The Best Part of Traveling

If you're like me, and come on, who isn't, then the best part of the trip is the anticipation - the planning, reading, researching, and imagining. Don't get me wrong, I love being in the moment and enjoying actually being ON the trip, but preparing for it is a lot of fun too!

Take Oxford and Paris, for instance. I have read many travel books and watched numerous movies on history and sites in these two cities. Doing so has not only piqued my interest and informed me on many things, but I think it results in a more fulfilling travel experience AND a more informed travel experience. For example, some invaluable things I have learned from my preparation:

1) London is expensive. Ok, maybe that's not news but seriously, it is expensive.
2) St Hilda's College (the place I'll be staying in Oxford) was, until VERY recently, an all-girls school, founded in the Victorian era. It also has it's own bar.
3) CS Lewis was buried in Oxford
4) There's some good eatin in London - lots of ethnic foods (looking forward to Indian cuisine)
5) Bath has a long and interesting history. The whole town is built from "Bath" limestone, which shimmers a creamy pink in the sunlight.
6) Jane Austen didn't really like Bath.
7) Jane Austen pretty much hated Bath.
8) I am still going to go buck-wild at the Jane Austen museum and gift shop in Bath.
9) The changing of the guard, although cool, isn't really worth it because mobs of tourists block any chance of seeing it.
10) Don't call the underground the subway. You'll sound like a dumb tourist.
11) Women don't wear shorts in Europe. Even if it's 150 degrees.
12) There's a restaurant in the Eiffel Tower that costs like 300 Euros per person
13) Buying a Paris museum pass saves money
14) Rick Steves is crazy

When I return from my trip it will be interesting to compare this list with the one I will have from actual experiences rather than armchair travel. Some of the books I have read include:


Rick Steves Paris 2007 - He's sassy, frugal, and well-traveled. And he eats cafeteria scraps. But seriously, I like his down-to-earth style. It's kind of like reading a friend's travel journal.




Eyewitness Paris - you have probably read other Eyewitness books, famous for their full-color pics and oodles of interesting facts. Translate that into a travel guide and boom! you have a winner. The pictures and maps are awesome, and it offers info that you won't find in other guides. I wore this one out, but sadly had to return it to the library.




Cool movie series, although I haven't watched them all. There are 5 discs - thats 10 hours - but the first one was very informative. It was slow at times, probably because there really isn't any footage of events from 500AD, but there was a lot of info on Bath which I found neat.