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Saturday, February 11, 2017
Four Borklunds Travel to Europe
We just got back from our trip to Europe. My dad, Cindy, Huong and I traveled to three countries in nine days:
- Edinburgh, Scotland, UK
- Paris, France
- London, England, UK
Here is a list of things I learned on this trip:
- Edinburgh is the capital of Scotland. It's clean and orderly with friendly people and not too many tourists, except during the International Festival in the summer.
- Scotch in Scotland is called whiskey and there are many brands. Unfortunately, whiskey in Scotland costs more than it does in the U.S. thanks to a 77% tax.
- The Pigalle area of Paris is the former red light district and a bit dirty. Plenty of hustlers, panhandlers and drug dealers. Trash everywhere. Moulin Rouge is there. Starbucks in Pigalle doesn't open until 8:30am.
- If you want a Louis Vuitton bag, buy it in Paris and get the VAT (included sales tax) refunded at the airport. They cost about 20% less in Paris than in the US and they are made in France.
- The green olives in France are not salty or sour - just perfect with some fresh herbs and crushed garlic.
- Wine in France is really good and really inexpensive. The grocery store has hundreds of bottles under 5 euros.
- In every city we visited, Uber costs less and is more convenient than a taxi. If there are four of you, Uber is less expensive than a subway or a train.
- Of the hotels we stayed in, Hilton and Mercure were very nice and had good breakfasts. Ibis in London not so much. All three had great service though.
- A direct flight from London to LAX is about 10 hours each way.
- If you pack carefully, you can live out of a carry-on for 9 days. No checked baggage is a great way to travel.
- Starbucks in UK is very popular but not as popular as the Costa and the Cafe Nero coffee chains. A tall Starbucks coffee costs 1 pound ($1.25) in UK but 3 Euros ($3.21) in France. My Starbucks card works in UK but not France. Did I mention France was dirty?
- Contrary to rumors I heard before I went on this trip, food in Edinburgh and London is delicious and costs about the same as here, considering sales tax and service is included. The only bad meal we had was in France but the rest of our dining in France was great also - and not expensive.
- The small restaurants and pubs typically have the best people and food in any given area. Just look for a semi-crowded one. Yelp works well in all three cities too.
- In all three cities, the grab-and-go sandwiches in the little markets are $2-$3, fresh and an easy to way have a quick meal while sightseeing.
- Europeans don't eat eggs much for breakfast, but they do for lunch or dinner. If they have eggs at the hotel buffet, it's for the tourists staying at the hotel.
Overall, we had a great trip. Dad and Cindy are great travel partners for us. We are already thinking about where to go next.
Friday, February 10, 2017
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