Just a few more days and our summer holiday in Europe will be over. It was delightful to be back again for some time. It’s the ideal combination of work, visiting relatives and vacationing. And, I’ve written this before, it’s that cocktail of long summer nights, summer clothes, evening stages and that distinctive summer music on the radio that I miss most in Quito, where the days are always equally long and the temperatures always the same.
Since we only travel to Europe occasionally, we always notice a few remarkable changes during our trips. This year, the number one change was the sheer number of electrical bikes on the Dutch roads, racing past us on all sides! Very convenient, no doubt, but awfully scary if you’re not used to them.
Another change is contactless payment. Incredible how fast that has taken off! We only took cash once from an ATM during the entire holiday, and in retrospect, even that wouldn't have been necessary. Every toll booth or market stall accepts contactless payments these days. Incredible! In Ecuador, on the other hand, contactless payments are only just starting to make their appearance. And where you can, it is still done by the cashier, who holds your card to the reader. By the way, always make sure to carry cash in your pocket in Ecuador; that will get you the furthest!
