quote:

Originally posted by Mallee:
Thank you everyone. You've given me plenty to think about.

Tammie, if you're on board, can you tell us how long it took to (a) write your tale (b) post the photos? Did you find it a chore, or did it bring back happy memories about which you enjoyed writing?

quote:

Originally posted by Tammie:

Thanks to those who let me know Mallee was looking for me! Yes, thanks, oh mysterious denizens of the board

I'll just answer these specific questions as I'm not sure how this thread has developed Nor am I, to be honest! ...

So many things and details to remember. Next time I would do my journal in point form. That's funny. I'd promised myself that next time I'd write a fuller journal, because I couldn't remember the details of the points! I wrote every night before I went to bed ... Yes, that's what I did, and I found that sometimes I couldn't even remember the details of the day. Sometimes, I referred myself to my expenses sheet, (which I could fill out in 3 mins here and 1 min there throughout the day) but it was certainly time-consuming.

I was anxious to tale it here on the board for many reasons - the most important one being that it seemed only right to present a tale in return for all the help I had received in preparing the four of us for our journey from so many wonderful and informative bulletin board members. Very good! I'm not sure that I would have put up anything had I not been pressed!

Although it was laborious to make it happen there are other super great reasons to do it. ..it is something that I will always look back on and cherish as a very special time shared with my Mom and best two friends. Yes, my journal is doing that already, as well as being a source for emails, a couple of articles, and an essay for my German class!

I wrote it all in Word - noted the photos in brackets that I wanted to include and then when I went to post it - I just linked up the photos where I had made the typed notes. Linking up the photos took the longest and because each travel day was lengthy and I took so many pictures - I wanted it to be just right. As it was. Indeed it was. It also added to the other Italian tales to make me think that maybe Italy wouldn't be such a bad place to tour after all!

I truly had a blast doing the whole thing and ...The responses I received were so overwhelmingly lovely that I was inspired to keep going to the very end of the 12th day. It fueled my tour tale fire let's say! Ah! So acknowledgements are important.

I have had two other friends plan a trip to Italy and they have visited the board as a guest to just read our 12 days AND many other friends of ours have come here as well to escape reality for a while and get a taste of Italy. That's wonderful!

So yes - it took a while to do it and yes .. I enjoyed writing it ... and YES I still pull it up every once in a while and relive it through my own eyes.

Therefore - YES - I highly recommend posting a tale as it is therapeutic - helpful - forever engraved in your travel memory and something to cherish forever!

I hope this has helped and if you need me Mallee - post in any of my tour tale threads and I'll come running! Thanks, Tammie. That has been helpful. I hadn't considered that writing a tour tale might be beneficial to the writer, but it's obvious, once you pointed it out. Hope you get around to reading this response, even tho' it's not on your tour tale!

quote:

Originally posted by Dimpz:
Jeannie ~ do you think it made a difference that you are also experienced in group touring? Obviously you are an easy going soul, but I would think also you would not have unreasonable expectations. Someone, sorry can't remember who, said the other day that if some did more research they would be more aware of what to expect & not post negatively. I don't mean that this is the case on every occasion, but on some I am sure it is.

quote:

Originally posted by BrendaC:
Jeannie: I envy the fact that you take the world as it comes and seem pleased with everything. That is a talent not all of us possess I'm afraid. Sometimes, I think I've just lived too long, have had too many really high points, to ever be satisfied with less. So, yes, my expectations may be a bit high, but I do call it as I see it, usually, and it's often not the most diplomatic way to proceed. But no-one and no tour and no TD is perfect. You have the right idea. Go along to get along and you don't let anything get under your skin. I'm envious. I'm always busy "changing the world," asking the awkward questions, tilting at windmills--still crazy after all these years, as Paul Simon would say.

But, a brief anecdote--on our tour, a tour mate made a nasty anti-semitic comment to get a laugh not realizing I was behind him, if he realized anything at all. Did it bother me? You're darn tooting it did. Now, would you have let it pass?

Brenda

Brenda

quote:

Originally posted by Jeannie118:
I'm talking more about every day tour type stuff that some people come back complaining about. Some people get really bent out of shape over things that I consider to be inconsequential.

quote:

Originally posted by JDee:
Dimpz

I think this guy was on my last tour, sounds so familiar!!

Just give me a cup of coffee, toast or muesli and an orange for breakfast, anything else is a bonus and certainly in excess of what I would eat normally.

14 more sleeps

quote:

Originally posted by Dimpz:

quote:

Originally posted by Jeannie118:
I'm talking more about every day tour type stuff that some people come back complaining about. Some people get really bent out of shape over things that I consider to be inconsequential.

LOL We had a guy on one tour who moaned & groaned at every breakfast about how bad it was & what was lacking & how it could be improved. By day 6 I wanted to do him serious damage & through gritted teeth asked him what he usually ate for breakfast at home. Answer - nil, he doesn't eat breakfast at home. So I suggested then that anything he got on tour was a bonus compared to what he was used to.

quote:

Originally posted by Joolz:
It's pretty crazy isn't it? There are some people in the world who are just not happy unless they are complaining and feeling that the world is against them.

Something would have to be pretty seriously wrong before I would not be having a good time. I'm probably more like Jeannie118 in that let's really look at things. In my view, you're on a vacation, you're not at home working. You're able to afford a vacation and are being fed. Besides, most things if they are off make a good story and something to laugh about later. That's not to say if there was something such as the racial goings on that would be OK ... I would definitely chime in if that sort of nonsense was going on.

I live by 'is it a problem, or is it a fact'? 98% of the things in the world are just facts and there's really nothing you can do about facts for the most part. Is it worth the energy getting all in an uproar about something you can't do anything about?

For example -- your hotel room is unsatisfactorily dirty. It's a problem that you can do something about -- you can phone down and get it cleaned. If you don't like the location of the room and the hotel is full, it's just a fact that you can't do anything about.

I hope I'm explaining it well enough???!!!

quote:

Originally posted by Joolz:
Great Canadian minds think alike! Maybe it's a thing for Canadians -- like Canadian's have a reputation for being very polite! Maybe we're just laid back as well.

I tell you, I'm going on European Cavalcade on Sept 1 (yes, 11 more sleeps) and I'm really looking forward to it. I don't really care what happens, I'm having a good time no matter what! Even if something is off a bit, I'll be able to make it into an amusing story for my trip journal / tour tale!