Lessons in Travel
I'm back now from my long European vacation. Four countries in three weeks and of course, a lot of fun. The weather in most of northern Europe this summer is unusually warm, and people are flocking to outdoor settings to enjoy it.
The World Cup is being played in Germany this year, with many tourists heading to the area to see their national teams play. The World Cup is played every four years, and I'd be interested to see workplace productivity figures for the month of June in those years. People wake up early or ditch work to watch matches. If they're not simply on vacation to attend the matches in person, that is.
During my trip, I also took away the following lessons:
Dollar tourism sucks: For some reason, I hadn't registered the fact that the Euro was now standing around $1.27, instead of the $1.10 that I was accustomed to. Now, I don't ordinarily go overseas with the intention of buying lots of loot, so this usually isn't a problem for me. It's just that the day to day expenses and the little bit of souvenir-buying I did hit my pocketbook a little more than expected. Fortunately, the Danish and Swedish Crowns aren't stacked against the dollar as heavily, so staying in those countries wasn't as bad.
We don't know how good we have it: Matthew and I rented a car to drive from Stockholm back to Copenhagen (but we had to return the car to Malmø, Sweden). The rental car had to be refueled before returning it. The cheapest fuel station I could find was 11.8 SEK/l. That translates to $6.43/gal. For a full tank of fuel, no less. Also, bridge toll across the Øresundsbrøn is 285 SEK or 245 DKK (about $41) one-way. Now, it's true that the bridge itself is about 7km, and the total crossing is approximately 15km. There are some discounts for frequent travelers, but there isn't a free direction, like with the Golden Gate or Bay Bridges.
Dining out in Europe is a completely different experience: In the U.S., we kind of focus on speed and efficiency when it comes to nutrition (should I even call it "nutrition"?). It's rare for Americans to go out for a true, leisurely dining experience. We are the nation that perfected fast food (think "microwaveable", too) and invented the drive-thru. When eating out, it's common for the server to visit the table once to take drink orders, a second time for food (both appetizers and entrees), then a perfunctory "how is everything?" visit, and finally a trip to simultaneously ask about dessert possibilities, and, failing that, to drop off the check. And it commonly seems that the check is accompanied by the statement "no rush on that." So when the server comes back again a few minutes later to say "uh, sorry, my shift is ending, can I cash you out?", it's an almost unwelcome visit. However, we, as Americans are kind of accustomed to this, and it's not uncommon to fall prey to this sort of social engineering and just go along with it. We pay our bill and go, and that's that.
Europe? Different world. You'll see your server pass through the restaurant, but they won't visit your table unless you flag them down, or until there are empty glasses to refill or empty plates to bus. It's a decidedly lower-pressure situation. The bill? It doesn't come until you ask for it.
It's said that you can sit in a cafe, order a cup of coffee and sit all day. The only place that I've found where this isn't strictly true is Dublin, where they often have two seatings for dinner. You can come in early without a reservation, but you may be asked "can you be out by 8:30?" Provided you can finish your meal before the table has to be cleared to accomodate the later seating, you're all set. Also, I like the implication here about the power of reservations. If you've got one, it's writ in stone. In the U.S., how many times have you made a reservation, and been asked to wait when you actually arrived at the restaurant? Bogus!
Biergartens rule: At the Chinesischer Turm in Munich, the biergarten routinely attracts diners to sit and enjoy the weather. There are a collection tables and benches, and a cafeteria-style restaurant serving German favorites and of course maßen of beer. You don't have to eat their food, however; you're welcome to bring your own picnic foods (and even candles!) to savor. Add a giant TV screen to the mixture, and you've got the perfect venue for enjoying the World Cup. While watching the match between France and Brazil, I was astounded to hear many chants of "Allez, les Bleus!" as well as people singing along with the Marseillaise. I can't say that I've encountered anything like the biergarten here at home. Awesome.
I might come up with a few more "lessons" as I ruminate over the trip, but this should appease my loyal readers for now.
The World Cup is being played in Germany this year, with many tourists heading to the area to see their national teams play. The World Cup is played every four years, and I'd be interested to see workplace productivity figures for the month of June in those years. People wake up early or ditch work to watch matches. If they're not simply on vacation to attend the matches in person, that is.
During my trip, I also took away the following lessons:
Dollar tourism sucks: For some reason, I hadn't registered the fact that the Euro was now standing around $1.27, instead of the $1.10 that I was accustomed to. Now, I don't ordinarily go overseas with the intention of buying lots of loot, so this usually isn't a problem for me. It's just that the day to day expenses and the little bit of souvenir-buying I did hit my pocketbook a little more than expected. Fortunately, the Danish and Swedish Crowns aren't stacked against the dollar as heavily, so staying in those countries wasn't as bad.
We don't know how good we have it: Matthew and I rented a car to drive from Stockholm back to Copenhagen (but we had to return the car to Malmø, Sweden). The rental car had to be refueled before returning it. The cheapest fuel station I could find was 11.8 SEK/l. That translates to $6.43/gal. For a full tank of fuel, no less. Also, bridge toll across the Øresundsbrøn is 285 SEK or 245 DKK (about $41) one-way. Now, it's true that the bridge itself is about 7km, and the total crossing is approximately 15km. There are some discounts for frequent travelers, but there isn't a free direction, like with the Golden Gate or Bay Bridges.
Dining out in Europe is a completely different experience: In the U.S., we kind of focus on speed and efficiency when it comes to nutrition (should I even call it "nutrition"?). It's rare for Americans to go out for a true, leisurely dining experience. We are the nation that perfected fast food (think "microwaveable", too) and invented the drive-thru. When eating out, it's common for the server to visit the table once to take drink orders, a second time for food (both appetizers and entrees), then a perfunctory "how is everything?" visit, and finally a trip to simultaneously ask about dessert possibilities, and, failing that, to drop off the check. And it commonly seems that the check is accompanied by the statement "no rush on that." So when the server comes back again a few minutes later to say "uh, sorry, my shift is ending, can I cash you out?", it's an almost unwelcome visit. However, we, as Americans are kind of accustomed to this, and it's not uncommon to fall prey to this sort of social engineering and just go along with it. We pay our bill and go, and that's that.
Europe? Different world. You'll see your server pass through the restaurant, but they won't visit your table unless you flag them down, or until there are empty glasses to refill or empty plates to bus. It's a decidedly lower-pressure situation. The bill? It doesn't come until you ask for it.
It's said that you can sit in a cafe, order a cup of coffee and sit all day. The only place that I've found where this isn't strictly true is Dublin, where they often have two seatings for dinner. You can come in early without a reservation, but you may be asked "can you be out by 8:30?" Provided you can finish your meal before the table has to be cleared to accomodate the later seating, you're all set. Also, I like the implication here about the power of reservations. If you've got one, it's writ in stone. In the U.S., how many times have you made a reservation, and been asked to wait when you actually arrived at the restaurant? Bogus!
Biergartens rule: At the Chinesischer Turm in Munich, the biergarten routinely attracts diners to sit and enjoy the weather. There are a collection tables and benches, and a cafeteria-style restaurant serving German favorites and of course maßen of beer. You don't have to eat their food, however; you're welcome to bring your own picnic foods (and even candles!) to savor. Add a giant TV screen to the mixture, and you've got the perfect venue for enjoying the World Cup. While watching the match between France and Brazil, I was astounded to hear many chants of "Allez, les Bleus!" as well as people singing along with the Marseillaise. I can't say that I've encountered anything like the biergarten here at home. Awesome.
I might come up with a few more "lessons" as I ruminate over the trip, but this should appease my loyal readers for now.
posted by Sanford Owings at 12:51 PM
1 Comments:
I hadn't thought about that... I'm definitely used to the in-and-out (no not a reference to the fast food chain) style of eating out here in the US. :)
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