Jackie was the Zoe of our family travels. Each year she’d grunt cutely with frustration at our busy daily sightseeing schedules, whining “no more museums.” By tagging along with her dad “at work” she felt cursed with the obligation to see more museums, galleries, and old churches than any girl her age anywhere. And now…she’s driving Zoe nuts with all the museums she wants to see. Hah! What can I say. I’m happy.

Posted by: Rick (Jackie's Dad) - Jul 13, 2009 12:52 PM

Great blogging job, girls. I'm learning a lot, and enjoying your travels. Madrid sounds lovely. What is the climate like there this time of year? Keep on the fun...

Posted by: Donna - Jul 13, 2009 2:08 PM

Excellent and enlightening post. Travel with others is a mix of push/pull and accommodation. I'm such a nerd about Roman ruins that I might shoot myself if I miss any. Even one brick! Not sure why.

Posted by: max - Jul 13, 2009 2:14 PM

Jackie, by FAR my FAVE post of the trip! I can't tell you how much I have learned about myself from traveling. It's one of the best experiences I have taken from my European travels. In 2005, my wife of 2 months and I went to Paris for Thanksgiving. When going through museums, she quickly went through each room and I took my time looking at each painting and reading Rick's descriptions. However, I felt rushed. Finally, we had a confrontation and I realized that my wife likes to see what she wants and is happy waiting on me while I take my time. I no longer feel rushed and we each have our own styles. In Spain and Portugal, I realized I can get frustrated when I get lost or things don't go as planned. I am very detailed oriented and sometimes miss the forest in spite of the trees. I know what you mean by being consumed with navigating that you can miss what is around you. My wife never cared if we got lost and just enjoyed whatever we saw til we got back on track. These are great life lessons that teach you so much about yourself. I hope to carry these lessons in my life beyond Europe. So awesome of you to learn these valuable lessons so early in your life!

Posted by: Jeremy B - Jul 13, 2009 2:32 PM

..good points, there's a lot to be said for stopping and smelling the roses -- but then again, thanks to the diligence of folks like Rick ( and Jackie.. ) :) --they've found (many of) the roses for us.. :)

Posted by: vikas ( bay area, california) - Jul 13, 2009 2:53 PM

I know how she feels. My dad is a huge history buff and that has since rubbed off on me. Though when i was younger and went back to the motherland of Ireland i was spared to sites as a toddler but around 12-14 i was forced to travel all around seeing these sites i knew i would see again because we go every year. after high school i refused to go back to ireland and explore other places for a few years and as a college graduation gift me and my best friend were given a trip to ireland. i ended up takin my friend to all the sites even though all he wanted to to do was drink. Eventually we were able to both and i learned to appreciate by background and culture and all those history lessons paid off

Posted by: Conor - Jul 13, 2009 3:22 PM

"Another rock another tree" my daughter used to say as we took forced marches across hill and dale. Dad's can inflict big burdens on daughters because daughters even more than sons feel obligated to measure up. It seems to me that on any trip there are one or two, perhaps 3 things that MIGHT be must-sees. Then, if you have the luxury of time and independence, you wander, you sit, you talk to some neat person, you meander thru the Gulbenkian, you ride the train not to a destination but to ride the train, you stroll the beach, you watch a swan, you doze in a courtyard, you gaze at a painting, you attend church, admire a pretty girl, go to a quiet guitar concert, linger at a cafe, and don't let anybody push you, pull you, prod you, or educate you. As a former premier pusher, prodder, puller, I now say: coast down a lazy river and watch the sunset and the moon glow. TOO SOON WE GROW OLD, TOO SLOW WE GROW SMART as one of my Amish neighbors with a horse and buggy near Lancaster, Pa. once said to me. Bill Kester

Posted by: Bill Kester - Jul 13, 2009 3:53 PM

I started traveling with my daughter in Europe when she was 12. We did it the Rick Steves way.....which happened to be my way too. She is now 37 and has traveled widely including living in Europe for 4 years. Last summer she lived in Prague with her daughters aged 4 and 7.....a new generation of Rick Steves travelers. Your Dad is a wonderful travel teacher. We are grateful and can see that you are too.

Posted by: Shirley - Jul 13, 2009 4:07 PM

Jackie, this traveler began visiting europe at sprinter's speed in 1994. I'd waited, perhaps, 3/4ths of a lifetime for this, so I'd not waste another moment. Never were there enough minutes, hours, days or places to see between waking, dashing out, only returning to crash late at the b&b. With Rick's book in daypack, maps handy, day transport ticket in left shirt pocket and security wallet tight under clothes, this aging tornado always took off and stayed at speed. No one walked faster through bloomsbury to the british museum. Or saw more mummies faster. So much to see, so little time. Now fifteen years later the daypack, book (updated!), maps, tickets and wallet remain in place. However, stroll has replaced race. Now, when on my own, I take time to look deeper behind the crowd scenes, imprinting details, considering picture composition, reflecting over a journal phrase, while slowly sipping a three-euro latte. On group tour walks I return to places I want to see again by remembering visual landmarks, or jotting x's on my street maps. This traveler now takes time for smells, sounds, and people, all amid the grand sights. Learning these lessions came gradually, trip by trip, culminating and resolving during my first group tours in 2002. It goes without saying the tour group's name. The joy of travel just gets better, not faster. Larry from springfield.

Posted by: larry - Jul 13, 2009 4:08 PM

Jackie......just curious about the blog photo..... as a 7 year old in my homeland of Ireland I went on a family vacation and saw and really enjoyed the beautiful Cliffs of Moher.....Are those the same cliffs in the photo??.....That was a special day and I'm so grateful for parents who took us to great places on holidays....later it was Washington DC and Pennsylvania countryside, Ontario camping when we moved across the pond....very good blog today....

Posted by: Bill27 - Jul 13, 2009 4:12 PM

This too is one of my favorite blogs! I'm emailing it to several people. Zoe is your perfect traveling partner --- everyone needs a Zoe and Jackie in their lives to balance out each other's ocd tendecies. Keep having fun. I also want to thank you for taking the time to blog daily. A great treat for us!

Posted by: Audrey in Keizer, OR - Jul 13, 2009 4:17 PM

I think you and Zoe have something to learn from each other. Museums and attractions help us understand the history and culture, but connecting with the local scene helps us understand one another. As an older traveler, 68, who has traveled annually to Europe for the last 35 years, I still enjoy both. Off to Venice and the Veneto in the fall to take the gondola that I missed while there in 1973. I follow your father's advice and keep on traveling. Have fun.

Posted by: JG - Jul 13, 2009 8:39 PM

Jackie, I had the same thing happen. My mom is a history and researching fanatic. She planned and planned our trips, finding interesting cultural things for us to do, and dragged us to museum after museum. We were taken to go see the "dead bog guy" in Denmark one year. So, now that I am a mom, what am I doing? Planning and then dragging my kids to museums and other learning experiences! We went to see the "dead ice man" in Bolzano last year. ; )I even manage to find cultural stuff for them on road trips to Disneyland. Ha- my word is "bladder," something I have learned to hold on many vacations!

Posted by: Catherine - Jul 13, 2009 10:35 PM

At first I thought it would be great to be travel all over and be paid to write about it, but then I realized that it can be a burden. You can't indulge your own tastes exclusively, you always have to be thinking of your audience and trying to find not one but several hotels, restaurants, and so on to explore. Rick's travel philosophy fit mine quite well, but it's so twentieth century. And blogging is, you know, so 2002. You don't seem to be on twitter - why not? It is hot, high tech, and maybe completely useless. But people are using it and it gets the word out. How about hitting some internet cafes or some information on finding and using wi-fi hot spots? Are they free or fee? Are they plentiful or scarce? Do I have to carry a laptop around europe if I want to stay in touch? Is handheld GPS helpful in cities? Can I use it's POIs to find a hotel? Will my cell phone work in Europe? Like it or not, this stuff is hitting every aspect of life, including travel. I bet you could swivel the old man's head with some expertise in this area!

Posted by: Jorge - Jul 14, 2009 6:35 AM

After reading your blog I called my wife, shared the 'product of our families' paragraph with her, then asked her who she thought wrote it. She believed that it was writen by our oldest (my reason for sharing it with her). Perhaps there is hope.

Posted by: Ed - Jul 14, 2009 7:21 AM

Jackie, Great blog entry! Like others - you give me hope for my son whom we started traveling to Europe with at the age of 7. He's been dragged to many museums since then. He's now 15, and this year I'm going on my own on one of your dad's tours. Giving the boys a break, and looking forward to being somewhat on my own. I hope my son feels the way you do someday, and passes on the love of travel to his children.

Posted by: Jill - Jul 14, 2009 1:46 PM

Sometimes having such a different traveling style as a partner can drive each other crazy, but it can also complement each other wonderfully. I'm glad to see that your differences are a positive thing.

Posted by: Jeff - Jul 14, 2009 3:22 PM

I've been enjoying following your journey! I usually travel with my husband, and we've evolved to have a shared sense of travel. Recently I was in Washington, DC for work and spent time seeing the sites with a colleague. She wanted to see a museum I'd seen before, I wanted to see a free Jazz show at the Kennedy center. I wasn't that interested in the museum (Been there, done that) and she doesn't care for jazz, but we compromised and went where the other wanted to go. I saw the museum with new eyes (kind of like reading a book a second time). My friend found its sax she doesn't like - the rest of Jazz she appreciates now. Win win!

Posted by: Debbie A - Jul 14, 2009 3:35 PM