The Final Post: Was it a "Big Chew"?

     I am pleased that so many of you enjoyed following us on "The Big Chew" and on Facebook as we wound our way from Germany, to the Czech Republic, through Slovakia to Hungary, up into Austria, down into Slovenia, to our familiar environs of Italy, traveling up to Switzerland, back to Germany and a few hours in England. I'm tired just writing it.
    When we first planned this adventure we knew we might have bit off more than we could chew. In some ways we did and in other ways we didn't.  Let me start with why it was too big of a chew. Almost five weeks is a long time to be on the road. When we were kids right out of college we traveled Europe for three months with no cares or worries. There was no internet or email to communicate back home. We had to buy the Daily Herald to find out what was going on in the world. Those three months were adventure after adventure as we blew through 12 countries like a whirlwind. Now that we are closing in on our 70's five weeks seemed like a long time. We have elderly fathers, children and grandchildren to be concerned with. Probably in the future three weeks might be our max.
     This was the first time of our 20 some odd trips to Europe that we have relied entirely on a car for our transportation between countries. Usually we might rent a car somewhere then turn it in and take a train or a plane to the next country. I think this long in a car meant way too much driving. It tested the 47 year-old marriage at times. The over 3000 miles was definitely too much. Fortunately the car was a good one and had the built in GPS system that saved our butts time after time. Only a couple of times did it let us down. Also gas was expensive after the hurricanes had hit the USA, even across the pond.
    Another thing was the price of food. Meals were more expensive than last year, but not any more than here in the United States. We made it cheaper for ourselves by renting apartments as much as possible where we made our own breakfast and usually another meal. We always had a large lunch meal out on the town where we tried the local specialty.
     The only drawback we had in all the eastern European countries was the smoking. I think my congestion I developed was from so much cigarette smoke. They smoke in the restaurants,  the bars and on the streets. It was hard to avoid.
     Those were the major items we bit off too much. Now let's examine the things which were good chews. Our appetite enjoyed three wonderful cities that we would recommend to anyone: Salzburg,  Ljubljana

and Lucerne.

These were three cities that were easy to get around, the foods were terrific, the people were extremely friendly and the sights were amazing. I would go back there anytime. The city of Budapest is charming at night with all its sights along the river lit up like a fairyland.

I would recommend seeing the city from one of the Danube's many cruise opportunities. We took a Hop On,  Hop Off bus around Budapest which was an easy way to save the legs, especially since the Buda side has high elevations. Most cities had tiny wheeled trains like the one we took in Prague which included a guided tour.

It was an easy way to see the sights.    
     The tour of palaces, castles, churches and Parliament buildings were great ways to experience the history of once Communist or Fascist countries.

The architecture in all these countries we visited was unique and special.

I arranged all our side trips and tours via the web and that saved waiting in lines and sometimes was even cheaper.
      Our accommodations were spot on. I used Homeaway, Air B&B and Booking.com. The two weeks at the Casale Blulavanda in Morravalle, Italy

was peaceful and satisfied all our needs. The biggest and most modern apartment we rented turned out to be the hardest to find and in the noisiest environment.I would recommend getting a place with breakfast provided if you don't have a kitchen available.
     There will be a long lasting taste in our mouths through the memories that we created. The lunches on the Adriatic,

)the boat ride around lake Lucerne,

the friendly Pensions,

the lights of the Danube

and the people making the piazzas come alive are just a few.

     The positives certainly outweighed the negatives on this European Adventure.  We already have another one in mind if God is willing. Maybe on that one the taste will be just perfect.