Been There Done That Too…

Vaporettos – Venice’s Water Bus

// May 16th, 2009 // No Comments » // Europe, Hate'm, Italy, Venice

Without a doubt one of the biggest rip offs in Venice, Italy – their “Vaporettos” ie PUBLIC waterbus service.  Talk about gouging the tourists.  ONE TRIP – regardless of length, it can be 1 stop or 10 stops, is 6.5 Euros (approximately $8.5 – 9 US).  When compared to, oh, the 20 minute bus trip from Venice to the Airport which is a very reasonable 3 Euros, or the THREE DAY PASS (bus and metro) in Rome for 11 Euros it makes you want to bend over and grab your ankles when you hand them the money for the vaporetto ticket. (more…)

Amadeus Hotel, Venice, Italy

// May 16th, 2009 // No Comments » // Europe, Italy, Love'm, Venice

After my recent trip to Venice I’m trying to figure out why all the guidebooks lead everyone to believe the area by the (SMN) train station is dangerous and a dump with seedy hotels…  It’s not.  In fact the Amadeus Hotel is a wonderful 4 star hotel less than a 5 minute walk from the train station (SMN). Which in Venice is important – you’ll either arrive by bus or train (I recommend the train, less stairs) and you have to lug your luggage to your hotel. (more…)

Cadiz

// April 20th, 2008 // Comments Off // Spain, Transatlantic Nov'07

Next after Malaga is the charming, picturesque town of Cadiz. It’s compact layout is perfect for wandering. As one of Europe’s oldest cities dating back to approximately 1100BC it’s a true melting pot of styles, including Moorish influences from the 1100-1200s which can be seen in the many tiled entryways.

The city offers wonderful cafes and numerous shopping streets including their own version of the Ramblas with the Catedral de Cadiz at one end. The Cathedral features an impressive collection of treasures. (more…)

Malaga

// April 19th, 2008 // Comments Off // Spain, Transatlantic Nov'07

After spending a pleasant day at sea we arrived in Malaga, Spain. Similar to the Tourist Bus in Barcelona, Malaga has the Malaga Tour City Sightseeing Bus. You can easily walk to most of the central sites in Malaga, like the Cathedral and La Alcazaba, however the climb to Castillo de Gibralfaro is exhausting. The bus really is the best way to go. It’s about a 10 minutes walk to get out of the port – avoid the taxis at the port they’re pirates charging 25 Euros for a 5 minute (or less) taxi ride). You can either walk over near Alcazaba or the cathderal to catch the bus – or go to the left when you exit the port and you’ll come to a large bus stop. Look for the “city sightseeing” sign. (more…)

Barcelona

// April 19th, 2008 // Comments Off // Spain, Transatlantic Nov'07

I arrived into Barcelona late on EasyJet from Stanted (after taking MaxJet from LAX to Stansted). I had a private transfer to my hotel setup through viator.com because I knew after travelling for almost 24 hours I really didn’t want to deal with taxi drivers. This costs a little more, but is well worth the convenience and safety. You not only have someone to help you with your bags, you know exactly what it’s going to cost and your driver knows exactly where you’re going. No scenic midnight sightseeing trips that get you to your hotel – “the longway.” (more…)

12 Things To Do In London

// May 10th, 2007 // Comments Off // Tip Sheets, United Kingdom

There are a million things to do in London, here are my top 12:

1) Visit the Tower of London – for a truly unique experience become part of a 700 year old tradition of locking up the Tower and attend the Ceremony of the Keys. You’ll get to see the Tower the way most people don’t, at night. It’s FREE, but you have to request tickets ahead of time. Oh, don’t be late! Click Here for more info (more…)

St. Petersburg – Day 2

// September 2nd, 1998 // Comments Off // Russia, Scandinavian Capitals '98

Our second day in St. Petersburg our guide picked us up at the ship and we headed a further a field to Tsarskoe Selo (formerly Pushkin) and Catherine’s Palace. On the way we passed a monument that surprised us.It marked the spot where the Nazi’s had been stopped during WWII. We never realized that the Nazi’s had penetrated so far into Russia, we were even more suprised to learn that they had virtually stripped the palaces (including the gold guilding and frescos) in Tsarskoe Selo during their 3 yr occupation. It’s a pretty drive once you get outside St. Petersburg, mostly rolling green hills. Tzarskoe Selo is a pretty and quiet town, with tree lined streets and parks. We were greated at Catherine’s Palace by the official furry meet and greet committee. (more…)