Travel - always brings out my fresh perspective. Like these petals on flowers that look nothing like any other flower petal I've ever seen before. Fresh. Gotta love that.
Tip of the day: To see Paris by bicycle, get a credit card with a chip I had heard about the Paris Velib bicycle system on a radio show and was eager to try it out. http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=14429468 . This bicycle system was attributed with making Paris more friendly. The Velib bikes stood out and could not be missed - long racks of bicycles near the great tourist destinations, Parisians picking up bikes, dropping them off at the racks, tourists and citizens riding around the city. At this point I was ready give my feet a rest and cover some ground on a bike. We looked bewilderedly at the rental kiosk at the rack we happened upon. Then a kind citizen gave a half hour explanation (in French) to Kurt -our Swiss travel companion, guide, friend, and linguist. Kurt said "she tells me you need to have a chip in your credit card to place the deposit on the bicycle." Air rushes out leaving me deflated like a balloon smashed empty on the sidewalk. B...
Tip of the day: Consider the Travelex Prepaid Currency Cash Passport Card Back in the day, carrying Traveler's Cheques was the way to go to Europe. Many countries, many different currencies. N o l o n g e r t h e c a s e . Now, for Western Europe you need the Euro, Swiss Francs for Switzerland, and the Pound for England. There is alot of info on the internet about money and travel to Europe (use ATMs, make sure you have a 4 digit pin, take a credit card with low to no surcharge for foreign transactions). I am going to tell you what worked for us in July 2009. The Travelex Cash Passport. If you load $2500 USD onto the Cash Passport, you'll get a better USD-Euro exchange rate than the current counter rate. We used the card in stores, restaurants, and at ATMs to withdraw Euros. It was smooth and easy. The card offers protection in case it is lost or stolen. My daughter and I each carried a card that linked to same account so we could move separately and have access to ...
Tip of the day: Try some pastilles My throat was a little scratchy this morning, so I sucked on a blackcurrant pastille (Cassis Pastilles) . They are a wonderful chewy consistency - nothing like the hard candy type of cough drop/throat lozenge we have here in the US. A few years ago, scratchy throats were going around a workshop I attended in Germany. My wonderful German roommate got me a box of Ricola Krauterpastillen (Blackcurrent Pastilles). They are so great for a sore throat. We have Ricola cough drops here in America, but no pastilles. Pity.
Wow, I wonder what they are?
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