It's amazing how quickly the time goes by when you get back to real life - it's been three weeks already since I returned from my trip! I've had a chance to think about everything and realize some of my mistakes, so I thought I would make a few comments as a guideline for next time, whenever that might be.
Things I did wrong:
1. Losing things. I didn't end up losing anything that didn't find its way back to me, but I easily could have. And if truth be told, I deserved it. I resolve to be more attentive to my stuff on future trips.
2. Buying ScotRail tickets ahead. I really did need to buy the Virgin Trains ticket ahead to get the discount on the train from London to Balloch. But the train from Balloch to Prestwick Airport was just a regular, anytime ScotRail ticket. I didn't save anything and I spent extra to have it mailed to me, when I could have just paid on the day without a problem. I can't really blame myself for that, totally, since I didn't have a clue at the time. I just wanted the tickets in my hand. But I will know better next time.
3. Not having a phone when traveling with others. I realized that I had made a mistake when I told Lisa when to expect me in Balloch, and I had no way to let her know, so they had to wait an extra 30 minutes or so for me at the train station. It also could have been a problem when I went to fetch my camera. We will see what the technology fairy has come up with by my next trip before deciding how to resolve that one.
4. Taking the wrong shoes. I wore slip-on shoes for the plane, thinking I could also wear them with the long pants that I had with me. That was true, but I only wore those pants two days. On the other days I wore capris or shorts, which only went with the sandals, and the slip-ons stayed in the suitcase until my homeward flight. What I should have done was wear athletic shoes on the plane, and with the long pants. Then I could have had them to wear with shorts or capris, and for doing things like hiking down to the river. The sandals were great, but I really should have had shoes I could have alternated with them.
Things I learned:
1. Fried calamari isn't completely terrible. It isn't squeaky or chewy. I wouldn't order it in a restaurant, but if someone served it to me I could eat it and not gag. That's the best I can do right now. :-) I also ate eggplant and zucchini, both steamed and grilled, and they were actually OK. I had several other things that I really loved (cod with tomatoes and onions, manchego cheese, gazpacho, Aquarius) that were new to me. Ooh, and lemon sorbet with cava! Sort of like the punch that you make with sherbet and 7-up, only with sorbet and cava (Spanish "champagne").
2. If you plead complete ignorance and ask, people are willing to help you. They even help you when you don't know you need it, like the guy who followed us with my gps in his hand. I asked a lot of questions, and had a lot of random conversations with strangers (including a strange man in Balloch who followed me across the street with his dog to tell me that the shop I had just come out of had thrown him out the day before for telling their customers that they were overcharging - pretty sure that's not the only reason they threw him out). Everyone I met was great - and you learn a lot if you stay open to random conversations.
3. Sauchiehall St in Glasgow is pronounced "sucky hall". Heh.
4. I was an idiot to have waited so long to get my new knee. Every day I walked somewhere or did something that would have been impossible last year - hiking down to the river at Gredos, walking miles of streets and up hills in Glasgow, going up and down stairs in my hotel room, walking, walking, walking. Not entirely without pain, but a couple of ibuprofen took care of it, and I never needed anything more.
4. Next time I should take a jar of peanut butter. It could come in handy for lunch or dinner, and most of the Spaniards have never tasted it, though several of them expressed an interest in it. In general, I need to think about "local" things I could take to share.
5. The automated immigration system at O'Hare is a new pilot program, being tested only at O'Hare right now (though they have it in some other parts of the world, I hear). Very fast and easy!
7. You can buy lots of things over the counter at the pharmacy, both in the UK and Spain, that you would need a prescription for in the US. Just sayin'.
