Whether traveling alone, in a group or on a tour, there are some things I suggest that Seniors should do to ease their way across Europe, or pretty much wherever they may be going. Based on experience they can help you have a much more enjoyable trip.

Forget the suitcases. Bring a backpack, preferably a 9" x 22" x 14" with wheels so you can pull it along behind you when you tire of packing it on your back. Be sure to include a short bungee cord so you can attach a smaller bag on top. Pack light, you will have an extra spring in your step if you do. Two tops, a pair of good lightweight pants (depending on the time of year), good walking shoes that are well broken in, a couple of changes of underwear and socks and that should be all you need in your pack.

Consider traveling in the shoulder seasons (April, May, September and October) when Europe is not so busy. The most fatiguing aspects of European travel are the crowds and for most North Americans, the heat. Easter Weekend for example is an excellent time to visit Holland; the Keukenhoff Gardens are in full bloom, a sight not to be missed. In the fall there are more harvest festivals than you could ever hope to get to. You'll find the locals generally have more time to spend with you on the off season. Whenever you go to Europe, be sure to get to meet the locals, they are what you will remember for years to come, not some dusty museum.

If you are flying direct, and taking a suitcase of any size, consider checking your bag in with the airline because it can become a real drag towing it along all over the airport. If you are a little slow walking, ask the airline or flight attendant to arrange transport to make sure you get your flight.

When arranging accommodation in advance and stairs are a problem, be sure to ask for a ground floor room. And you might give this some consideration: different areas and different types of accommodation offer varying advantages and disadvantages. If you have a heavy suitcase, or tire easily, book a hotel near the train station. If you stay outside the city where there's good connections downtown for day trips, you'll usually find it much cheaper, it will be quieter, bigger rooms, and with fewer stairs. If you are up to it, try staying at hostels, every city tourist center will have a list of them. If I'm on a trip longer than two weeks, I will definitely find a nice spot and just laze around for two to four days and get rested up.

Don't forget to ask for Seniors' discounts everywhere possible. This is particularly true at any kind of museum, some concert halls, railways, airlines, bus lines, ferry and shipping lines. If you've got gray or white hair - flaunt it! It may save you a bundle on a two or three week trip. Most places have a discount policy in place, but YOU HAVE TO ASK. By the way, don't be put off by the term they use in the UK. They call it a "concession", but like a rose, it's just as sweet by any name and they are actually quite generous with it in the UK. Some few places will even let you in free and you can't beat a hundred percent reduction, call it what you will.

Get a micro-cassette recorder and use it to make brief notes on what you see and experience. Later you can transfer the notes to your journal for your grandkids to read, assuming you've been behaving on your trip! If you want to bring a camera, make sure you know how to use it properly, well before leaving. Buying it at the airport prior to departure doesn't work. You'll spend more time trying to get it to work than you will enjoying the scenery. Ask anyone who has traveled a lot; they have all seen this happen time and again. Spend all that money to tour Spain or wherever, and then spend half your trip battling with your camera, or video recorder.

These have been just a few tips that really only make common sense, but you may not have thought of them, and if they help you enjoy your trip a little more, then this article has been worthwhile.

Michael Russell

Your Independent guide to Travel

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Michael_Russell

September 5, 2001- It’s my birthday. I wake up at the exact time I was born (3:22 am) like I do every year but I didn’t groan because I’m at Blois in the Loire Valley of France. Does it get any better than that? Yesterday evening we pulled into Blois in the late afternoon, did a quick orientation then made it back to this wonderful hotel- The Garden Court on Avenue Maunoury. I noticed a beautiful gothic Victorian mansion a block away from the hotel and wished there was time to stop and take a photo of it. At dinner the entire group presented me with a “death by chocolate” cake and sang Happy Birthday! I was very surprised by the gesture and proclaimed, “Let them eat cake!” and after helping myself to two slices, passed the rest around for everyone to try.

We have started out extremely early because we are visiting three castles today. First, Chambord, south of Blois, then Chenonceau, even further south (It’s situated over the Cher River.) All three castles are “Son et Lumiere” chateaux which mean they have sound and light shows in the evening, giving an audio visual show of the history of France in connection with the chateau. Lucy has said we will see the one at Blois, since that will be the last castle we visit today.

Chambord is no less than magnificent in size alone! When you see the inner towers, on the roofline, the angles and spires seem to surge together forming a barrier to the sky. I am awestruck. Chambord sits on the edge of Loire River and the Sologne Forest and the river serves as a moat. The forest was a royal hunting ground, so, of course, Chambord is encompassed with a twenty-mile long wall- a square keep with four towers. Francois I, in 1519, ordered the commencement of the building and by 1559 it was still unfinished. It has 440 rooms, 365 fireplaces and 13 large staircases, but the most famous- and the one we took to see the roof terrace- is the double parallel helix staircase in the center. It has interesting features which enabled hiding and game-playing on the stairs. An engineering miracle- it has two independent ascents, in the same direction and on the same vertical axis. The only way you would know you were on a separate staircase is the straight walkway at the bottom of each set which leads to the other ascent! The roof terrace is a gothic world unto itself with a years’ worth of chimneys and the ornamentations which decorate the bell towers and spires. I am no less than mesmerized.

Tours of the rooms include seeing the tapestries depicting Francois Ists hunting parties and Moliere’s Le Bourgeois Gentilhomme which was once performed at the Chateau. My group accessed the grounds outside the courtyard and my first impulse was to run the full length- watching out for horses galloping on the grounds- and approached one couple, inquiring in four different languages, if they would take my photo. They laughed and said, of course, in English (with French accents!), and I have a great picture of myself on the grounds, which is the most popular type of photo taken at Chambord. Lucy took a group photo there with Collin and we all had great fun trying to get everyone to smile at the same time!

Our local tour guide, Claire, also gave the tour for Chenonceau. On the way there we stopped and took photos of Cheverny, which isn’t part of the tour but I mentioned that we were passing it and everyone decided they wanted a photo of it, too. It is a typical Loire Valley French chateau well documented by J N Durfort as an early 17th century chateau- modified in the 18th century by removing wing enclosures and known for its hunting museum.

Sixteenth century Chenonceau may very well be the most unusual castle we will see on this tour. First, it was built upon each time it was “re” possessed by new aristocracy. It started with the Marques “Silo” Tower in 1432 (which still stands) next to the Cher River, and then the main part was built for Bohier in the 1500s. The part that is like a bridge over the Cher (inside, it is like a long hall) was built for Diane de Poitiers and finished for Catherine De Medici. Original works of art are displayed there, paintings and tapestries, many housed in Diane de Poitiers bedroom, the Green Study, The Gallery, Francois Is room and Louis XIV’s living room. (New note: I feel that Chenonceau’s interiors were the most tasteful and exquisite of all the castles I viewed on this tour.)

After the tour of le Château des Dames we were free to roam for an hour or eat lunch. Some in our group checked out the circular de Medici garden or the de Poitiers garden on the other side of the chateau. I decided to check out the Ladies Gallery, which is like Madam Tussaud’s in England, but this concentrates on women’s fashions during Chenonceau’s époques. It includes fabric swatches you can touch and look at closely. The textiles felt authentic and the information plaques were extremely interesting.

We boarded the bus to return to Blois mid-afternoon and went right straight to the chateau for our tour. When we walked into the large square courtyard it became apparent that it was built in several styles, with four distinct wings, each corresponding to the prevailing style of the progressive centuries. The architectural diversity was impressive- combining Gothic, Italian (flamboyant) Renaissance, French Renaissance and of course, the Classic (Gaston d’Orléans.) Blois houses several different museums. To take it all in one would have to spend the better part of a week in Blois. Our tour took in the Hall of the Estates, Francois I section, the Queen’s Gallery, the Guise Hall (where the famous assassination took place) and The King’s bedchamber.

We didn’t take in the Louis XII wing, which houses a Fine Arts Museum on the first floor. This collection contains French and Flemish tapestries along with many pieces of sculpture and paintings. There’s also a Lapidary Museum and several other rooms and galleries which require a separate tour.

After the tour we were to go to the hotel to freshen up and split into several groups for dinner that night before the Son et Lumiere at Blois. I noticed a string of classic cars outside the castle and took the time to investigate while everyone else took off for the hotel. It turned out to be the seventh Grande Vadrouille du Cercle T and the dates of this “circular tour” would run from the 3rd to the 10th of September. A white German Roadster caught my attention and an old red Packard! All were vintage sports cars. I decided to photograph them all because I knew my Dad would be keenly interested.

When we headed back for the medieval part of Blois that night we discovered steeply sloping streets and a nice small population of small cafes rather than large restaurants. I ended up eating with the “honeymooners” of the group, in an al fresco setting and ordered myself a pizza (without the egg- at my request, no one else was quite as savvy! Ha ha!)

After that we headed back for the Chateau, which was close by and experienced an incredible show. It covered quite a bit of French history making use of music, various voice depictions of Kings reciting their own history, and use of shadows and cinema. It was spectacular!

(New note: When I look back to that day I realize that it was my best and most memorable birthday celebration.)

September 6, 2001- We are headed for Fontainebleau, which will put us 41 miles south of Paris near what was once the ancient forest of Bière. The Palace’s name derives from a legendary spring referred to as Fontaine Belle Eau. When we arrive our first view is the most well known- The Court of the White Horse along with the famous feature L’escalier en fer a cheval (the horseshoe-shaped staircase.) Our foray through the interiors popped my eyes out. This is a Francois I commissioned estate which was carried to completion by French architect Gilles Le Breton. What grabbed my attention were the elaborate interiors of Italian artists, Rosso, Primaticcio and dell’Abbate. The Salle de bal, which was comparatively sedate, was absolutely lovely and the colors were a mauve-wash in good taste. I also liked the vaulted arches with the bronzed ceiling. The Diane Gallery was intriguing- a long wood-paneled hall with an arched frescoed ceiling in panels. Napoleon turned it into a library in 1858. The gallery of Assiettes and the Chapel of the Trinity were also practically miraculous.

Fontainebleau was added to from the middle-ages, clear up to the nineteenth century as a series of large wings and galleries, along with extensive gardens that vie with Versailles. We only scratched the surface on our tour and seeing all of it would require no less than three visits. Off hand I can say the interiors are the most ostentatious, so far. We have eight more castles to tour, however.

Our next destination will be in Reims, to take in the cathedral and also the champagne sellers, G.H. Mumm which is located in the Champs de Mars district. We were taken on a complete tour of the cellars and the processing. Literature refers to champagne as being “wine of the gods” and “wine of Kings”, but I’ve always preferred Dom Pérignon (pron. Pear-nong) as champagnes go. I did have fun during the visit anyway, learning about how they go through their double fermentation process. They had oak and stainless steel tanks so they obviously were particular about mixing or not mixing vintage champagne. I noted when they talked about the second fermentation process, that they used the practice of dégorgement which simply means they take sediment out. I’m sure that is crucial to the actual taste. It was certainly interesting and they gave out free samples at the end of the tour.

When I took in the cathedral from the tour bus, I instantly brought out my camera. Taking all of it in, is nearly impossible, less than a block away. Beyond that, it’s simply impossible to get a photo of the entire height of the cathedral with a normal camera. I took two photos, anyway, because I’m stubborn. Adjoining the cathedral, the Tau Palace houses Charlemagne’s Talisman, the coronation chalice and the reliquary du Holy Ampula. We did not tour that, so I never actually saw those items. Seeing the other features of it- the smiling angel, the statue of Jean d’Arc on her horse (across the street at the LEX building), the Gallery of the Kings and the huge rose-stained glass window that adorns the front- put you in a state of wonder. Most of the French Kings were crowned there so its historical importance is obvious. Even so, this Gothic cathedral is a marvel in and of itself.

Next month Bouillon Castle, Heidelberg & a two hour Rhine cruise

I hope you have enjoyed reading issue 20.

If you have any suggestions or comments about any part of the newsletter then please feel free to contact me.

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