Our Top 20 so Far:
1. Know the road signs, don't wait and ask yourself if that meant do not enter or one way after you have turned onto it. ( There are no English subtitles here.)
2. The mattresses are not the fluffy type, they are hard or what we would consider extra, extra firm.
3. German pillows are fluffy, feather, and huge. Italian pillows are hard and solid.
4. The old electric receptacles are too small for the new Apple devises, but the new ones will fit. Some of the older buildings or homes do not have the newer ones and you must use some interesting combinations to make it work. They may require multiple combination of adapters.
5. You must put a coin or token into the lock on a grocery cart to release it for use. When you return the cart you get a coin or token back. They are all locked to one another.
6. Don't expect anything but towels and toilet paper to be provided at rentals unless in a hotel. It's a good thing I brought some soap with me. The first two rentals didn't have dish washing soap, bathroom soap, or some basic supplies.
7. Take the autostrade even though most are toll roads, it costs but is so much more convenient and nice. Also keep cash for this.
8. Air conditioning is rare, don't expect it in public or private places. Hotels that cater to Americans will sometimes have it.
9. In rentals, they provide a washing machine if listed, never a dryer. They give you drying racks and at a 100 degrees clothes dry very quickly.
10. Take your own wash cloth, they just seem to be non existent.
11. The kitchens all had a good supply of kitchenware to use, and were fairly modern.
12. Be prepared to walk and hike uphill and climb stairs/steps. Most rentals are upstairs, most bathrooms are downstairs, and everywhere seemed to have uphill climbs. Great way to work off that great dinner!
13. When you see the price of an item, the tax is already included for food and gifts. Many of our rentals were cash only, so always carry cash. ATM's are everywhere.
14. Stop and ask for directions, don't try to look for street signs. Most Italians are very friendly and helpful whether they speak English or not.
15. Your IPad Maps GPS system will work while traveling even though not on the Internet as long as you have loaded directions or destination before leaving. Keep your eye on the moving blue dot......
16. Follow major highway signs for the city or destination, do not rely on GPS directions. Roads in Italy have multiple numbers and are not well marked, except on the autostrade.
17. Tipping is not expected and if you do tip, it is much less. They pay their help more than we do for the service industry.
18. Most cities or towns with tourists will have a caffe with free WIFI that is reliable with a strong signal. The Internet is not common yet, so don't expect it to be available even when listed at rentals.
19. A pay as you go phone for about $20 can be very helpful for reservations, etc. Internet cannot be relied on for everything. Just don't expect to understand the messages sent by their phone companies, no comprende!
20. Always keep a 30 or 50 cent euro coin in your pocket for the bathrooms in Germany and Switzerland. It costs but the good news is it is also very clean. You pay a lady to go in and she keeps it quite clean. In Italy, most caffes have restrooms and don't mind if you use them even without a cappachino.
Did you make it all the way to number 20? Wish I could hear your list.
Sending a hello to all, we made it to Basel today, Germany tomorrow. We still have some blogs to do that we couldn't do while in Cortona. The Internet was pretty non existent at our rental.
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Location:Basel, Switzerland
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