Springtime in Europe

Cheerleading  spring is one of the experiences residents of four-season countries truly enjoy. The expectation is in the air as soon as snow melts. Local media publishes sneak preview pictures and ground hog shadows are assigned magical properties as harbingers of spring. This is heralded by the sprouting of the first spring flowers, the snow drops, followed by the hyacinth, tulips, alum, dandelions, and daffodils. The trees and the bushes outdo each other as their buds glorious buds sprout eagerly everyday. We wait for the leaves or the flowers to fill the trees and shout spring is here. There is new life. Life has conquered death. Life has won and its radiance shines.

Not just the magnolias but the forsythias beat them all when it is in its full yellow show. But the green in the fields changing colors as the sun shines on it brings dreams of the future and memories of the not too distant past. England exploding with daffodils  gold- dotting the green and the sheep grazing in the valleys add to the picture some motion and life. Of course, we have not even touched the smell of the hyacinths and the lilacs and all the other flowers I don’t even know the names of.

Spring in Europe is a delight especially to someone who has not experienced it or who has missed it for years. The place is fresh and not tired as often it is at the height of summer. It springs to new life and offers invigorating sites and scents that often titillate one’s imagination. The crowds in the must visit places are still manageable and one can enjoy the masterpieces without heads popping up all the time and people crowding around you. This kind of distraction is not there so you can enjoy and delight in some of your favourite paintings, sculptures, or what have you as an added bonus of Spring.

The hotels and restaurants are not packed out and have just been spruced up so they feel fresh and not end-of-summer sodden. It is easy to get rooms and the price is not astronomical. Spring is the best time to visit Europe especially Italy, France, Switzerland and the UK. Why? Because these were the places I have visited this spring so I can only claim some authority there. But it’s up to you. Let us know your favorite season in Europe. But for me, there is no other time to visit Europe than in springtime. From now on, I know where I will be at the first hint of a song bird and the first peak of the snow drop.

There are some gadgets that will make your travel experience less stressful. In my experience, no matter how carefullyl I prepare and pack there is always soemthing I forget and often, these are things I really need. Sometime, I can just shrug my shoulders and enjoy but there are times when even on holidays, we still need to work a bit and keep in touch so I try to manage my own lack. Besides,in today's world, we have our iphones, ipads, computers, cameras that we haul with us and these require charging. Because of this, I like to bring a universal charger that I can use for several gadgets.

In the past, I have not really bothered carrying guidebooks as I just want to be surprised. Besides, we often have a few days in the countries we visit that there is really no time to explore. Often, we always have colleagues who know the place so well they always bring us or let us know of must see places.

Recently, however, as we travel on our own, I found that having a guide book is very useful. I can check out places and read the decription for everybody so not only is there a shared laugh in the car when the reader tries to fool us but there is often a base knowledge to appreciate the places.