Before any vacation, I do research on the area, read a lot of fiction and non-fiction books on the area, country, city, or town.
I read all the Rick Steves' guide books on the area and country. I even brought them with me to France. I enjoyed the fictional books by Mary-Jane Deeb about a perfume heiress that are set in Grasse, Provence and the French Riviera. Also Patricia Sands has a fun read fictional book set in Antibes and other Provence areas. I also kept a little red moleskine diary book with me to write down instructions from the tour guide and other notes or observations to remember. My day bag was by Baggallini. I love this bag, lots of compartments, a long strap for cross-body comfort, easy to keep up with and room for everything. Since I started traveling to Europe in 2001, I have always worn shoes by Ecco. These shoes work for me. I used a pedometer on this tour, I forgot to write down the steps I took for each day on the itinerary. I was definitely doing my 10,000+ steps a day. I also used a copy of the itinerary to write down my wardrobe for each day of the tour. This helps you to remember what you have already worn and it's faster getting ready each morning. The weather was so mild I wore a denium jacket and kept a shawl with me to put around my arms or loop around my neck. My only technology was my camera, which I plan to purchase a new one. I purchased a phone card when I got to Nice, France to call home with. |
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