The funnest things we never did
A running list of places we planned to visit that, for whatever reason, we missed out on. Plus, any lessons we might have learned in the process.
What was that noise? Why is the car leaning? We should totally pull over.
Talinn, Estonia:
What happened: missed our ferry for this day trip from Helsinki. This was a bummer for a couple reasons: first, Talinn is by all accounts fun and beautiful. (We’ll try again next time we’re in the area.) And second, we’d gotten up bright and early to catch a 7:30 ferry, and were wide awake with no plans. If you have kids, you will understand why this sucks.
What we did instead: napped. Went to the dentist. Got a haircut. Saw a fortress (honestly, meh) and some owls (yay!).
What we learned: when you’re in the Nordic Countries, a 7:30 ferry might leave at 7:15. These people are beyond prompt.
Stirling Castle, Scotland:
What happened: blown tire on our way to Scotland’s most iconic old castle. And on Adam’s birthday, no less!
What we did instead: sat in the deserted parking lot of a Scottish office building, listening to classic rock on the radio while the kids ran around in the drizzling rain and pleaded to be allowed back in the car.
What we learned: Scottish roadside assistance sort of sucks. That said, get the coverage.
Manizales, Colombia
What happened: Canceled flight from Madrid to Bogota meant we missed our connection to this coffee-growing region of the country.
What we did instead: spent more time exploring Bogota. Honestly, this was a much better outcome for us than the original plan.
What we learned: silver linings, baby.
Miscellaneous tours we never took:
From that time I booked tickets to see Michaelangelo’s David for the day after we left Florence, to the time the canyoning adventure company forgot to take down their booking website when they shut down for the the season, we’ve had our share of missed connections.
Lessons learned: Sheet happens! Automatically generated confirmations aren’t worth the electrons they’re printed on. Also, there are like a dozen other Davids around Florence, all looking pretty much like the real one.