Euro 2008

Our trip to Europe was definitely meaningful and adventurous. I have had to save my parents from pickpockets several times as they were too trusting to think they would ever get picked on! And then there was that instance when our taxi ride to the airport for our flight from Rome to Paris did not arrive and we got swindled by the taxi driver just because we were too nervous to miss our flight. I did not even think of fighting the guy because I felt we're very late already! Anyhow, I seriously believe that taxi driver will have his own comeuppance through Karma so I left it at that. =)

I told my parents before the trip that it's going to be difficult as we might have to carry our luggages up several flights of stairs as Italy was not designed for comfort and the elderly. And I was proven right time and again. It was difficult to see my mother struggling with her luggage and much I try to help, my luggage was much heavier than hers. My father was good enough to actually help out so that worked for the three of us at least.

I thought it was a tour that we should have done years back. My parents would have had more energy to go around more places and not feel tired too easily. As such, I had to limit our visit to the more interesting places instead of bringing them to all the touristy part of the city/town.

I did experience a lot of things I did not do before on my first trip to Italy like the visit to Siena and San Gimignano. Good thing I followed the suggestion of our B&B host and opted for that trip instead of going to Pisa. Those two towns are really wonderful and the views are breathtaking.

Paris was still the same and I missed it a lot. The food there was still as I remembered it and was worth it than the expensive tasteless ones we've been paying for in Italy. Well, maybe except in Florence and in Siena.

My parents did enjoy the trip although it was not as easy as they might have thought it would be. But it was an experience that all three of us will never soon forget (in more ways than one).

Here's a link to our pictures.