Anytime you go on an extraordinary trip, people want to know the best part of the trip. The first thing that pops into my head is the absolutely amazing scenery. Sure I live in the Rocky Mountains, but it isn’t anything like the Swiss Alps. Both are beautiful in their own way. I loved cruising down the river on the sun deck, just taking it all in. There were quite a few times I didn’t take my camera out at all. Seriously. While I wanted to document the trip, I also wanted to enjoy it. I really liked people watching. Hey it’s free, and it’s extremely interesting on a whole different continent. People have different outfits, shoes, haircuts/styles, cars and attitudes. It is usually always crowded, so it is not uncommon at all to be sitting in a restaurant or a table and have a total stranger sit down and eat with you. I watched this in the McDonald’s. I loved hearing all the different languages as I walked by the natives. In some countries you would hear several different languages, all in the same room, street, or even church. I found Koln to be very “touristy” and saw several walking tour groups, all wearing headsets as well. The headsets were really cool. The guide talks into a microphone that transmits about 30 feet, like Bluetooth. That way everyone can hear what he/she is saying and you if you can’t hear, you can always turn it up. I have to confess that many times I had mine turned down and my iPod turned up. Life is much more interesting when you add your own soundtrack.
aaronsafterthoughts 