Summer is over

I know many of you are thinking to yourself, “What is he talking about? There’s still over a month until fall arrives.”

That might be true, but as a teacher the fun stops when meetings begin. Sure the temps are still warm, the water continues to call your name, and families remain on vacation,  and yet it’s time to go back to school. If we were in some areas like Florida or Arkansas, that dream has already become a reality.

While I would love to harp on these current happenings for year twenty, I’d rather focus on summer travels. 

What did I learn? What did I observe? 
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That’s a good question. These are in no specific order and are simply what came to mind.

1. Comfortable temperatures are in the eye of the beholder. What I consider to be cold is warm for others and vice versa. The reality is I need a fan when the temperature is above 65 degrees. It also is clear that I prefer exploring in non summer months for a variety of reasons because it means less crowds, less noise, and more manageable walking and filming weather.
2. Summer traveling means more people and more inconsiderate ones at that. It didn’t matter whether I was in Albania, England, Morocco, or Poland - there seems to be an increase in inconsiderateness. Whether it is the yahoos honking their horns at four in the morning or the couples walking like the entire sidewalk is theirs, more people means more challenges. Let’s not even focus on the street vendors who deem every person a target. If I want something, I’ll come to you buddy.
3. Trains are by far the best method of transportation (at least overseas) assuming you don’t need to get to an off the beaten path location. I’ll take a train over a plane any day of the week. I can get there ten to twenty minutes early as opposed to several hours and it’s just relaxing to look outside the window and take in the countryside. 
4. Contrary to popular opinion - English food can be good and hearty. I had a vegan harvest soup in Morecambe. Initially this was due to it being the least expensive meal on the menu, but still during my six day trip to England, this was the best and tastiest meal I tried. For those in love with watermelon or not, Albania has the sweetest watermelon hands down. I don’t like American watermelon, but Albania, that’s another story. 
5. Living out of a suitcase for a month is not as cool as it sounds. Logistics alone, figuring out where there is a washer and how to dry said clothes in an efficient manner was one of the more complicated aspects of my summer travels especially when I was going to a new city everyday or every other day in Poland.
6. Location I felt the safest - Elk, Poland. Actually all of Poland was safe. I felt comfortable and didn’t have to look over my shoulder constantly. I can’t say that was the case with every place I traveled this summer. Let’s take Arizona where I had to be on the lookout for mountain lions and javelinas. I even had a run in with a couple…
7. What’s the purpose of speed limits in Arizona? Truly, I thought there were aggressive drivers in the northeast but the Phoenix and Tucson area took the prize - people were ridiculous. Hey sure, let’s tailgate when the road is flooded. That seems like a fabulous idea for a big trucker guy who is clearly overcompensating for his lack of intelligence. 
8. Best views of the summer - Red Rock State Park in Sedona, Arizona tied with Morecambe Bay at a cemetery in Heysham. 
9. The one place I didn’t spend enough time in for proper exploring - Durres, Albania. Note to self, a return trip is in order.
10. Random observation - In England people were walking their dogs in baby carriages while in Morocco all the dogs out walking are strays. 
11. Customs - if you aren’t going to give me a stamp for each country I visit, please just switch to the electronic visa entry. I’m already crushed that I can’t live out my MacGyver dream of a passport filled with stamps. Frankly, it would speed up the process at many airports and crossings. Just some advice for central Europe . . .
12.  While I was off gallivanting around Europe for the majority of the summer months, I can honestly say there is no place better to be than on a lake in northern New England. I guess that will have to wait till next summer.
13.  Finally, when making thumbnails for my travel vlogs, take some stills of the area around you so that there are some actual real pictures for your underused blogs that don’t always include your mug.

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