We’ve officially hit the halfway point of our trip; we left Melbourne on Monday morning September 23, which is 61 days ago. Thought a few random parts of the trip that don’t usually make the blogs might be in order.

What have we lost or left behind?

On the airport bus in Rome, Hamish was feeling a bit queasy so took a sip of his water from the reusable bottle I’d bought him and there it stayed on the bus. He was super apologetic about leaving it on the bus – it’s a small thing, could be worse. It’s also the only thing we’ve lost, which to date, is pretty good. We haven’t been pick-pocketed and the only scam we’ve fallen to was the ‘get the audio guide with the ticket’ type of scam. In our defence, we only fell for that once.

What are we finding annoying?

People smoking, it’s really unpleasant, especially in crowded areas or cafes/restaurants. And vaping. Just stop it Europe.

People not moving to the side when you walk past them on the sidewalk. So rude. They don’t seem to even acknowledge you! Hamish has started muttering, “Don’t worry, I’ll move” – classic Dunbar sarcasm.

Crowded trams/trains/public transport. No room, squashed up against other people – it was fun and funny to start with, now we’re just like, “when’s our stop coming up?”

What turned out to be better than expected?

Belinda – the car museum in Monaco. I walked into this saying: “I am not a big fan of cars” but it turns out I AM a big fan. I took so many photos that day! Old cars, luxe cars, new cars, F1 cars, Dakar Rally cars – loved this way more than I was expecting.

Hamish – the night tour in Madrid. I didn’t think I’d like it, but I ended up really liking because the tour guide was funny, which made the whole experience better.

Rod – the weather to this point has been glorious. Ideal for travelling, walking, touring, site seeing. Madrid – for a big city, it was so easy to get around and a highly pleasant place to be.

What turned out worse than expected?

Belinda – Florence. So much hype about Florence, which in my opinion, wasn’t worthy of the time and effort we put into getting there. Yes, the weather didn’t help. We were staying in a gorgeous little hilly village and we should have just pottered about there.

Hamish – Most of Monaco. It was too hilly and we had to walk everywhere. The Maccas food was mid (because it’s MacDonalds). It wasn’t bad, it just wasn’t as good as I expected. Overhype.

Rod – some of the driving to get to our accommodation has been hair raising; one way sections where you have to reverse back to let someone else pass, narrow roads with parked cars where I felt the need to retract the side mirrors, parking in the garage with a 5cm buffer.

What do we do in our downtime?

Belinda – write the blog, wash clothes, plan the next day/days/accomodation/travel, read. I have read one book twice already (“Stories my Grandmother’s didn’t tell me” by Andra Putnis – Rod is reading it now). I have read another book which will get re-read (“Baghdad without a Map” by Tony Horwitz – Rod has already read this one) and I bought one at the bookshop in Lisbon, which I’ve just started (The Lock-Up, by John Banville).

Hamish – play my Switch, watch You Tube, eat food, talk to my friends on Snap/Discord, read before I go to bed.

Rod – study the local transport system (Hamish and I are giggling as he says this), setting up Hamish to do his maths, washing dishes, screen time.

Things we bought specifically for the trip – Thumbs Up

Belinda – Pockt brand medication boxes (they pack so much into them and have been great)

Multi-purpose makeup stacker, small and inexpensive, multi-use products (yes, yes, I know I can live without makeup, but I don’t want to)

My Vitamin C face toner in pre-packaged/pre-moistened ready to use form – a pack of 60 from Sephora, no spills, hardly takes up any space. In my opinion, just a little bit of luxury that still makes you feel you when you’ve been wearing the same outfit for 2 months!

Shampoo Bar – from Lush, always great for travelling.

E-Sim – I am using HolaFly. In the past I’ve just used the wifi, but I feel everything is so web/app based since we last travelled, you really have to be connected.

Hamish – The Switch and my phone

Rod – Cross body bag, purchased in Athens. Handy for carrying little essentials, including water, secure from PickPockets and means I don’t need to take my back pack everywhere.

Mutli-purpose one fits all plug. This is not a joke. About half the places we’ve stayed in don’t have a plug for the kitchen sink. Purchased in El-Campo in Madrid – inspired by The Bowmakers house in Montazels!

Clothes washing kit (pegs, washing sheets) – always useful, no regrets.

Passport Cover – I finally was talked into this by Belinda and Hamish and it certainly makes your passport very easy to find.

Things we bought specifically for the trip – Thumbs Down

Belinda – Cross Body Bag from Columbia. Screams tourist, not attractive, not much space in it, just a waste of money. Could have bought a cross body bag already in existence from my personal stock. I have actually stopped using it and have an early Xmas present replacement, which I am loving.

LIfeStraw water bottles – they have the potential to be good, but we just haven’t used them enough to warrant the expense. Unlike Australia, bottled water is very inexpensive, so we’ve not been too stressed about buying it. I had intended to use these primarily in Thailand, so there’s still time for redemption.

Hamish – Lip Balm – always sounds like a good idea when Mum says, “Do you want a lip balm” but I never use it.

Rod – MacPac 100% Merino Wool Jumper – shrunk after one wash. Had to re-wash it to stretch it out.

International Driver’s License. Total scam.

Regrets

Belinda – Not doing the bike-rail activity in Athens

Hamish – Not doing the MarioKart tours in Athens and Rome

Rod – Getting out of my comfort zone a little too much at some of the Castles

Highlight

Belinda – Spain. Have loved it all. The vibe is great, so much to see and do, easy to get around, people are friendly, could have stayed longer.

Hamish – Definitely Madrid. Such a good city, amazing landmarks, incredible food, great soccer team.

Rod – Istanbul – the whole place had a great feel, the cats were amazing. Terrific views everywhere. Did I mention the cats?