Europe Day 13 - London

Today is the last day of the tour, and had loads of time to reminiscence all that happened. The flight was in the evening, so we had a slow and easy morning lazing around and packing our stuff. It didn’t appear much when we bought it, most of it small items, but only when it all went in that we knew exactly how much. With suitcases blown up to their maximum limits, we were sitting on top of them to close it. We went to the airport quite early and it helped as there was a bit of an issue with the VAT refund counter. Not being chauvinistic, but the ladies usually tend to be more aggressive than men when handling these kind of roles, especially customs and any refund. As usual, there was an Indian and a Chinese looking woman at the counter. I knew what was coming when the Chinese woman accused the previous customer who was talking in an East European language of accusing her in a foreign tongue. She refused both my requests without any consideration, and I had to go to the VAT counter after immigration where it was fine within 2 minutes. We were laughing when we were told stories about the inflexibility during check in and VAT counter, where they did not even give refund for a pen!

On board the flight, I was doing a quick recap of the tour and what I found special about each of the places I have been to, and the people there. In short, this is how I would describe the people based on my extremely short time spent there.

Italy – Stylish
Austria – Beautiful
Switzerland – Graceful
Germany – Hot
Netherlands - Fabulous
Belgium - Homely
France – Elegant
England – Sophisticated

The trip has definitely been quite a fantastic one, with so many different experiences and visiting so many places in such a short time. Although rushed and I cannot claim to have visited any place in great detail, this tour was meant to be an introduction to central Europe and enable us to identify which parts we would like to explore more in detail. I would definitely want to visit Switzerland and France again, spending a lot more time to comprehend all that these countries have to offer. I have been thrilled and fascinated by Europe during winter, coming from the tropics to experience the snow and the chill. It has been great to spend this Christmas and New Year in Europe and this trip will always remain in my memory.