European trip ?'s

Mimi wrote:
The last time I flew on a ticket from a consolidator, the departure time of
the flight was moved back, and nobody told us.

Would you have expected it to be any different had you bought the ticket
from the airline instead?

Fortunately we were at the airport quite early.

That's always a good idea, and I always check for any schedule changes with
the airline the day before a flight.

K.

On Wed, 4 Jan 2006 12:08:23 -0700, "Ken Blake"
wrote:

I'm with you on the principle, but I disagree about 7pm. That's too early.
You should have dinner before going to bed, because getting your stomach on
European time is part of the way to overcome jet lag. It depends to some
extent on where you are, but in most European countries, there's no way to
have dinner and be in bed by 7, because the restaurants aren't even open
yet.

I think 7pm is the absolute earliest if one can't hold up any longer.
I usually stay up to 8 or 9. And sometimes rather than a heavier
"dinner" I find a lighter meal at a take-out type place, which has
food available before the later hours many restaurants begin to serve.
In Italy, of course, you can always fill yourself on gelato; in fact I
think it's pretty much imperative to do so!

In article rkZuf.60625$6K2.42160@edtnps90, Király
wrote:

Mimi wrote:
The last time I flew on a ticket from a consolidator, the departure time of
the flight was moved back, and nobody told us.

Would you have expected it to be any different had you bought the ticket
from the airline instead?

Which airline anyway ?

Many of the ones Ive seen are not, shall I say, 1st tier lines. Many
are really charters that have a regular schedule. With this comes
higher seating capacity.

For me, if its over 9 hrs I really want 777 service... not a 747 at
400++/pax.

jay
Wed Jan 04, 2006




Fortunately we were at the airport quite early.

That's always a good idea, and I always check for any schedule changes with
the airline the day before a flight.

K.

On Wed, 4 Jan 2006 17:22:26 +0000,
(David Horne, _the_ chancellor of the duchy of besses o' th' barn and
prestwich tesco 24h offy) wrote:
I don't think I agree that London is 'just another big city.' It does
have character, and it certainly has history, and it is unique. In that
sense, sure, it _is_ like other popular big cities, if that makes sense!
It's teeming with attractions from the kitch to the historic to the
sublime. Yes, it's among the most expensive capital cities to visit in
Europe, but that can also make it a fun city to plan for, as good hotel
and restaurant deals can be found. Remember that a large number of the
museums (which are certainly popular attractions) are free.

One of the free things I enjoyed the most was Speakers' Corner on
Sunday afternoon....the hecklers were more fun than the speakers... .

"London always seems to be one of those "must visit" places, but I've
never
been that impressed with it. Its terribly expensive, and a lot of it is
just another big city (though this is true of many big cities)."

London is definitely not "just another big city". It has a tremendous
amount of history, world-class museums, a leading theater scene, and
loads of interesting neighborhoods and sights.

"Since you're already in the vicinity, Germany or Belgium are
possibilities. There are some very cool small towns like Bruges or
Ghent that are far more culturally unique than most of the big cities."

Brugge is pretty, but it takes about half a day to see, and it's not
really worth going out of your way for, especially for someone who
hasn't been to London or Paris or Rome.

"Yes, it's among the most expensive capital cities to visit in Europe,
but that can also make it a fun city to plan for, as good hotel and
restaurant deals can be found."

I really don't think it's necessarily more expensive than other parts
of Western Europe. Due to London's size and scope, there are a huge
number of cheap hotel and restaurant options, and free museums like you
said, and many inexpensive sights, so you can do budget travel there
much easier than in some places (Switzerland, Scandinavia, Northern
Italy).

Martin wrote:

Belgium's answer to Volendam?

Why didn't Volendam take over from Brugge as Europe's cultural capital?

Jens

BB wrote:

Compared to the usual sightseeing agenda of London, Paris, Rome,
Munich, etc, they are definitely small.

Compared to London, Paris and Rome, Munich is definitely small.

Jens

Following up to David Horne, _the_ chancellor of the duchy of
besses o' th' barn and prestwich tesco 24h offy

They were saying you should have finished your meal and been back in bed
by then. Looking for pub food, I couldn't find anywhere open in North
Oxford before 6.30 last week.

No problem at 6pm in central Oxford a few weeks ago!

I would have thought there were quite a few early eaters in UK, a
lot of traditional eaters have dinner (high tea?) on arriving
home from a 9 -5 day, served by housewife partner. Probably a
dying breed though.
--
Mike Reid
Walk-eat-photos UK "http://www.fellwalk.co.uk" -- you can email us@ this site
Walk-eat-photos Spain "http://www.fell-walker.co.uk" -- dontuse@ all, it's a spamtrap

Following up to David Horne, _the_ chancellor of the duchy of
besses o' th' barn and prestwich tesco 24h offy

Not been to Madrid, but no problems elsewhere in Madrid.

Argh- Spain!

Have you been to non touristy Andalucia? My best one is being
offered the tapas menu after midnight (fiesta day) when we wanted
coffee and brandy! In Sevilla we have been walking back to hotel
when the pensioners are just coming out. But as I said, I havent
tried eating at 6 or 7, you probably caught the end of lunch :-)
--
Mike Reid
Walk-eat-photos UK "http://www.fellwalk.co.uk" -- you can email us@ this site
Walk-eat-photos Spain "http://www.fell-walker.co.uk" -- dontuse@ all, it's a spamtrap