More Best & Worst Airport Lists

Thanks for the Prague love -- for loving Prague and liking my blog/pictures of Prague.

I'm a little tardy on the Milan photos currently so I thought I'd break up the monotony with CNNGO's 10 Best & Worst Airport Lists for your reading enjoyment.

10 Of The World's Most Loved Airports
10 Of The World's Most Hated Airports

Previously I'd posted links to Sleeping In Airports' site with their best & worst lists and a number of the same aiports appear on CNNGO's lists.  I'm a little biased towards the latter only because they list HKIA (Hong Kong) in the #1 spot, which echo my sentiments.  It's coming up to midnight and 22C in Hong Kong right now, my friend Jason has just flown thru HKIA very recently and I wish I were there too.

As for the worst airport, I'll save my breathe trashing Charles de Gaulle and let everyone else do that for me.  The appearance of Heathrow still makes me think of the time I almost missed my flight to Lisbon in 2006, I will have to repost that tale here sometime.  Suffice to say that place is big enough you can run a marathon through it, and I kind of did.

I am a little discouraged (though not completely surprised) to find New York's JFK on the Hated list, as I'm trying to pull together a big trip for 2012 that will likely have me flying through there. (My back-up plan being a return to Paris, which will take me right into de Gaulle Airport...great...)

For better or worse, sometimes you just have to deal with a lousy airport as the price to pay to see a wonderful foreign land.  Either that or stick to Hong Kong ;)

Euroventures 2011 - Budapest

It was a 10am train going from Vienna to Budapest.  Luckily I had figured out the day before that Wien Meidling train station was in fact accessible through Philadelphiabrücke metro station as opposed to my first guess - Meidling Hauptstraße which would have involved changing trains, plus I'm not sure if it's actually connected to the train station?

Much as I complained about my poor comprehension of Italian and German, that was nothing compared to when all the rail station signs changed to Hungarian! Most people I encountered in Budapest spoke English and were very helpful and nice to me, so that was a relief.  My greatest language barrier moment came when I was standing in a small grocery store trying to figure out which bottles of water were carbonated and non-carbonated (I highly dislike the former).  In Italy I quickly learned the key word to look for was 'naturale' and in German 'ohne'... Hungarian and Czech...no clue.  To further complicate matters, carbonated water often comes in 2 forms, carbonated and a sort of mild carbonation (that's still pretty gross in large amounts).  Eventually I figured out the solution is just to pick up the bottle and squeeze it (similar to way you might test to see if your friends have shook up your bottle of pop before handing it to you...what?  didn't anyone have those types of friends in school? :P)  The plastic bottle can be squished a bit for still and mildly carbonated water, if you shake it a little the still water bottle will still have the same amount of give, the mildly carbonated one will have a little more resistance.  From there I just memorized the colour of the bottle cap and stuck with the same brand of water for the rest of the trip.

But in less mundane news, I stayed at the reliable Ibis City Hotel in Budapest, Ibis being a lower-budget brand of hotel that still offers a clean room, safe stay, and reliable service (wifi notwithstanding... I had some difficulties with it).  We'd been told they would take euros in Budapest, but in fact that was not true.  Tourist spots will take euros at a rip-off rate but everywhere else you will need the local currency.  Luckily we weren't far from Vaci Utca (aka tourist central -- a street filled with souvenir shops, restaurants, and shopping) where there were Change places galore.

Despite being distracted by cute souvenirs, the Eastern-meets-Western European architecture, etc. I did keep in mind my friend Aniko's recommendation to see Buda Castle that day (as many places are closed on Sundays), it was pleasant hike up and there was much to learn about the rich history of Budapest from the Museum.  It was interesting to see pre-historic artifacts outside of North America (ok, so I'm stereotyping but I always think Canada/US when I think of dinosaurs and cavemen), also to learn that one of the first inhabitants of Budapest were a Celtic tribe.  I had been hoping to check out the House of Terror (it's more about Facism and Communism than serial killers), which I should've gone to Sunday because it was closed when I passed by on Monday.  Still, I managed to glimpse other sites (including a education tour of the Dohány Street Synagogue) and really enjoyed wandering the streets of Budapest.  In fact, it was probably my favourite city of this trip and certainly the most photographed.

Parliament Building photographed from across the river while lit up at night.

The beautiful Dohany Street Synagogue

Chain Bridge

Everything seems delightfully affordable in Budapest thanks to the favourable exchange rate.  Despite all my previous joking around, I did pick up souvenirs that were not paprika (the only thing I knew Hungary was famous for prior to this trip).  If you're strictly about the sight-seeing, 2 days or 3 days tops is enough in Budapest.  However I really enjoyed the atmosphere of the city and would have no problem staying longer.  I got my hands on a culture guide from one of the tourist stands and there are a number of smaller museums that I wouldn't mind seeing.  So I hope to return to Hungary in the future.

Euroventures 2011 - Prague

Prague is what I now call (after the fact) my 'ghetto' portion of the trip, please indulge me while I attempt to justify my (sometimes poor) decisions...  While I was hardly in the lap of luxury this trip, I tried to strike a balance, spend a little more in some places so ensure comfort, and cut back in some other areas to even it out.  For example Budapest is a very economical place to visit, so I got myself a decent hotel and ate 3 course meals in nice restaurants.  Vienna was a longer stop (hard to believe 3 nights is "longer") so I got a private flat so that I'd be guaranteed a fridge, a means of making tea, and could scatter my stuff around without worrying about housekeeping messing with it.  Prague was probably my 2nd cheapest destination overall, for 2 nights, and so I opted for a hostel that featured nice photos on its webpage.  Now my tolerance for hostels has changed a lot over the years, at age 23, spending 10 days in the Cambie Hostel in Vancouver sleeping on a creaky bunk bed (I still got a private room, only child syndrome...) and sharing a bathroom was perfectly fine (granted I was also crazy enough to think it'd be ok to go traipsing about Vancouver in a Toronto Maple Leafs jersey without getting heckled and looks of disdain).  Nowadays I will not share a washroom, I hardly want to share a bed, am wary of all hostel bedding, and will bring my own pillow/pillowcase (I'd bring my own blanket if I could only fit it in my bag!)  The Ragtime Hostel looked ok from its pictures (and to be fair, I've stayed at hostels that are far nicer that "hotels" so I'm not quick to judge), was a reasonable price, and hey, hostel = kitchen, which means I'm able to make tea and other food if I wish.

Before I even get into the hostel situation, let's add to the ghetto-ness of this trip by taking an overnight bus from Budapest to Prague on discount coach lines Orangeways.  The decision to take the bus actually had nothing to do with money, train tickets are perfectly affordable however time was precious and trains from Budapest to Prague only ran into the daytime (overnight travel sucks, but it does save you time, also money)  I couldn't afford to lose a day on the train.  The Orangeways bus was ideal, 11:30pm to 7am (that's less than Toronto to New York on Megabus - esp since the bus arrived on time!  Early even...) and of course it was cheap (about  €20 and €1 to stow a bag beneath the bus).  A bit of confusion with where to find the bus aside, it was a decent ride as far as overnight buses go - Orangeways doesn't not stop in the Nepliget bus terminal, but rather across the street at the corner of the football stadium.  Luckily their brightly coloured buses are hard to miss.  They do show movies despite it being an overnight ride, so if you're sitting right under the TV monitor (like me) and want to sleep (like me), don't forget your eye mask (like me :S).  I was able to sleep after a while, plus I got to pocket the earphones they were distributing (mini win!)  The bus does make a few middle-of-the-night stops, including one in Bratislava, Slovakia (one of the places I would've stopped if I'd had a few more days).

The Ragtime Hostel was a little challenging to say the least.  First off, you need to check in at their sister hostel - Hostel Emma, at which point they took us on a 6 min walk (weary travelers, narrow streets, heavy bags... *sigh*) to an apartment building, up to the first floor to an unmarked door (have to say, some big dude leading me inside a non-descript building to a door with no signage whatsoever and beckons me to go inside... a little freaky!)... which turns out to be a converted space split into a number of rooms and one shared kitchen.  That's it though, there is no reception on site.  If you want anything you need to find your way back to Hostel Emma.  The room itself was spacious enough, the private bathroom a good size, and kitchen had all the essentials.  I'm not expecting any miracles for a good bed, the sheets are colourful but on closer inspection made me worry about their cleanliness a bit.  The biggest annoyance at that point were the glass-window doors.  The door to our room was glass with fabric covering, and it was the room next to the main entrance, I had some noise concerns off the bat.  What was even more awkward the bathroom door was partially see-through glass!  Uh...I'm not traveling with a partner here!  Even if I were I'd still like some privacy while in the loo.  Seriously, the way the doors were angled and line of sight, if we shut the bathroom door but opened the bedroom door, a person in the hallway would be able to see the person sitting on the crapper. *smacks forehead*  Imagine my level of discomfort from the get-go.  To make matters worse, that evening when I tried to take a shower there was no hot water!  It wasn't even tepid or room temperature, it was near ice cold and temps were below 10C that night.  Thank god it was a hand-shower, and so I washed my hair like I did as a child during Hong Kong summers...head hung upside down careful to aim the cold water only at my scalp and not the rest of me.  Hot water finally came back around 1am and lasted for maybe 10 mins.  I was so livid I nearly marched into Old Town to see if the Ibis there had any vacancies.  However that would've meant forfeiting the amount I'd prepaid to Ragtime, so I stuck it out.  The second night was better, the hot water lasted for almost 25 mins before it went tepid for another few minutes and finished off cold again. (I was 2nd to use the shower so I got all the temperature fluctuations.)

Enough with the accommodations though, the city itself was a much more positive experience.  For all its shortcomings, Ragtime was very conveniently located.  There was public transportation around the corner, a big Tesco supermarket that had a pretty good bakery section (I really enjoyed the random baked goods I kept picking up for breakfast, plus the delicious mango smoothies that were on sale), and it was a short walk to shopping and Old Town.  It's a very walkable city overall despite the easy tendency to make wrong turns in the web of streets (it could've been just me, but next to Venice I thought Prague was toughest to navigate without a map - to clarify:  I did have a map for both, but sometimes it's nice to put it away or else you wind up staring at it more than the beautiful buildings in front of you).  There's lots to see and lots to eat, the first night I decided to get authentic and had Old Prague Ham and beer in the square.  Then followed it up with a visit to the Museum of Medieval Torture Instruments, which was right next to the famous Charles Bridge.  The clouds rolling in past the castle on the other side were extra creepy that night.  I made sure to take lots of pictures.  Of all my stops during this trip, I would have to say Prague most embraces the night.  Stores were open pretty late by European standards, many tourist traps opened until 8 or 10pm, and of course there were a lot of little theatres with evening shows.

View of Prague Castle from the Charles Bridge

Quoting the classics in artwork on the John Lennon Wall

 The second day was spent on the other side of the Charles Bridge in the Mala Strana (aka Lesser Town) area with visits to the castle and the John Lennon wall (I'm sure no one is surprised that this stop at the graffiti tribute to my favourite Beatle was one of my must-sees). Followed by the search for a highly recommended Asian restaurant - Maly Buddha - which was up a pretty long slope.  It was all worth it though!  I would go back to Prague just to have dinner at that place again.  Their menu includes a selection of Tibetan, Vietnamese, Malaysian, etc. with a large number of vegetarian options to cater to those of the Buddhist faith.  Tho the guidebook recommended pho, we opted for other Vietnamese selections.  Even the starter soup was amazing, I think it was just some standard clear broth with vegetable.  And the rose black tea I ordered was probably some of the best tea I've ever drank!  It was the perfect meal to get rid of that rainy autumn chill I'd been enduring all day while exploring outside (that chill is also the reason I opted out of getting absinthe ice cream, which I had been planning to sample).  Capped off the night by catching "Rock Therapy", a cute little blacklight show with puppets and live performances featuring music by the Beatles and some familiar iconography.  It's not a highly polished and thought-provoking show, but entertaining all the same.

Prague is definitely a worthwhile place to visit.  Having gotten most of the major historical attractions out of the way this visit, I could really see myself making a return trip with friends to do a proper pub crawl and hang out in absinthe shops.  In the two days I think I saw most of what I wanted to see, another day and I would've gotten in a couple more art museum/exhibits.  If you're gonna do a pub crawl, then maybe factor in another day for your hangover?

Euroventures 2011 - Vienna

It's a short train ride on the OBB (Austrian Rail) to Vienna from Salzburg, the trains are relatively comfortable and there are partial announcements in English.  Took the 9am train and got to Wien Westbanhof noon-ish.  However I should note that riding the OBB (Rail Jet high speed train) within Austria is actually kind of expensive, a <4 hr ride from Salzburg to Vienna cost me €44, whereas a >6 hr ride from Venice to Salzburg only cost €29 (with 3 hr ride from Vienna to Budapest costing the least at €19).

 I rented a flat not too far from the train station from www.airbnb.com, my first time using the site.  I got pretty much what I expected at Rosemarie's flat, which was mostly spacious with 2 bedrooms and a open concept kitchen (that I did a little cooking in one evening).  The bathroom was ridiculously tiny, to the point it was almost comical trying to get undressed and then squeeze through the gap into the shower.  Not the end of the world though, and having a private flat is a very nice change from staying into hotel rooms.  The location was very convenient with a big mid-range shopping mall half a block away that included a very large supermarket that I couldn't resist shopping in (I remember cheap mushrooms and Ritter Sport chocolate bars in flavours I'd never tried or even heard of!)

It was very comfy in the flat, almost too comfy because it took me a while to get motivated to go out (I was happy resting and going over guidebooks and maps spread out on the dining table!) thus my first day in Vienna wasn't very productive.  The movie tie-in for my stop in Vienna was Before Sunrise (staring Ethan Hawke and Julie Delphy about young love, where 2 people meet on a train and decide to spend a day wandering in Vienna), so I strolled past a couple sites that they also checked out, hopped on a tram for the hell of it (damn, the new trams vs. the old ones... big difference!  The Ring Tram looked so quaint as it chugged along on the tracks, the new tram that I rode, as soon as the door closed it jetted off and it felt like only seconds before I'd reached my intended stop... I'm sure the look on my face must've been pretty comical as I hurried off because I didn't know where 10 more seconds on the tram would take me)

My favourite discovery in Vienna is the Naschmarkt with vendor stalls selling everything from spices to teas to sugary confections to souvenirs down one aisle, and a fabulous variety of little restaurants in a second aisle.  The eateries ranged from fancy seafood places that prepared fish so fresh and delicious-smelling that even I would eat it, to classic Austrian fare (I have my reservations with wiener schnitzel...sorry, but I don't like breaded meat, even less so when it's not chicken...), to endless Asian options!!  The sushi I had there was so fresh and delicious for €13, I'd venture to say it's better than the combos in Toronto!  No surprise I went back to the market every day I was in Vienna.

Food aside for a moment, I also visited a number of beautiful churches, I recall Baroque period decor, which is pretty jaw-dropping for it's ornate tendencies.  More on this when I have all my photos sorted.  I also enjoyed the Albertina Gallery which had a special exhibition entitled "Monet to Picasso -The Batliner Collection" showcasing Impressionist to Contemporary Art (naturally encompassing Cubist art which I'm always very excited about).  Also part of the whole Hofburg Palace complex not far from the Albertina was the Sisi Museum, Sisi (aka Empress Elisabeth of Austria) being a fascinating female figure who defied gender and royal conventions in the 1800's.  I really enjoyed seeing the palace apartments and Sisi's rooms while learning about the story of her life.  One of the evenings I put my earlier Vienna Opera research to the test and indeed managed to a score €3 to see Madame Butterfly.


While walking around Vienna, I couldn't help but compare it to life in Paris.  A bustling city with a historic backdrop.  Public transportation and heavy traffic rumbling on the streets amidst a backdrop of old buildings each showcasing unique moldings right above a high profile retail sign.  As with every busy metropolis...there is shopping!  Therefore I took a culture break and checked out the Danube Mall, where they had a regular Desigual store (see last entry for related note on one of my fav clothing labels) and put my Visa card to good use there.


On my last evening in Vienna, I had not seen close to everything I wanted to see (which was expected, I knew even before I arrived that 3 days would be insufficient but I had to get moving on).  I'd meant to go to Cafe Sperl, a Before Sunrise location and classic Viennese cafe, in the late afternoon for some coffee and cake but didn't get into the area until almost 7. By then they'd begun serving dinner, which I was less interested in, so I took a peek and kept walking despite my growling tummy.  Just around the corner I see a "Ra Mien" sign and the window is a picture of busy waiters and patrons at every table.  I was sold.  It turns out it wasn't the traditional Japanese noodle that I'm accustomed to, but more like what we, from the Canton province, know of as 'Ho Fun' however freshly shaved off this big hunk of whatever-noodle-is-made-of (please don't ask me to explain, I'll never get this right).  Most importantly, it was delicious!  The soup, the noodle, the ample amount of seafood...  When I ordered chrysanthemum tea, they actually brought me a small tea pot with real chrysanthemum flowers soaking in it!  You'd be hard pressed to find that even in Toronto. The noodle joint functioned as both culinary hotspot and a bar lounge at night, on my table next to the menu was the DJ line-up for the month.  Awesome.

Vienna is a first-class city in my books with much to offer.  You can hand me a ticket to fly back there anytime!

Dress for (Travel) Success

Part 2 in the Question/Answer series with Mr. Chris Beer...

The inquiry we're addressing today:

How do you choose what to wear when travelling? Do you go for fashionable, or practical, or try a mix of both? Do you find it difficult to dress fashionable in other parts of the world where the sense of fashion is ahead of what we have in North America, or do you just go with whatever and not care whether it's fashionable or not, since you're on vacation anyway?

Travel and fashion, 2 things that should be of instrumental importance in everyone's life! (haha) However it's a shame they don't always go hand in hand.  My general belief is that a couple fancy get-ups are important to have if you're going to a wedding/bachelorette on the road, but otherwise COMFORT IS KEY.

Those Jimmy Choo 4" stilettos may be to die for, but if you're wearing them to climb the Eiffel Tower, you're a tool. (Not to mention you might actually die for them in that case as you go tumbling down the stairs...)  Unless you already know you're going to be driven from door to door and doing very little walking on your trip, start your clothes packing by selecting 2-3 pairs of your most comfortable pairs of shoes and build the rest of your travel wardrobe from there.  Start with the pair of shoes you plan to do most of your walking in, this will likely be a pair of runners, sneakers, comfort shoes etc.  Then consider a pair that can potentially be dressed up a little if required, comfy flats or black loafers/boots.  Depending on the length of the trip you might want to bring a 3rd pair, ie. for a formal event if you're attending one, or sandals/open-toed shoes if you have a range of destinations where some places might be warmer.  Do not bring a new pair of shoes to wear for the first time on a trip, especially if that's the shoe you plan to do your walking in.

Layering options is a good way to build your travel wardrobe.  Current fashion trends are giving us more and more options to layer stylishly.  That Wonder Woman t-shirt of yours is fun & casual on its own with jeans, or with a hoodie over it; a cardigan instead of a hoodie and you're off to pub looking geek-chic; wearing it under a blazer is plenty trendy; and if you happen to forget your pjs it's still comfy enough to sleep in. (I'm not suggesting you wear that t-shirt 5 times btw, ew...  Those are just some options.)  Try to pick items of clothing that will match with multiple things, thus giving you options on the road.  I'm a visual person, so I like to make a list of tops and bottoms I want to bring and play connect the dots to check my choices.  Like so...

The more lines each item connects to the better.  Also when it comes to bottoms, stick with the practical. You'll likely pick up some item of clothing in your travels that you'll want to wear right away, and the majority of the clothing out there is not going to match with your purple acid wash bellbottoms. (Actually that sounds ghastly, if you own a pair of those you should probably burn them)

When it comes to fashion vs. practicality, I think there's a lot out there that can be both.  If your closet doesn't lend to that kind of thinking, then you can always look at your travel research (I think I mention "research, research, research" in every blog I write hehe) to help decide.  Where are you going?  If the daily temperature is going to be -15C then screw fashion and pack your warmest sweaters!  What do you plan to do there?  If all you're going to do is hike through parks, go to museums, and ride rollercoasters then there's not much need for a button-up shirt.  However if you're going to see a musical, check out a fancy restaurant, or go clubbing, you'll need something a little classier than your "I'm with stupid" t-shirt.  I have no patience with ironing so formal events aside, no matter how trendy I get with my wardrobe, you will not find me packing any type of clothing that needs ironing.  You can also take into consideration whether you're likely to do much shopping on your trip, and what kind of things you'll buy.  I've gone to New York City with just the clothes on my back and an empty suitcase before, and I tend to arrive in Hong Kong with very few personal toiletries and accessories because I'll load up when I'm there.

How to keep up with the fashion forward or do you even try?  I guess that's a matter of personal preference.  I do try to keep up with fashion, noting the difference between countries and cities.  Sure it's great if you can grab pieces from the closet that you can rock in Paris, but no one's forcing you to go to Holt Renfrew for a new wardrobe before you depart.  I'll try to bring my most fashion-forward clothes to places like Paris & London (so to appear only one season behind at most ;) ) but some cultures like Japan have such unique styles that there's really no hope of blending in.

I'll leave you with a short point form list of my personal travel clothing essentials:

-clothes that require no ironing

-comfort is key

-I will never leave home without a hoodie

-practical bottoms - blacks and blues

-lots of layering options

-sneakers for walking <3!

-a few key accessories that match with almost everything

-pair of Birkenstocks whenever possible

-pashmina

-solid colour purses (easier to match with clothes than patterns)

-as few jackets as possible (because they're heavy) so pick a versatile one

Happy comfy, stylish travels!

Euroventures 2011 - Salzburg

 View from the Salzburg Fortress

The train I took from Venice to Salzburg was an overnighter.  Having had a bad experience with a sleeping compartment on a previous train journey (Paris to Zurich), I decided to book regular seats this time.  I was on an OBB train and if you can sleep on a plane, you'll be fine in a seat on these trains.  Each compartment sits 6 but most were not full, our compartment ranged from 2-5 people through the ride and it was prob one of the most occupied compartments.  The train had power outlets for the window seats, 4 overhead storage shelves, 4 coat hooks, 4 pull-out tables, personal reading lights and one controllable overhead compartment light.  A pretty sweet set-up if you can manage to score a compartment to yourself.

Arriving in Salzburg at 4am was pretty brutal.  Luckily my hotel - the Hotel Lasserhoff - had a 24 concierge and they let me stash my bags there, as my monster bag had no hope of fitting into one of those lockers at the train station (another reason to pack light!) For those not familiar, Salzburg is a smaller city in Austria whose claim to fame is being the birthplace of Mozart and home of the family Von Trapp (whose story we know from The Sound of Music).  It's very friendly and safe, but also quite small.  I had cut across the historic center twice by 6am and wasn't nervous once about wandering deserted streets in the dark in a foreign city.

Check-in wasn't until 2pm so after ducking into a McDonald's (which opened at 6am and had free wifi) for a not-so-exotic breakfast, we walked through the beautifully groomed Mirabell Park, where you might recognize the fountain from The Sound of Music. Clearly this stop was going to be about Mozart trivia and Sound of Music filming locations.  Tourist Information and most tourist sites open at 9am, almost everything is within walking distance.  So the first order of business was to obtain a 'Salzburg Card' which, for €34, entitles you admission into all museums/historic sites/public transportation for 2 days.  While some places make not be your top priority to visit, it's certainly a load off the mind and wallet knowing you can visit and travel to where you like.  No regrets that you opted for a cheesy tourist trap or took the wrong bus (which I did! haha) because it's already paid for.

Some highlights for me included the Salzburg Fortress (Hohensalzburg Castle), which we hiked up to on foot after visiting a couple Sound of Music sites at the foot of the hill (a ways from the funicular).  Holy crap that was one steep trek!  And even after setting foot within the fortress walls, we were greeted with more (you guessed it) stairs and slopes!  I haven't huffed and puffed so much since I was in San Francisco!  The museum info indicates that Salzburg Fortress has never been taken by force -- it's no wonder!  What army would be crazy enough to advance up that slope wearing full armour and carrying weaponry??!  Needless to say, the views at that height were spectacular and well worth the effort of the climb.  Plus I took the funicular down. :P  A much more pleasant stroll was had at Schloss Hellbrunn, a whimsical 17th century Archbishop's summer palace with extensive gardens featuring a number of trick fountains.  In the park is also the gazebo from The Sound of Music where the number '16 Going On 17' was performed.

Doors are kept locked to keep dorky tourist from leaping bench to bench impersonating Liesl Von Trapp.

I didn't realize it at the time but the souvenirs are actually much better in Salzburg than in the capital Vienna (Wien) so if you're stopping in both cities, get your souvenirs in the former.  Also if you're a chocolate lover, have some Mozart balls.  There are stores in the historical center that sell nothing but, also different manufacturers with different priced products that taste comparable.  I'm not very well-knowledged on the different companies, but Mirabell is a common manufacturer with products at a medium price range.  I noticed that the Billa (supermarket) sold bags significantly cheaper than at the specialty/souvenir stores.

My hotel also added to my positive experiences in Salzburg, so I can't complete this blog without giving a shout to the Hotel Lasserhof - 5 mins from the train station, 10 mins from the centre of the city.  Affordable rates, free wifi, friendly concierge at 4am (who stowed my bag, offered me a map and circled key landmarks for me etc.), spacious room, and one of the greatest complimentary breakfast buffets I've had in my years of travel.  I left every morning with a belly full of toast/waffles/eggs/meats/yogurt/cereal/veggies/fruit/juice/tea (and that's just the stuff I eat, there was more), which goes a long way when you're walking all day.

I was in Salzburg for 2 full days and made good use of my time starting early each day - especially the first morning.  Tourist attractions tend to close early so it's a good idea to take in a concert or longer sit-down dinner to stretch out your day.  I had tickets to Cirque du Soleil (Allegria in an arena... perhaps I'll do a blog on Cirque shows around the world another time) one evening and dying of exhaustion the other evening.  Despite that, I felt like I got through most of what I wanted to see in a day and a half and spent a couple hours on the 2nd afternoon traveling to the edge of town (which is a 20 min bus ride away haha) to check out a Desigual outlet (one of my favourite fashion retailers), wow, now that's an outlet store!  They had a ton of stuff but sadly none of it was all that spectacular on me.

What a beautiful city Salzburg is!  Truthfully, it doesn't warrant a repeat visit, but it's so lovely that you just might want to stop in again.

Evenings/Nights Well Spent...

I've already drafted a number of blurbs on my travels, just trying to organize my photos so that I can also provide some visual aids with them.  In the meantime I've been messaged with some inquiries -- Yay questions!  I don’t reiterate this often enough but if you ever have any questions please don’t hesitate to contact me.  I don’t consider myself a pro in any way, but I’m plenty opinionated so will likely have some kind of a reply for you. 

 

Today’s inquiry comes from Chris Beer, who just returned from a week’s getaway in Vancouver and Victoria, British Columbia. Pretty nice there this time of year if I remember correctly.  He asks:

“What do you do with your evenings, when you're travelling? The time between dinner and bedtime, when most of the stores are closed and it's too dark to go sight seeing?”

Check out a noodle bar that turns into a club at night?

Nightlife greatly varies from country to country, some spots are no-brainers – ie. Las Vegas, while others really leave you scratching your head (I imagine Victoria would be one of them!)  Also options vary depending on the type of trip you’re taking and who you’re travelling with.

When I’m in bustling cities like Montreal/New York/London (England) with friends the nights are always packed, meals are often eaten a little late, and there’s always a trendy new bar to check out.  I don’t believe in travelling in packs night and day when I’m vacationing with friends, I firmly believe in doing different things in smaller groups, with your partner only, or even by yourself; but come nighttime that is when you gather to catch up on each other’s day, compare stories and purchases, and have a bit of food and drink together.

On trips where I am alone or travelling with folks who may not be up for a lot of nighttime activity, that’s a slightly different ballgame.  While I do adapt to the different cultures, if left to my own devices while on the road, I prefer to dine around 7 or 8, get back to the hotel between 9-11, and go to bed around 1am.  I’m also happy to check out late night activities, just not every night.  Some countries you’ll find the gaps are easy to fill…

The Spanish eat dinner around 10pm, so many stores will be open pretty late.  Even if you go broke at the El Corte Ingles (like I usually do) by 8pm, there’s time to wander back to the hotel to drop off your bags before making your way back out to dinner at 9:30.  In the major cities of Asia, stores open until 10 or 11pm so you can always do your shopping after you eat.  Most North American malls are open until at least dinner time, so shop until 7 or 8 then go eat, then check out what the nightlife has to offer.

Ok, so maybe you loathe shopping and want me to stop forcing you to go into malls… with a little planning ahead on your sight-seeing destinations it’s not hard to fill up a day.  Make a list of places you’d like to visit, map them out if you’re inclined.  Do a little research to see which ones close the latest and order your destinations to maximize your hours.  Again, this is prob easier to do in some cities than others, but since Chris just came back from Vancouver let’s use that as an example...  (Sorry if my suggestions are a little generic, it's been 9 years since I've been there) It’s your vacation so no need to rise that early, let’s say you’re ready to go out at about 10am, the Granville Island market will be open so head over there to look around and get some brunch.  In the afternoon you could stroll along Robson/Granville, or transit to Burnaby to check out some galleries, or go spend the afternoon in Stanley Park including the Vancouver Aquarium (or a combo of those if you’re efficient with your time), as the sun begins to set and the tourist spots close, head down to the waterfront to check out the view then over to Gastown to see the clock that everyone seems to make a fuss about (ok, I guess it is kinda cool).  By now most stores are closing but Chinatown is still open, stroll over there to check out the scene, the ugly historic bell, and maybe even have yourself some dinner.  After some food, if you’re not staying very far away, stop in at the hotel to drop off any purchases you’ve made during the day, your camera if it’s a large one, and freshen up.  Nightlife starts up pretty early in Vancouver, so come 9pm there will be a number of bars and lounges to check out.  Alternatively you can go take another peak at the view of the water at night, or go to a movie, or even to a Canucks game if they're playing and your wallet can handle the ticket prices.  One of my favourite bookstores Granville Books is sadly no longer there, but a quick search on the web indicates my other fav Golden Age Collectibles (which is the equivalent of Toronto’s Silver Snail) is still there and open until 9pm almost every night.

I think the common things to do in the evenings while on vacation usually include:  going to shows, concerts, bars, clubs, or the movies.  Some cities may have night walking tours, ie ghost tours or mystery tours.  Sometimes attractions will even have special night time events – ie. Alcatraz Prison has a night tour and London’s Victoria & Albert Museum has evenings events every Friday night.

This is a brief breakdown of what I did every night after the sun set while I was on vacation:

Night 1 – jet lag, went back to the hotel after dinner

Night 2 - full dinner starting 7:30/8pm then walked home slowly losing my way once (haha)

Night 3 – train departing at 9:30pm so I was at the station after dinner

Night 4 – Been up since 4am, I was barely awake to eat dinner much less go out after

Night 5 – Cirque du Soleil show

Night 6 – stayed in for the evening

Night 7 – early dinner then a Vienna opera performance

Night 8 – 7pm dinner at Ra’mien Bar, walked around the Ring to check out the marathon & party at Hofburg Palace, hour long stroll home after

Night 9 - full dinner around 8pm then leisurely walk back to the hotel

Night 10 – organ concert at 7pm, dinner after, then an overnight bus

Night 11 – 7-ish dinner in Old Town Square then the Torture Museum

Night 12 – early dinner in Lesser Prague, long walk to Old Town Square for souvenir shopping, then black light theatre show.

Night 13 – shopping until 8pm, bought supermarket food and cooked a really late dinner at the flat

Night 14 – shopping until almost 8pm then had a combo of store bought and self-prepared food for dinner

Night 15 – on a plane home :(

So you can see there was a good mix of things to do, no late night shopping and sadly the Budapest Castle Labyrinth is currently closed (that was one of the creepy night time things I had planned).  There were no djs or bands performing that I had to go see, and I opted to sample local wines in the comfort of my own hotel/flat instead of going out to the bars.  Nothing that kept me out extremely late (it wasn't that kind of trip), which gave me a chance to start my days earlier instead.  For the nights I got in early, I would spend my time doing one of a few things:

-planning my itinerary for the next day

-packing things up as I was often travelling the next morning

-catching up on social networking and news from home for the destinations where I had access to wifi

-watching The Big Bang Theory (I put 3 seasons onto my tablet, had I any movies I would’ve watched those too)

-reading A Game of Thrones (I have the entire series on ebook loaded to my tablet & iphone)

If anyone has any suggestions for Chris about what to do at night when traveling you are most welcome to post in the comments, I will ensure he receives your input.

Euroventures 2011 - Milan

Now here is an example of a greater part of a day lost to travel.  The Czech Republic doesn't appear to offer any efficient train routes to Italy, and one of the cheapest flights I found leaving Prague flew into Milan's Malpensa Airport.  I decided this was a good idea because Milan was the only major destination left in Italy (after booking my initial flight into Venice) that I have not visited, plus, hello...fashion capital! (Also the only one of the big four I've never visited).  So I booked the mid-day flight on Easyjet.  This was my first time flying Easyjet, and I have to say it was a lot more humane that Ryan Air!  There was still no assigned seating but that's not a big deal, and this time I didn't fear for my life during the landing.  I'd been doing well physically through the trip, but for some reason felt a bit groggy during the flight, so after we arrived I was moving a little slower.  I get the feeling we arrived a little late, I was moving underwater-like as I hauled my ass onto the inter-terminal bus at Malpensa (that was the longest ride from one terminal to another I've ever taken by the way, I had to check a few times to make sure I hadn't mistakenly left the airport!) to go catch the train into Milan, a train that came every 30 mins I should add and I just missed one when I got there... all in all it took us until past 4pm to get to Ivy's flat.  Poor woman waited hours for us and her calls to my iphone weren't coming through.  She remained the greatest of hosts though, helping me haul my lead weight of a bag up to her 3rd floor flat (that's the equiv of the 4th floor in North America) and showing us around the flat.  She has a truly wonderful place, it's cozy but not cramped and had everything I could ask for in a vacation flat.  She's even got a good selection of teas and coffees in the cupboard and a washing machine in there!  It's right by the train station so it does require a short metro ride to the centre of the city, but since we were arriving and leaving Milan from said train station and we were only there for 2 nights it made sense to stay by the station.  If you're ever in the same boat, I would strongly encourage you to book a stay at Ivy's flat, if I ever wind up in Milan again I'm definitely staying there.

It was close to 6pm by the time I set foot in the square to marvel the gothic architectural wonder that is the Duomo di Milano, the 3rd/4th largest church in the world.  Much as I love the Baroque interiors I saw in Vienna and other religious adornments in other cities, I have to say nothing excites the church-architecture geek in me more than a gothic church.  Call it a weakness for flying buttresses haha. I can prob tell directions better from looking at an old church than by the sun/moon.

As much as I hate to admit it, I didn't do all my research on Milan.  Even with the guidebook that was sitting on Ivy's dining table, I didn't read as carefully as I could have.  The Duomo, Castello Sforzesco, The Last Supper (where tickets were sold out for the day that I was able to go) and shopping streets aside, I wasn't armed with any info on Milan.  Luckily my shopping ventures took me past the Colonne di San Lorenzo, which I recognized from skimming Ivy's guidebook to be Ancient Roman remains (they're 16 Corinthian columns dating from the 5th century when Milan was the capital of the Roman Empire, the columns were constructed from parts dating back to the 2nd & 3rd centuries...AMAZING how long they've survived and the fact that you can just go up and sit on em). What I missed out on was the San Lorenzo Maggiore, the church right next to the columns that also dates back to the 4th century (despite having been repaired and parts rebuilt) with a rich history of its own.


All was not lost though, I made up for all cultural shortcomings with additional shopping destinations!  Milan isn't called a fashion capital for nothing, after Singapore and Manhattan, I think Milan has the highest concentration of fashion retailers out of all the cities I've visited.  My only criticism would be for the disappointing selection and general store decor at Custo (another Barcelona label whose clothing I admire, and can sometimes even afford).  The Custo store in Soho, Manhattan is far superior.  I did buy myself the intended souvenir...a pair of leather boots specifically marked "Made in Italy", they are the new love of my life.

It's hard to say if I'll ever be back in Milan, I certainly have no objections to this bustling city and loved Ivy's flat, but unless travel between two other destinations takes me through here, I likely wouldn't go out of my way to re-visit.  I think that if I'd done my homework and managed to get tickets to see The Last Supper, two full days would've been adequate to take in all the highlights of Milan.


The final day of my trip was spent making my way back to Venice to catch my flight home.  Having ridden on Trenitalia trains before I was pretty confident I'd get to where I was going -- that almost wasn't the case though when I stepped off the train at Venice Mestre for a few seconds before I realized we were still one stop away from the stop I wanted - Venice Santa Lucia! Haha.  It's just a short boat ride, but still, that would have made a difference in time & money.


At Santa Lucia we got stuck behind a tour group stopping in for the day at the Left Luggage queue, but Venice is small so there was still time to wander back to the Rialto Market to blow the last of my euros on Venetian masks and gelato.  Walked through San Marco square one last time (and crossed the Academia and Rialto Bridges twice each... I tell ya Venice gets smaller and smaller the more familiar you get with it!) before making our way to the airport and home to Toronto.

Euroventures 2011 - Venice

In just over a week I've covered Venice, Salzburg, Vienna, and Budapest.  I'm now in Prague facing some lodging challenges, but the bulk of this blog was drafted on my last night in Vienna:

I'm on a train to Budapest in the morning (now that I've figured out which U-Bahn stop the station's actually at) where I've booked myself into an Ibis hotel for a night of basic but standardized comfort that is supposed to include wifi so I will hopefully be able to upload this then. [This did not happen due to wonky wifi at the Ibis City Budapest]

To sum up Venice in one entry wouldn't do it justice, so these are only highlights.  I'm also shying away from details about the sights as I feel descriptions without the accompanying photos is somehow incomplete.
Venice is charming but strictly for sight-seeing (and maybe engagement photos haha -- for those who know me, you might recall that I would like to have wedding photos taken at Versailles palace in Paris.) Don't show up with heavy luggage and expect the average street to be half the width of your driveway.  Once you drop off your bags at your hotel and get used to what qualifies as a street though it's an immensely fun place to get lost in, and not the least bit scary to be wandering pitch black alleys between old buildings (as the saying goes "don't try this at home kids").  By my third day I had sought out the narrowest alley in Venice - measuring 2 feet wide and leading straight into the water.  I also checked out a restaurant - Pasqualino's - that my friend Nelson (who was just in Venice one week before me) recommended, as well as another seafood restaurant for some smoked swordfish carppacio and probably the best salmon spaghetti I've ever had (if you follow the signs from San Marco to Rialto or vice versa, you will wind up passing through a small square that are all seafood restaurants).

GPS is both a life-saver and a huge frustration while in Venice.  While jet-lagged and disoriented, it helped me get 95% of the way to my hotel (which google maps said was a 12 min walk!  Yeah, if you live in Venice, maybe...) however because the steeets were so closely spaced and GPS can only detemine your location up to x meters, I was walking back and forth one street away from my hotel while google insisted that Ihad arrived at my destination.

Weather in Venice was lovely, high 20s (celcius) with all the water making it feel just slightly cooler.  The city featured more tourists than locals and Italian was not at all the common tongue to be heard while walking down the streets, however visitors and locals alike were very polite and full of smiles.  My hotel, Ca Centropietre, was situated on a pretty quiet street not far from the Academia Gallery and the Peggy Guggenheim Collection (the latter of which I preferred better).  My washroom featured a fold-down bidet, which I regretfully forgot to take a picture of.  It was all that was available when I was booking accomodations, it was fine but I feel like I could have done better for that price.  It is worth noting that they did provide a complimentary continental breakfast.

Venice is worth seeing for yourself, I would recommend it for adults of all ages.  It's strictly about the sight-seeing, but you won't be disappointed.  There are folks who would be happy to stay much longer but I think 3 days was exactly the amount of time I needed to see everything that I wanted to see.

Lost in Venezia

2 days on the road and I've already broken a couple travel rules and likely run up a mad data roaming bill!
I was 2 blocks away from my apartment and already realized I'd probably packed too much. Just becuase your bag isn't stuffed to the brim doesn't mean you should start putting extras in, aside from the sundress for Venice of course, that has served me well strolling the sunny canals. My over-packing was confirmed once reaching Venice itself, I always say there's a reason you backpack through Europe and that goes doubly so for Venice. The sheer number of steps you have to go up and down to navigate the bridges will drive you insane if you're dragging even a wheeled sports duffel like mine.

It took me a day to get used to the difference in street widths, here if you stand in a street, stretch your arms out to either side and your fingers don't the buildings...you're on a major street! Today I sought out the narrowest alley in Venice, which is part of Calle Varisco and it is two feet wide! If you're a bit bigger than me you might have to turn sideways to get down the street. I'm also amused that one wrong turn leads you to water, no gates, poles, or any other object or markings, you just land right in the canal. Or that a seeming normal-sized bridge will lead solely to someone's front door.

My other no-no is buying difficult to transport souvenirs, arguably I break this rule pretty often since I like to collect shot glasses in my travels... I only wish I'd stopped there with the Murano glass (don't worry, it's just a delicate-shaped figurine, I haven't bought a vase or anything)

As for the roaming bill, well when you're sleep-deprived, jet-lagged, and have to make 24 turns during a 12 min walk to your hotel while navigating bridges with your heavy bag... you turn on your GPS and google maps pretty damned fast! Get lost a couple more times while gerting acquainted with the city and suddenly that's a lot of data you've just used :(

Those are just the stumbles though, I'll cover the highlights after I visit the Doge's Palace and St Mark's tomorrow. In the meantime go find yourself some ameretto gelato! Trust ;)