The Kids Are Still Alright

9 euro for 5 meatballs? Better be good!

How the time seems to just keep on slippin’, slippin’ into the future.  Maybe Melanie can break into that for her next karaoke breakout.  Being as we have now been on the road for now 40 days, and 40 nights…40 is just a number and in reality it’s almost a full 6 weeks.  With that milestone ’40’ is also celebration of my 40+ posts with some real content, although celebration is a bit of an overstatement in that this is more now of a personal goal than something truly culture changing.  Those of you dedicated readers, all 10-15 of you, I appreciate the reading because other than the few of you that read this…the only audience I can really write for is Melanie.  Call it sappy, but she still likes what I write.  That’s what she tells me anyways.  Not every post can be equally engaging, and maybe after whipping up 100 posts one of them might actually be captivating, similar to a million monkeys typing for 10 years creating a masterpiece.  Am I a monkey?

It’s also 40 days of eating foods our bodies haven’t adjusted to, after all…how many days in a row can you eat pizza, caprese salads or spaghetti pomadoro?  It’s 40 days of managing bathroom breaks, since you never really know where the next one might be.  Do you have sufficient change of the correct denomination to insert into the door? Are the cleanliness levels are sufficient to quell that urge?  How long is that line, and is this a co-ed water closet…really?  We really are spoiled back home.  For a dose of reality, there must be a gas station restroom along an Albertan stretch of the TransCanada to offer up some relative similarity for you readers to identify with.  I know, it’s a huge step up from some of the facilities in India or China, but I am not complaining…just noting it.

Taken one day ago... No fake smiles here

In addition…40 days of observing other turistas and exactly what not to do.  I have mentioned before our attempts to blend with the locals, and our efforts seem to be completely lost on anyone native to the area.  We did well in France, Germany and Austria, but not so well here.  I am guessing it’s the one syllable conversations on our end which definitely show we’re a little lacking in Italian lingual prowess.  Maybe it’s the distinct lack of color in our cheeks from a short Vancouver summer.  The few we are able to convince we’re local, are those with the slow aimless dawdle down the streets with huge digital SLR’s swinging from their necks.  This is likely whom those ‘Beware of Pickpockets’ signs are directed towards, however it doesn’t hurt to be vigilant with our own personal items.

I can’t say I have ever spent close to 1000+ continuous hours with any specific individual and we are quickly approaching just that.  Certainly there has to be times where a little personal space is required without losing your mind, and currently that personal space consists of a 5 minute shower or short excursions to find gelato while the other waits and watches the luggage at the bus or train station.  If anyone is wondering, we’re doing just fine and not at each others throats…as long as there are pee breaks and moments to keep the blood sugar up.

I’ll keep the writing up, even though many could care less.  Considering neither of us are now pulling a paycheque, maybe traffic to this site can slowly build to the point where clicked ads can support us (if I ever find the widget to add on).  This writing gives me something cathartic to do in the morning while Melanie’s getting ready to face the day, and an excuse for me to suck back a couple instant coffees when no authentic caffeine source is available.  Maybe I can catch a whiff of a neighbour smoking to give me that now needed nicotine fix.  Is it really possible to become addicted to second-hand smoke?

Restaurant Smoking…Part Deux and Finale

I know I have already put together a post ranting about the liberties offered to dining smoker, and that was all of two weeks ago.  Any of the few non-smoking followers have been curiously silent on the issue, and as for you smoking followers…my last comment to just take your smoking outside is one you are all familiar with.  I assume I have only offended…oh pretty much everyone by now.

Sometimes just one sticker, sometimes both...I do like the yellow warning triangle though

Obviously I am not done with this topic though.  I know, let it go…but that user biased Wikipedia is a great source of information.  Upon further investigation into smoking regulations in Austria, restaurants bigger than 800 sq.ft. are required to have a non-smoking section.  We did see some of these in both Salzburg and Vienna, with the glass wall separators making me wonder if the odd fish should also be swimming around in there…next to the treasure chest that opens with an accumulation of bubbles.  With smaller establishments, they have the option to be all smoking if the staff all agree inhaling second-hand smoke for 8-10 hours a day won’t compromise their typical lifestyle.  I guess WCB hasn’t had a say in this just yet.

I did do a little looking into regulations for the Czech Republic, just to be fully prepared for whatever dining experience might be in place here and was not shocked to find the lack of any smoking specific rules.   The only enforceable rule for restaurants is that they have a sticker in the window indicating if they are a smoking permitted establishment…and if they might have a non-smoking section.  The equivalent may be to put a hazard sticker in the window to say ‘This building may contain asbestos…”.  Of course not all establishments prominently display these stickers in the most visible of locations, making the hunt for these symbols all the more exciting.

Add smoking to the rest of these. Since when did we ever heed a yellow triangle warning?

So in choosing a dining establishment, I am now looking for a menu that I can read, an atmosphere that looks like the food hasn’t been recently scraped off the floor, menu prices that aren’t exorbitant, and add to that smoking or non-smoking.  Really, if the smoking option wasn’t there…then wouldn’t every restaurant be an option for every individual looking to dine?  Sure it curtails the freedoms of those that choose to pollute the air with their smouldering butts, but I have to ask as a business owner… why put the added investment in to separate confines and ducting to accommodate such habits?  Is it an actual ‘investment’?  Even the non-smoking section still has that stale smoke smell… one that has marinated the walls and fabric making it smell like…well i guess it’s my clothes after walking down the sidewalk through a hoard of Italian touristas.  Not only that, but why would I want to alienate a large portion of my potential customer base?  And has anyone polled smokers to know how many of them appreciate a strong whiff of Colt hanging in the air to mask the aromatics of an expensive wine.

There are plenty of studies out there to suggest an increase and decrease in business seen by specific establishments…but no one can justify staying home for a drink instead of going out only because they can’t have a smoke in the place.  Those few individuals were already considering the option.  Those with enough incentive to get out of the house will do so anyways.  There has always been a general fear to go with a general smoking ban, with studies going a number of different directions (depending on who is paying for the work).  As Melanie says…’Just rip the band-aid off and do it already!’.

Alright, I think I have made my point.  As a final note…then I will drop the subject, I seem to recall washrooms in each establishment for draining the contents of your bladder in a sanitary fashion.  I want to equate the drifting of cigarette smoke to my table, to a puddle of urine running across the floor.  I don’t take a piss at my table like a feral dog, to then have it run through the grout lines between tiles to where your coat is haphazardly draped over your chair and onto the floor.  Take it outside folks!  Everywhere!

How to: Vacation Apartment Rentals

Sometimes a little surprising what you get

So you’re thinking of renting an apartment, townhouse, villa, or hut on the beach instead of doing the usual hotel thing for your next vacation.  The question is where to start and how to do it.  I won’t say we’re experts by any means.  We have ventured out of the comfort zone that Expedia, Travelocity or Priceline might offer though.  An apartment is a great way to stay in a place that is out of the typical hotel district, and maybe something a little more realistic of how the locals might live.  We have found fewer vagrants huddled in the streets, locals bars full of life, chatty grocers, and the best bakeries making the experience much more unique and memorable.

We have done craigslist.  Sure there is always the possibility of being scammed, but realize that for the most part people are good.  If you live in constant fear that when you arrive the accommodation you thought you arranged isn’t actually there… you can always resort to a hotel as a back up plan.

In Montreal, we rented a great little flat for about 40% of a typical hotel.  The guy that lived there was a student from UVic that needed a few extra bucks.  He simply packed a few things and moved to his brother’s apartment a few doors away.  It was interesting, drawers were full of clothes, condiments were still in the fridge, change was still in a jar by the bed.  It was as if this guy completely trusted a total stranger to stay in his place for three nights.  It was a great little walkup brownstone-type building in a neighbourhood off a park with fresh crepes and lattes only 20 steps from the front door.  You definitely don’t get that in the downtown, commercial districts.

Craigslist also worked out well in NYC, where a lady who splits her time between London and NYC decided some time ago to have her father rent out the place while she was gone.  The proceeds from the apartment rental went towards the charity her father managed from the first floor of the building.  Now, these types of reservations may be a little hit and miss.  Pics of places can be a little misleading, sometimes in a good way…sometimes in a bad way.  There are never any reviews either, and considering anybody could do it…I guess whoever has keys to our place while we’re away may also be renting it out while we’re away for beer money.  Let’s hope that’s not the case as I hate scrubbing other people’s filth.

Imagine waking up to this each day?

We were in Bermuda back in May, and for that stay we found a place through vrbo.com.  One week in a place with few hotel options made a vacation rental near essential.  Of the few places noted, we decided to splurge a little and go for a three unit vacation villa rental where the owner resided on the top floor.  Reviews were great and the owner was responsive and cooperative… but as a buyer there always has to be a little hesitation.  Apparently that hesitation was not required as a driver was there to pick us up from the airport, even with a delayed flight, and everything was included in the rental…all the way down to a loaf of bread, jam and some milk to get us started.  Complimentary kayaks down at his little dock as well… sorry, I don’t seem to have any pics of the inside of this place…but what does that matter when you have a view like this.

Quaint, balcony and great views...but those nighttime kitchen bugs were offputting

For this trip, we have been using vrbo.com and homeaway.com.  Both sites have a wide variety of accommodations and do some vetting of the entrepreneurs advertising their places (of course that vetting may be just extraction of an annual fee, but it’s something to qualify these people as real).  Each site also makes it easy to search out an area, check photos of places, and reviews from previous clientele.  Reviews seem to be the only real source of information from the web these days, but as with any movie I have been told that I must see, and have been greatly disappointed with…everyone has an opinion and it definitely isn’t yours.

When was the last time you mentioned to anyone the hotel you stayed at?  How eager the concierge was? What was the star rating was on the hotel?  For the most part, people don’t really care about those stories, and if they do…it’s a short conversation.  I could say that with our Paris apartment, it was all an adventure.  Emailing a deposit to the guy, coordinating collection of the key (secretly duct taped to the underside of the doormat).  Discovering no elevator on arrival, and 111 steps needed to be ascended with two overstuffed suitcases. Finally, meeting the owner for a final cash payment.  It turns out the guy is just a prof at a local university who has written some whitepapers on coding and how to write apps for the iPhone.  Decorating style and cleanliness were not big strong points.

So new and clean...a welcome sight for a week

Munich required standing in the rain for 20 minutes waiting for the guy to arrive, let us into the building and do the key exchange.  Once again, cash in hand to complete the transaction…but we had a stunning apartment all renovated in the last month.  So new the Ikea barcodes were still stck to the bottoms of the dishes.  Not all was simple though with the lack of a shower door soaking the entire bathroom every time you rinsed off the grime from a day wandering around town.  No bio on the guy, but he was there promptly to deliver any requested items, and was also the cleaning staff when we left the apartment on the final day.  A nice experience.

Vienna was arranged relatively last minute, with only a few days notice.  Another cash transaction this time with no deposit required to even secure the room.  Local hotels in the same area were going for 200+ euro/night and we worked out an 80/night deal.  Upon arrival, we had a brand new european bathroom on the third floor of an amazingly located building, and a storage bed with a fabric dating back at least three decades.  The room was topped off with a chandelier over the bed!  When was the last time you woke up thinking you were about to be served for dinner?

Bigger than our place at home! Clean! Awesome!

Finally, Prague.  A few apartments found through homeaway.com, which were managed by Prague City Apartments.  I haven’t specifically listed the individual vendors above, but feel I must put together a specific shout-out for these guys.  Unlike the typical property managers, these guys were always very quick to respond, had updated calendars, and offered several other services such as train or airport transfers for local rates.  Prices that were a fraction of hotels, in locations you couldn’t beat.

I wasn’t sure what to expect, as everything seemed too good to be true.  A price only 40% of nearby hotels.  Excellent reviews from previous customers.  A location only 5 minutes walk from the Old Town Square.  All I can say is the company really knows what they’re doing and customer service is number one here.  Something we haven’t seen in previous rentals is a maid service…here we have our towels also changed daily.  Unprecedented!  Even the dishes from breakfast are cleaned on a daily basis.

So, this article may be a little long, but is intended to share a little of our varied experience while renting.  If you’re a newbie and scared to try it…maybe this will be that push you need.  Give it a shot and you may be nicely surprised.