Back from vacation...
June 24 2008
OK, so we had a good time.
The £30 (each) "champagne flight" on the London Eye was one of the best bargains of this trip. There were only six of us plus a host in the capsule, we were able to bypass all the queues, and it was a fantastic view last night. A thoroughly enjoyable time.
We also had a special treat as my colleague Gareth Cook invited us to Windsor Castle on Sunday. Gareth's family lives and works on the castle grounds, and his father was quite a generous chap and took us around for a guided tour on a beautiful Sunday. Thanks, G, and cheers to you and Dad for an amazing Sunday morning.
I have to admit that this trip, I felt the squeeze of the US dollar more than any vacation in recent memory. When quick takeaway lunches for two translate out to nearly US$30, or a mediocre dinner costs $70, and a very good meal (Ze Kitchen Gallerie in Paris) is over US$200 (with only a couple of glasses of wine)... or when admission to the Tower of London racks up at US$65 for two... well, it all adds up, fast. Other than the aforementioned taxis to and from CDG airport, we took no other taxis, and relied 100% on busses and metro/underground passes. It is possible to enjoy London and Paris without breaking the bank, but the days of going on $25 a day are long in the past.
As any regular reader knows, I do love spending time in Europe...but...it may be a while before the whole family piles over again. For now, it's back to reality...and for next time, it's going to be another part of the world.
Post a Comment
- 2
Eric L http://nfprotein.com/eric | 6/24/2008 11:16:16 PM
For those of us doing business overseas (maybe like IBM?), it feels great when the hotel rooms are overpriced in Amsterdam. The more the travel costs hurt, the better our export position is.
A positive spin for you...
- 3
Bernard | 6/25/2008 1:27:29 AM
London is just a hideously expensive city, one of the most expensive in the world. After tax, people on the minimum hourly wage are paid enough to buy one grand latte at Starbucks per hour worked, or have earned enough cash in that hour to travel home from the centre on the metro. Throw in the cost of buying a sandwich and a coke for lunch, and they've worked half a day just to buy a snack and get to and from work. Go to the pub for a couple of drinks after work, and throw in another sandwich, and that's basically the wages for the afternoon gone. Looks to me like the whole UK economy's been thriving on a housing market bubble for the last 10 years.
- 4
Lars Olufsen http://www.olufsphere.com | 6/25/2008 2:23:01 AM
The weakness of the US$ allows all of us europeans to visit YOUR country for once and see more than just the Disney resort area :o)
- 5
Brian Benz http://www.softwaresoapbox.com | 6/25/2008 1:08:56 PM
Welcome back!
We had to cancel our planned trip to Croatia and Sardinia this year (Carribean instead - how awful! :) ). Just didn't want to feel poor all the time....
We spent 3 weeks in Spain and Portugal in 2006 when the Euro was 20% and gas was 30% cheaper than it is now....Can't imagine what that trip would cost in 2008!
Definitely a far cry from when I worked and lived in London in 1985 and the Dollar and Pound were almost at par....It would be great to be earning pounds now!
- 6
Kevin S. | 6/27/2008 7:08:37 PM
Ed:
Your first mistake was the taxi from CDG. The airport has an excellent train station and is quite inexpensive. So many people use it now, that lugging baggage on the train doesn't even raise an eyebrow.
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Ed Brill http://www.edbrill.com | 6/27/2008 9:27:12 PM
I don't agree that CDG's train station is "excellent". Having to take an infrequent bus six stops to get to the train station isn't excellent to me. If you happen to come into one of the adjacent sections of terminal 2, you're in good shape. Otherwise, nope.
I know how you feel Ed. It was only a couple of years ago that coming from Australia to LotusSphere was an expensive exercise due to currency difference. I for one am looking forward to LS2009 due to the improvement in our currency vs the USD. We are almost at parity now and it only seems to be getting better for the $AUD. Maybe I can move from the Carribean to the Dolphin this time round!