By Ali Breneman ’11, Contributor

In August I went on an amazing 12-day cruise through the Mediterranean with my brothers, Kevin and Nathan, and my parents. We visited the beautiful cities of Barcelona, Nice, Venice, Pompeii, Sorrento, Positano, Florence, Rome, Dubrovnik, and Split (in Croatia). I will never forget all the sights I saw and the people I met. Everyone should take a trip around Europe if they can, so I thought I would share a few valuable traveling tips from my personal experiences:

1. First of all, if you are going to be living on board a cruise ship for a couple of weeks, it is essential that you learn the proper etiquette for dealing with the enormous quantities of silverware the ship’s dining staff place before you at every meal. Four forks, three spoons, and three knives to be exact. You wouldn’t want to be caught picking up the wrong fork for your caviar-laden filet mignon. Major faux pas.
2. Also know that in Europe the legal gambling age is 18. If you are Kevin, this means that you will learn to card count before taking a trip to the casino. He came out a full $24 richer! However, if you are like Nathan and are clearly not 18, don’t even try to get in. He can tell you, they will unceremoniously kick you right back out.
3. While visiting the beaches, I suggest you bring a scarf or other small cloth for covering your eyes at any moment. You never know when you are going to see something… unsavory. A scarf would have been helpful in Nice when we were walking along the French Riviera. Admiring the gorgeous beaches along the coast, we saw a plump, 80 year old man standing on the beach. In a thong. Not a pretty sight. We were too horrified at the time to take a photo, so please enjoy the illustration I have provided.
4. If you visit the Vatican, study up on the basics of Catholicism to avoid unwittingly disrespecting another’s religion. Nathan, not knowing any better, tried to rinse his sticky hands in the basin of holy water in St. Peter’s Basilica. And, while looking for a simple chain in the Vatican gift shop, he held up a rosary and, unaware of its significance, asked the cashier if it were possible to take the beads off. To this she tersely replied, “No,” and walked away in a huff.
5. When visiting Venice, wear sturdy shoes with lots of traction. Or you could simply be coordinated enough not to fall in the canal and scrape large sections of skin off your leg like me. You pick. However, if you choose not to follow either of these two paths, make sure that your mother is a walking pharmacy. For once my mother’s medicine suitcase came in handy, and I was medicated with Doxycycline and Neosporin within six hours!
6. If you are going to Florence you should pay close attention to what the tour guides tell you about the David, the Duomo, Ghiberti’s bronze doors, and Giotto’s Bell Tower. Especially if you are a sophomore like Nathan. You never know when this information could come in handy! As a side note, if you plan to take a class on Modern European History during your high school career, make it a point not to follow Kevin’s example and contemplate the various ways to bypass the Accademia Gallery Museum’s security system to deface The David.
7. Pay attention in language class! It really helps to know the local language. Like Nathan, you may be misunderstood by a French street vendor and end up with mango smoothies (yuck!) instead of strawberry banana. If I had paid a little more attention in Spanish class I might have known how to order a milkshake in Barcelona. (As you can see, food words are very important.)
8. Wherever your destination in Europe, you should be familiar with the euro and its various coin subdivisions. This knowledge could prevent you from making some of our mistakes. In Rome, my father unwittingly tipped our tour guide 75 euros. He must have thought we were really nice people. Also, in Italy you have to pay half a euro to use public bathrooms. However, not knowing the currency, my mother and I paid five. Each.
9. While I’m on the topic of bathrooms, I should tell you that in Europe the toilets are slightly different than in the United States. The flusher is usually on the wall behind you or sometimes above you. Knowing this valuable piece of information could save you the embarrassment my mother suffered of having to ask somebody how to flush a toilet.
10. Finally, no matter where you go, make sure to enjoy every second, because trips to other continents don’t happen very often. See lots of sights, make lots of friends, eat lots of food, and have lots of fun!

Pictures and illustrations from Ali’s trip:

Photos courtesy of Ali Breneman