Most people believe that when their friends and family go abroad they are on the hunt for amazing souvenirs, the perfect picture, or the tastiest foreign food or beverage. But the reality is that the three things we have been hunting for most on this trip are; free bathrooms, cold water, and unprotected wifi. These things are much more difficult to find than one would believe and at times they would be considered desperately needed essentials.
Bathrooms in Europe are a whole other animal than what we know in the United States. Many Americans would consider the restrooms of Europe to be dirty. However, when there is a strong enough need to relieve oneself dirt is often ignored. The other issue with these European bathrooms is that you must pay to use most public restrooms. We were always away from our hotels which meant that we often had to find the cheapest bathroom. This meant we would be on the hunt for a well priced restroom or we would all use the bathroom at a restaurant we stopped at. The lesson we learned from this: Go when you can even if you do not think you need to.
As soccer players we are all used to having water, a lot of water, all the time. Its part of how we strengthen ourselves as athletes. Therefore, everyone in our group carries around a water bottle which constantly needs to be refilled. France and Italy are filled with public fountains that spurt right from the ground or fall from ornate metal faucets. However, these fountains do not provide the ice cold water we are used to thanks to our athletic trainer. Nonetheless, these fountains have become the lifeblood of our group. When one girl found a water fountain they would tell the others and we would flock to it like gazelles to a watering hole. It would be much more challenging to keep up with our rigorous tour schedule without the availability of this basic essential.
Though wifi is not a necessity for daily living, we have become very dependent on it in our lives today. Wifi became even more important since we were abroad. We could not use our regular 3G data plans which meant that if we wanted to contact anyone from home or within our group it had to be done with the use of a wifi connection. Every girl downloaded various applications that would allow for them to communicate with the folks back home, all those apps needed wifi to work too. That meant that we hunted as aggressively for wifi as we did for water or bathrooms. When we got on a new train or bus, we checked if it had wifi. When we stopped at a restaurant, we checked if it had wifi. It turns out that Versailles, Notre Dame Cathedral, the Monaco Royal Palace, Dodge’s Palace, Leaning Tower of Pisa, and Academia Gallery all do not have wifi, so don’t bother checking when you go. Though we felt cursed and lost without access to our friends or social media, it was really a blessing in disguise to have limited wifi. We were able to open our eyes and take in as much as possible instead of burying our faces in our phones all the time. It seems like coach is determined to see every cathedral and museum we pass by so there is no time stop and tweet about the weather anyway.
14 Days and 40 Knights 