began the process. After getting the café started he briefly explained he would bring them to me.


I went outside where Barb was seated at one of the small tables with an empty chair waiting for me. I explained the food situation and suggested we, I, select a couple and be ready for any type of food because it was difficult to discern what made up all the choices. She said she would trust my choices and anything would be ok to try.

We saw the many tiny terraces off the apartments above the stores and thought how nice it would be to get an AirBnB there and have coffee looking onto the scene we were in. Barb said she felt she was on a movie set. The town took her breath away. It was during that first encounter Barb declared she was in love with Bilbao. Oh, I almost forgot. Directly behind the seating area is the Santiago Cathedral, from the 14^th-15^th century.


Within moments our coffee arrived and we both sat talking, drinking delicious coffee and watching the many people flowing by between us and the store fronts. There were young people arm in arm, old couples, families, people being helped in wheel chairs, and dogs all to the backdrop of constant chatter, mostly non-intelligible words. An old man added to the entertainment of people watching by playing an accordion of pop tunes singing in Spanish. All of the tables eventually filled and the people ate pinxtos, drank beer or wine and, sometimes, non-alcoholic beverages, usually the children. It was a great people watching venue.


I eventually went back into the Bizuet and selected a couple of pinxtos, octopus and cheese, ham sandwich and the cold fish omelette. Our waiter brought them out with another round of cafes and we thoroughly enjoyed them.

Old town appeared to be built around the court we sat in with streets radiating to a main road. There were side streets down as you walked out toward the main road surrounding the center of Old Town some with smaller courtyards set up similarly to where we were. We walked around feeling safe with the many people out and about.

We stopped back at our lunch stop for some wine and more food when closing time, 10p, sneaking up on us. We paid our bill and headed happily to our hotel.

Guggenheim Museum

On our second day in Bilbao we decided to walk the mile to see the Guggenheim museum of modern and contemporary art. It was commissioned by the king of Spain to be built on the decrepit area of the port of Bilbao to bring the area back to its prior stature. The pre-opening of the museum was attended by over 5,000 people and the museum architecture being praised as one of the premier buildings of our time. We wanted a destination to see more of the city.

As we walked, we noticed the buildings were a seemingly well thought out combination of old and new all blending into a picturesque city. We ventured out during the heat of the day so we tried to navigate by traveling, as much as possible, in the shade between the buildings. I noticed the temperatures ranged from 75 to 92 degrees along our route with the difference being the shade. There was light traffic and some people on the streets but we both felt safe and enjoyed the beauty of the city. The restaurants and bars were all inviting and we stopped a few times to relax and enjoy a drink and all were welcoming. There were green spaces with benches and shade and the terrain was level.

It was a stark comparison between a “decrepit port area” and its appearance today, clean, vibrant with buses and a tram stopping frequently by the museum. The museum is fantastic and like nothing I have ever seen and striking difference from any of the architecture, modern and old, in the rest of the city. The bridge that spans the Nervion river appeared to have a modern and whimsical feel complimenting the museum.

We admired the museum from the outside before making our way back to Old Town. We didn’t take the same route home because Barb’s internal compass knows where we have to go so we make decisions on a street by street basis. Our return trip was as enjoyable and impressive as the first half.







Bilbao is a city of 350K with a heavy flow of tourists. We would love to go back and enjoy more of the city or perhaps find a smaller city in Spain offering a smaller, more local flavor. Spain is definitely on our radar to visit again!

Cheers!
John

If you would like to see more of Barb's photos of Bilbao, just CLICK HERE

What We’ve Done, What We’ve Learned

While the overarching idea, rent our home in the states and stay rent free traveling Europe and elsewhere by Pet Sitting for a year was very appealing and financially sound, we still had to overcome some obstacles - physically moving all of our belongings from place to place, coordinating schedules for Sits while identifying and organizing the different modes of transportation, balancing our budget and finally, enjoying the experiences of our lives.

Etta in France

A critical component for us to be able to travel six months in Europe is Pet Sitting. Pet or House Sitting is when homeowners, going on holiday (vacation) or a business trip for days or weeks, open their home, rent free, in exchange for feeding and attending to their pet’s needs. So, for feeding and playing with animals, we live, temporarily, in homes located in towns and cities throughout Europe meeting some wonderful people and experience things we never thought we would. Since the animals are not on life support requiring 24/7 care and we are not trained veterinarians, we are able to venture out in the area for hours at a time while our furry friends sleep, oblivious to our brief absence. Fantastic! Although the Sits with our new furry friends has been rewarding and memorable, the purpose of our trip was to experience people, places and things.

Since we are in our 50’s, with me closer to 60, moving our 40 pounds of luggage between the six Sits (so far) and four additional stops, almost always via multiple transportation modes in three months has been challenging. Luckily, Barb is a determined person and devoted partner and does her fair share of the physical moving and I have been able to provide any extra muscle when needed. We learned to shift as much weight to our backpacks for the ground transportation since there is no size restrictions and distribute it into our handbags when flying. This has helped tremendously. We realized the difficulty of moving our luggage as we made our way to our first hotel in London but the impetus for change happened boarding our plane on Flybe airlines. I still recall the feeling of angst as I entered our plane’s fuselage, each with our 20 pound backpacks and seeing the overhead not much bigger than a bread box realizing they would never fit. During our next Sit we worked on a solution. Just recently we received our collapsible handcart that should help even more.

The coordination of the dozen or so Sits we will probably need for the six months in Europe have been handled perfectly by Barb. She applies for Sits, always mindful of available time slots in our schedule, arranges interviews and makes sure I look somewhat presentable when we have a Skype call. As far as the travel arrangements, Barb must have travel planning in her DNA or blood because she has always done that in our relationship and has been fantastic on this Adventure. I’ve watched her sit in front of our laptop with her eyes glazing, toggling between many different screens for schedules for trains, buses, airlines, hotels and their cancellation policies, Google maps for walking distances from terminal to terminal to hotel, and other websites. It’s too much for me to comprehend and since she enjoys it and skilled my input would just muddle things.

We did learn a valuable lesson on over committing to our hosts. Between our second and third Sit we had to leave at 3:30AM in Ward End, England to meet our third host in Edinburgh, Scotland by noon. We took a taxi to the airport, flew to Edinburgh, caught a tram into the city to get the keys for our AirBnB, then a taxi to meet our host and finally an Uber to our AirBnB. That was a grind but we did it and since then we make realistic commitments with adequate time between Sits.




After three months of traveling we are reasonably satisfied with our expenses relative to our budget. We still need to be aware of our budgetary constraints but also want to enjoy these experiences. Since we travel to locations based on the Sits we have been to places we never heard of so we never considered them as a place we would want to go. Our third Sit, Edinburgh Scotland, was such a place. After reading a travel book and doing a little internet research the city size was adequate, it had mass transportation, we could easily walk to places and their temperatures would be a high of 75 degrees. We stayed there for one month and saw a good portion of the city and it far exceeded our expectations and we would love to return. Another time we had four days before our Munich Sit so we selected Gdansk Poland because it was exotic, for us, and the flight was reasonable. Our research indicated the temperatures and cost of living was reasonable. Since it has a population of 450K we knew there would be activities we enjoy. We loved it! We could just as easily traveled to popular locations and had fun but I can’t imagine they would be more memorable than Gdansk. We knew the budget could be doomed by rationalizing expensive travel and hotels to popular but out of the way places by the phrase, “We should spend the money. We deserve it and this is a once in a lifetime opportunity!”

Pintxos 

I think people, friends, bloggers, writers, recommend places because they enjoyed them, of course, but they probably don’t have the same expectations of places or the same interest as us. Those suggestions are a good place to start but a decision should only be made after some introspection and research. Also, books or the internet should be taken as generally accurate. For instance, Barb found a blog that described a city in northern Spain having a style of eating and drinking that appealed to us, bars giving a free tapas with the purchase of a glass of wine. We enjoy eating small plates of food, going to bars and drinking wine or beer so we planned a trip to Bilbao, Spain. Well, the city was fantastic and we loved it but we didn’t get any free tapas. My point is if we had expected free food we would have been disappointed. We did expect bars to serve small plates and they did and we thoroughly enjoyed our meals and experience.



Sometimes we like to take the “On-Off Tours” of cities. It’s a way to see some of the city and identify sections that we would like to see. We took one of those tours in Munich Germany with the plan to stay on the bus for a complete route identifying stops we would like to go back to on the second time around route. I used the map provided to make note of interesting places. While listening to the guide and seeing the areas I filled the map with notes and asterisks on stops that were places we think would be worth going to. So, we finished the route and decided to go for lunch and discuss what we saw. There were several places on my map I made notes about and two with asterisks. As we read the tour bus brochure we realized we paid for the three different tours so we agreed to try one more tour after lunch. By the time we approached our last stop on that second tour I had made notes on five stops with asterisks next to three. Then we saw the Marienplatz, looked at each other and agreed this is the place to go. Well, two weeks in Munich and we went back to the Marienplatz every time we took the train into the city. Barb and I had a great time in all of our visits to the city but we can’t say we saw anything but one small section. I think most people judge their experiences on cities they visit based on what they have done, makes sense. So, if I tell a person Munich is a great city and we had fun I am actually describing one small section. The converse could also be true if a person tells us a city isn’t worth seeing. My point is if you adhere to limited guidelines based on your desires and a city meets them, it’s probably a place to explore.

I think seeing most of the world class and popular cities would be a great experience but I question if it is worth spending the extra money when you can go to a place you may never have heard of for far less and have a comparable or more memorable experience. Also, cities are not monolithic and are made up of several or many sections each possibly providing different experiences so unless your wants and needs match the personality of the person doing the recommending, you should do you own research and decide if you want to visit.

A minor point and possibly contradictory, is when you are considering saving a euro or two by taking a sleeper train through Madrid, Spain to a destination to avoid a hotel cost. We had that very situation and quickly decided to pay the additional euros for the hotel in Madrid even though we would only be there for part of day. Since we would be going through Madrid anyways why would we not want to see Madrid! This decision to spend the additional money in a city we didn’t research as opposed to sleeping on a train through a world class city was a wise one. (Note: That trip planned through Madrid fell through when we landed a Sit in Amsterdam Netherlands!)

Cheers!
John


Note from Barb: John expressed really well the thought process of how we have been traveling these last 3 months, our expectations, challenges and logistics of meeting every Sit. I am truly lucky to have such a wonderful partner to share this journey with. It can be stressful at times and it was a LOT of work just getting to the point of boarding the plane to Europe but we have said over and over and over again, it was worth it. We have met incredible people which we hope to stay in touch with and maybe host at our home, visited places I never dreamed of and have collected so many wonderful memories.

Hereford England

Our fifth sit was in Hereford, England. Hereford is a town of about 70,000 people and our hosts lived a few miles or a quick bus ride from the center of town in a nice community of friendly people.

We cared for two dogs, Sye, a sweet old soul, and Ruby, a rambunctious puppy our hosts saved from a difficult situation and were working diligently to help her adjust to a normal life. The house was probably built in the 1800’s with a roomy master bedroom and bathroom.

Sye

Ruby

A nice gift!

Our host presented us with fresh cut flowers, local ciders and jam and also veggies from their garden. The garden, yard, was a cornucopia of foods and flowers with ample room for the dogs to play. Our favorite was the apple tree in the front garden. Katherine, our host, said it was the last of a grove of trees that once filled that area. I am not a fruit eater although I’ve had hopeful thoughts of eating healthier by consuming more fruit, but I have not been successful. I have eaten some very tasty apples especially in Western North Carolina that is home to groves of them. But the apples from this tree were the best I’ve ever eaten! They were crispy with a little sweetness and a tinge of sour. I had at least one a day and the tree was colored two-thirds by green leaves and the remaining third by those red apples.

I took the bus to downtown Hereford to get groceries, have my beard trimmed, have a couple of pints at the Kings Fee, a cup of coffee from a food truck and just to look around. Barb had injured her foot so she stayed “home” with the pups and watched her new best thing- Jamie Oliver on the tellie. While waiting on the bus there was a nice man there that explained the location of grocery stores and the particulars of the bus times, drop offs, routes and ticketing information. He was far more helpful than the internet. I told him I wanted to go to Lidl’s and he agreed that was the store to shop because they have the best prices but there was also a Morrison’s across the street. Within a short time the bus pulled up and we both got on. He sat in the first seat near the front of the bus and I took the next one next to a young guy with a headset on. The bus was almost filled and trip in took about 20 minutes with no stops until we were just about downtown. I was hoping to see a sign for Lidl’s but wasn’t have any luck but at one of the stops the man I spoke with stood up turned his head toward me and gave me a nod so I took my cue and got off. He waited for me and explained where I could pick up the bus for my return trip back and the times to be at the bus stop.

There were several restaurants with some diversity of ethnic foods, some pubs and a variety of places to browse. I found my way to Lidl’s behind the KFC and next to the bus station, across the street from the train station and their competitor Morrison’s. I bought all of my groceries and waited for the bus at the Kings Fee by having a couple of pints of Carling.

Crown and Anchor

While we enjoyed our stay in Hereford our favorite memory will have to be the people, our hosts and the patrons of the Crown and Anchor restaurant pub that was literally two doors from our sit. There was a “beer garden” in the front consisting of 10 picnic tables and free standing tables with benches with umbrellas over each one. The building looked to be built in the 1800’s painted brilliant white with the wood beams in black. Inside there was dining room of about 20 tables to the right, a small sitting area just inside the door, usually with men talking with pint in hand and just beside that was the bar with a smaller dining area. Each time in the people in the waiting area greeted us and usually talked to us about our stay in Hereford.

Beer Garden

Our first meal there was an absolutely delicious burger served to us by one of the owners. Our next visit in for a pint one of the men said, “You must be the Americans my wife spoke about waiting on the other day.” We told him we loved their place and the townspeople were very fortunate to have a place like this to visit. While we were enjoying our pint outside he brought us a small booklet on the history of Hereford during the second World War when it was used to make munitions for the allies. Our stay was only for a week and time passed quickly. The Crown and Anchor was one of the main highlights of our visit.

Cheers!
John