Perhaps one of the nicest perks about living anywhere in Europe is that it’s so easy to visit many other countries. No exhausting, eight-our flight across the Atlantic and into another time zone that demands a day of downtime just to recuperate. And the diversity that can be experienced over short distances is astounding.
As an American, I’m used to traveling thousands of miles across the U.S. without experiencing much change, other than the landscape. We all speak the same language (albeit with subtly nuanced accents … okay, some more so than others.) And we share the same melting-pot pop culture. Sometimes it’s just a wee bit boring.
But in Europe, an hour-long flight can take you into a completely different realm, with unusual customs, startling architecture, and totally different languages. Come to think of it, you’ll encounter this in just an hour’s drive out of Oslo, since Norway has 19 different provinces with 19 different dialects. What’s not to love about that? (Don’t worry, most everyone speaks English here.)
But no matter where we’ve jaunted off to in Europe, we’ve never been unable to find a way to communicate with the locals, whatever the language. So don’t let being a monoglot hold you back from traveling. Here are a few tales from our excursions to other countries:
Finland
Malta
- Malta: Edibles, Art, and Getting Around Town
- Malta: The Great Outdoors
- Malta: Prehistoric Temples & Pagan Catacombs
- Malta: Easter in a Christian Enclave
Switzerland
Hungary
Italy
Netherlands
Turkey
- Intro to Istanbul
- Terrorism in Taxim Square
- Mosques & Museums
- Taking a Turkish Bath
- The Grand Bazaar
- Pamukkale, Hieropolis, & Laodicea
- Essential Istanbul Experiences
Belgium
Austria
- New Year’s in the Austrian Alps
- Vienna’s Architectural Gems
- Vienna’s Museums & More
- Vienna’s Culinary Delights
- Vienna’s New Year Ball
France
- Ancient Antibes
- Antibes: Fun for Francophiles & Francophobes
- Paris and Provence
- Paris Avec Ma Petite Niece
Portugal
Sweden
Denmark
Germany