Travel Diary

Wrapping Up

Planning Failure -- While the trip was pricey, I don’t regret it at all. My only irksome memory is that darn train ticket failure. It was just such a boneheaded mistake to make. It won’t happen again. The cost was around $300 for the loss of the show and the extra ticket needed. Don’t get careless with Eurostar trips.

Best Food -- Despite trying some very fancy meals, the best food was a brunch in Bruges. It was expensive, but not “Are you @#$@#ing me?” expensive. I think I had some chicken with a sauce and some mashed potatoes. Whatever it was, I liked it a lot.

Favorite part -- I always get that question and it’s tough to answer. I think exploring Bruges was the best part, especially in the morning. But I also really liked being in London again. The air, the people, the excitement. London is just ... awesome.

Least Favorite Part -- It’s Dublin. But that’s just me. It just didn’t work for me. Dublin is a fine city with wonderful people. I can’t stress that enough. I just got bored there.

Data Plan -- Verizon failed me on the London/Dublin part of the trip. I was supposed to have data coverage. I did not. When I got back and called them, they said I should have called support when that happened--like I would know what number to call?!? Anyway, one can’t argue with their ineptitudes. Just accept the fact that they delivered 50% of the time and leave it at that.

I did finally figure out how to get WIFI when roaming about the city. I found the trick out a little too late, but it did help considerably a few times. Now, it’s technically a mild form of stealing so I tried not to do it unless I was in a dire situation, but on occasion, it needed to be done. I won’t post how I did it, but if you’re stuck in Europe with no data, email me and I’ll help out with some advice.

Eating Out at Chez FancyPants-- We did try a 3-Michelin rated restaurant in Bruges. I’ll be blunt: save your money. Okay, I don’t regret trying it. It was fun to learn what it is like to dine so fancy, but the cons are just too high. First, it’s way overpriced. Well, actually...it might not be. The other places had similarly high prices for their entrees, so if all the items were added up, the bill might have been the same.

But the menu was too limited. We couldn’t find anything for Elaine to enjoy (yes, she is a little finicky). Those places just stick to a few things--for better or for worse. The food we did try was okay, but not exceptional. I found the “nice” restaurant earlier in the day to have much tastier food. Again, the food wasn’t bad, just not terribly delicious. I liked the dessert a lot though.

Mostly, it’s simply just too stuffy. Everyone mainly whispered. No jocular humor was done. No one took photos of food. One felt like a kid at his parents’ fancy dinner party where the boss has come over for impressing. Only we had no boss there. Who were we trying to impress?

I’d rather pay less and have more fun.

But again, I don’t regret trying it once.

Weight Issues -- I’m going to tolerate the flak and point out that England has the same issues now that we do in terms of obesity. It’s just getting worse globally. I don’t think America is at fault for that. Prosperous countries can have that issue, but poor ones too, as poorer food is cheaper to obtain. Not sure what can be done. It’s a lot worse outside of the metropolis cities.

And it’s problematic for travel. I saw someone on the plane who had an awful time squeezing into his seat. I felt bad for him, but there was nothing much I could do. The guy next to him did speak to the stewardess about having paid more for a economy plus seat and that the situation was a little unfair. Luckily the obese man was offered a switch to a place with two empty seats. It worked out that time, but perhaps not in the future.

Airlines don’t make it easy on those people. The seats are already way too small, but in time, they may simply have to widen the seats to accommodate an expanding world.

iPhones -- There’s a whole lot of iPhones out there in the world. It’s actually cool to see so many and think, “Hey! They’re using the tech that’s made where I’m from!” (Well, about 30 miles away.)

Rest on Travel Days -- A new rule: rest on travel days. I’ll never know if I would have enjoyed the shows more if I had rested more before seeing them. Or if I would not have dozed off during one or two. It’s just so important to pencil in time to sleep during the days when a lot of traveling is done. For one thing, it’s much easier on the feet.

But travel on a train or plane half the day and then walk 3-5 miles and then enter a theatre where it’s soon dimly lit and scenes are becoming intimate and quiet? Yeah, you’ll be dozing off just like I was.

Maps -- Download maps ahead of time. Print maps ahead of time. One should always have a printout of the airport or train station to the hotel. Technology can and often will let you down.

Weather -- The weather was AWESOME! Amsterdam, Bruges, and London were terrific. London was very nice. April can be risky, but I got lucky. Dublin did get very cold and rainy at times. It was the only time my umbrella was used.

Quick City Travel -- Two days in a city is a pretty safe choice. If the city isn’t fun, it’s not a lot of time lost, and if it’s exciting, two days can usually cover a fair deal of activities. This is true for small and medium cities. Obviously, London, Paris, and Rome need far more time.

For cities with question marks, I find that one day can work just to get a taste of it and see if it is a pace to return to. Some places, I like, but know it’s not a location where I would want to return and spend time.

The Things I Carried

Pants -- So the three special pairs of pants I bought came in handy. The cheapest one was the best. It was so light and dried fast. The BluffWorks black pants worked fine too, though I liked the other two pairs more. I got them at REI and both dried fast after washing.

Charger -- Some hotels do offer 110 outlets, but a good old $6 adapter kit is wise to have. These don’t have transformers so always check the power supply brick. But small electronics that run on DC usually are fine as they pull the power they need. But ...check!

Baggage -- I could have carried less. My laptop wasn’t really needed, although nice to have at times. My tablet was almost never used except for the plane flights. It should be one or the other. I also had one too many sweaters.

Umbrella --I bought a special one for the trip and carried it all around and used it once. It was nice to have when it rained though. The extra sturdy feature still didn’t prevent it from being blown around. Even nine splines won’t stop that. I don’t regret the umbrella though. Getting soaked when traveling? Not cool.

Belgium chocolate -- Quite shocking, but I found out (after acquiring a heck of a lot of it and saving it until I returned home) that I do not care for the taste of Belgium chocolate. Live and learn.

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