Hello Fodor friends. My husband says he needs a "focus" (theme, goal) for another trip to Europe. Anyone care to brainstorm with me about possible themes? We have tried out (in our heads) art, architecture, food, and a few others but nothing has sufficiently grabbed his interest yet We prefer to stay in one city/area for a couple weeks then move on to another for two weeks. Possible countries would be France, Italy or possibly England; been to all before(plus a few others) but never run out of new places to explore. At this time, however, my husband needs a focus; he is a task oriented guy and likes to accomplish things, have a goal.
Waiting for your ideas and thanks ahead of time!

My hubby would love to do the entire drive on the E35 (I think that's the route number) from Amsterdam to the bottom of Italy. How about something like that?? Just a suggestion.

Well, then he should be setting a goal himself, now shouldn't he, if he likes to accomplish things. I find theme trips are just personal, you can't pick someone else's theme, doesn't make sense.

For example, it could be some literary reference, or to see WWII sites, or to visit things related to Chopin (which was someone's theme in another current thread), or Gothic cathedrals, or hiking or biking locales. But the point is, no one else can make up your theme as it has to be something that you are passionate about to plan a trip around.

Art Nouveau, starting in Nancy?

Scenic train rides?

Canals?

Battlefields - plenty of those, just pick a war - e.g. Hundred Years, Thirty Years, Napoleonic, WWI, WWII.

Roman roads - I've been thinking about that one.

Do you hike? Several good multi-day routes in England - along Hadrians Wall, around the Devon and Cornwall coasts, the Pembroke coast, the Channel Islands.

Water... see the Atlantic from its "east" coast and the cultures (food and wine) that use it...and then over to the Med, and their cultures (food and wine)

I've always wanted a quiet stay in the Lakes Region of England.

And, the lakes in Italy...

Important pissoirs of Paris?

Major Florentine fast food joints?

The bathrooms of Bologna?

Londons lesser-known loos?

Thank you all for your suggestions. There were several worth exploring. It's up to my husband now. You are right Christina, He should be doing this, but I am the one with the motivation to get him motivated!
Ira: Ha! Ha! We were intrigued by the pissoirs and other "comfort stops" 30 years ago when we began traveling in Europe. Your suggestions brought back memories of trips 20 and 30 years ago when the facilities were pretty outrageous sometimes!

I'm going to search for ira's TR about London's lesser-known loos

I would do a fresco tour of Italy.

After Ira's interesting tour I would consider a Black Madonna tour. That could take you all over Europe to some interesting spots.

I would do a toilet flusher tour. You have no idea of the hundreds of ways toilets can be flushed until you start touring Europe.

I think that toilet flusher tour is interesting. Or broaden it to different types - unisex, ancient, modern, with or without seats - there are a host of options.

But - he really needs to decide.

When my parents retired they went on a number of road trips built around presidential libraries (I'm not talking JFK - I mean Calvin Coolidge and Harry Truman). But they loved it - and I have the t shirts to prove it.

He could check out Roman ruins - can do that everywhere from the Scots borders through Germany, France, Spain and host of other places.

Laundromats, and all the different ways to insert coins and push buttons. The beauty of a Laundry trip is that it can be combined with other themes.

I seriously thought about putting together a coffee table-type book on toilet flushers in Europe at one point.