The impracticality of hotel rooms

What is it about hotel rooms that they have to be so impractical? From time immemorial I’ve complained about the lack of shelf space and hooks in bathrooms to put toiletries on and hang towels. Baths and showers have limited corner shelves for soap bars and shampoo bottles. That’s bathrooms; there’s other irritable quirks that almost inevitably come with a hotel booking....Here’s my assessment of four hotel rooms on a recent trip on both sides of the pond. First in Liberec, Czechia, our Hotel Fabrica supplied a nice handicapped accessible bathroom (one of us is disabled) with proper toilet height, grab bars and a no-lip walk-in shower. Europeans tend to have better accessible washrooms than their North American counterparts. But there was limited desk or shelf space to place suitcases and absolutely no night tables – what’s with that?! Moreover, there was no heat despite early October temperatures seeming like early November. Complaints to the management brought nothing. And it was only because a friend in this town of 100,000 near the Poland and German borders (the heart of Sudetenland, the Nazi Czech stronghold during World War II) offered a space heater that we kept warm for five nights…..Second was the InterCity Hotel in Erfurt Germany (pop. 200,000). A great location next to the Hauptbanhof (central train station) but the rooms were surprisingly cramped for such a major hotel (though it is Europe where small-scale suites often rule the day). We’d booked a handicapped accessible room and had been informed online this would be accommodated but when showing were up told flatly “there are no accessible rooms” - period. And two light weight hand and shower towels required regular refreshing for the four night stay…..Next: The Ibis chain hotel in Blackfriars, South Bank, London. This is a modern and “very cutesy” hotel with rock and roll themes for hip gen guests – I guess that means Baby Boomers on down. Signs throughout play on musical titles - Staying Alive, Wake Me Up, Don’t Stop the Music, Everybody’s Gone Surfin'. And there were even body soap and shampoo dispensers labelled Rock Your Body and Put You Hands Up In Your Hair. The only problem? Absolutely no shelving but a small coat rack and some wall hooks (photo). However, the accessible bathroom was great (Britain leads the way).....Finally, Montreal’s Hotel Chrome is a 1980s-era property that has never been refreshed. On the one hand this is good: the rooms were large and yes there was “shelf space” because, alas, of the old heavy wooden furniture. But the “accessible” bathroom was typically North American – a grab bar or two in the wrong places and a low toilet. Why or why are toilets so low when people with disabilities would normally want a higher toilet? 

When accessible buses aren't, and about "woke" Communauto

I hate anything touristy although sometimes things can’t be avoided. Obviously just being in central London or at the Eiffel Tower, Times Square or the Roman Colosseum makes – de facto – anyone including locals a tourist. (Locals tend to avoid them.) And one of the most touristy things is the ubiquitous hop on hop off buses that now populate virtually any major tourist locale, from New York to London, Berlin to Athens. Did I say Athens? Earlier this month my partner, who is disabled and uses a wheelchair, and I tried to access the Big Bus version of the hop-on-hop-offs. There are three companies in Athens offering the service. Big Bus is a brand ubiquitous around the world. The only reason we chose to use this very “touristy” service is because of my partner’s disability. She cannot travel far in a wheelchair and the streets in a city like Athens are deplorable, with cracked, decayed and uneven sidewalks, varying surfaces, narrow and often blocked by trees or grates, so bad even many locals walk on the street. Moreover, we use hop on services in cities where it simply is impractical for a disabled person to otherwise move around. They after all do offer visitors exposure to the city’s iconic sites. My partner wouldn’t have been able to see them, or get a feel for the city, otherwise. So, buy a three-day ticket (one of three routes each day) I did at a price of 64 euros ($104.45 CAD at today’s exchange). My complaint is about the buses’ so-called accessibility. They are supposed to be wheelchair friendly. The first bus on the first route we took was indeed that, with a door ramp and an open area for a wheelchair with a functioning strap which stretched across the wheelchair occupant though there were no floor tie downs. That’s okay – I stood and braced her for the hour-long trip around central Athens though technically I

shouldn’t have had to do that. The next day we tried for the second route along the so-called Athens Riviera, a long stretch of beaches along the Med coast south of the Classic City. Besides the fact the bus was 20 minutes late for the 3 pm departure (afternoon traffic we were told) the bus did indeed have a ramp but, alas, the belt strap was broken. BUZZ! So, we had to get off. Since the next bus on that route was an hour away, we thought we’d take the alternative bus route to Piraeus, the city’s port and largest on the Med. The bus arrives; the ramp came down but this time there was an interior “platform” for the wheelchair (pic). How on earth could a wheelchair possibly go up a platform; it defied logic. We didn’t even board and gave up taking a bus that day. The next day we tried once again. This time we just tried to get on the first accessible bus regardless of route and managed to get on one to Piraeus – a big yay! But again, I had to stand and brace my companion. We did complain fully, yet politely and in good humor, to Big Bus staff at the stop, who apologized and said these were “older” buses with only a couple in the fleet (we counted three). Upon arriving home in Canada after our two-week sojourn in Athens (a city that I love and seems like a second or third home), I contacted the company. They apologized and offered a credit for a Big Bus tour in another city. No dice: I wanted a full refund. They quickly sent a form to fill out and I’m awaiting credit to my Mastercard.

I’m a frequent visitor to Montreal and have always admired that city’s shared vehicle company Communauto (logo left), also available in some other cities. Sometimes I drive to Montreal and other times fly like I plan to do next month, leaving me without a car.  I thought I’d join Communauto since it provides a convenient way to get around without dealing with taxis. So, I applied. The very first question was how I wanted to be identified: he/him, she/her, they/them. I’ve never encountered such a “woke” gender identity question from a major company before but maybe I shouldn’t be surprised since the company has “commun” in the name (insert smile face). I called the company and asked if there was a way of getting around this since I couldn't join without answering it and told unfortunately, there isn’t but they would review it. I will not capitulate to woke nomenclature and besides even if I agreed why would I want anyone to know my identity? Ridiculous but they’re not getting my business.

Athens, agapi mou (my love), a challenge for anyone not able-bodied

I love Athens and have been there three times, once for almost two months, almost making me feel like a regular citizen! I returned recently with my partner, who is disabled and uses a wheelchair. We knew that Athens is old (well, surprise!). And I thought I'd known the infrastructure better than it is. We also surveyed, online, our exquisite neighborhood immediately south of the Acropolis, thinking the sidewalks were in better shape than they actually are. Well, in reality, in many respects they are deplorable - uneven, crumbling, narrow and often obstructed by trees or drains, with no curb cuts on certain blocks and those that do exist often corroded with gaps between sidewalk and streets.  I'm not really complaining about this though there's no question the situation should be improved. We tried the best we could to handle the streetscapes. This included travelling on the streets themselves including our busy street, trying to walk against traffic and squeeze to the side of the road or ducking between cars to avoid large vehicles. We weren't unique; many Athenians routinely walk on the streets rather than the haphazard, decayed and uneven sidewalks. Moreover, because of the lack of curb cuts on our block we often relied on the kindness of strangers to help my partner get from the sidewalk on to the street and into her wheelchair. That aside, we were surprised, even shocked, by one glaring inaccessible tourist site. This of course was the iconic historical Parthenon atop the 2500 year old built Acropolis, considered, of course, the cradle of Western civilization. I'd been up there previously. My partner wanted to visit for the first time. We'd also read that the site had installed a spiffy new elevator on the hill's north side, courtesy in part of the,

yes, Onassis Foundation. Says one website, the elevator makes "one of Athens' most iconic landmarks accessible to visitors with limited mobility, people with disabilities, elderly tourists, and parents with small children." The only problem is that it doesn't. Sure, the elevator itself whisks people - room for two wheelchairs and two attendants - to the top in 32 seconds, offering a glassed-in panoramic view of the city as it rises. The problem is you have to get to it. I'd originally though the lift would be built from street level to the top. But it isn't. It's base is partly up the premonitory. Getting there is the nut to crack. One must traverse cobblestoned or uneven large stone walkways winding around the Acropolis rising continually until you get to the western side ticket office. Only then, and again slightly uphill, are there the turnstiles and a small fleet of golf carts to take the disabled person further on to the lift's base. I posted on an Athens facebook page about this and while most comments were supportive I was surprised by some who thought we wanted to visit something akin to "Disneyworld" or the site be like a "McDonald's drive-thru." It would be interesting what these people would say if they were in my partner's position, with almost no core strength and not able to walk one step without two canes and few steps beyond. My solution: there should be vehicles (golfcarts, if you will, or the sturdier kind of three-row assist carts found in airports) taking the disabled from all the ground ticket offices - regardless of their location -  right up the hill to the elevator itself. 

Gatineau Quebec: there is no there, there

It was my first time staying in Gatineau Quebec. This is a city of almost 300,000 directly across from Canada’s nation’s capital, Ottawa, population now more than one million. While I lived in Ottawa for a few years back in the 1970s, and have been a frequent visitor since, I have never really spent any time in what used to be known as Hull, a rather dreary name, identified back in the day with a smelly and unsightly pulp and paper mill. The region is predominantly French as it is obviously located in Quebec. But one of the things that struck me most is just how overwhelmingly French the area is, given the fact it is immediately across from Ottawa in predominantly English-speaking Ontario and that the entire region has numerous government workers in Canada’s officially bilingual civil service. Wikipedia, however, says Gatineau is the "most bilingual city in Canada.” Could have fooled me. I’d give that award to Ottawa, which I always say is Canada’s long hoped bilingual model and which doesn’t exist anywhere else on such a scale. I was expecting to find a more interesting and diverse city, in the sense of varying neighbourhoods. For example, a traditional downtown shopping district or a bars and restaurants niche. No such luck. An Ottawa friend suggested there isn’t any such area. Ottawa, by contrast, is choked full of vibrant neighbourhoods, teeming with restaurants, bars, coffee houses and boutiques. On a balmy Saturday night this month it seemed the entire city was out, filling patios and walking along the streets enjoying a fantastic summer evening. Gatineau not so much. Upon first entering Gatineau on the main thoroughfare, the Portage Bridge over the Ottawa River connecting Ontario and Quebec, you encounter a massive cluster of 1970s-era high rise buildings. They were put there on the directive of former prime minister Pierre Elliot Trudeau, who wanted to provide the French side of the Ottawa River an economic boost which also accorded with his official bilingualism policy of more equality between the French and the English. That wasn’t a bad idea. But physically it resulted in a concrete urban wasteland. Looming government office towers created an empty street canyon, only peopled on a Saturday night with a few waiting at bus stops along the tunnel-like Boulevard Maisonneuve. These brutalist masses of concrete, so last century, would hardly be built that way today. Mind you, I didn’t drive around a lot of the city. But what I did see was endless boulevards and sprawl, and I did take a drive through Gatineau’s east side and out on to the highway to Montreal. But to be fair, the city did seem to have a nice park system in and around the Ottawa and conjoining Gatineau rivers. However, overall, I was left thinking of the famous quote by US writer Gertrude Stein about her hometown Oakland, California. “There is no there, there.”

- Ron Stang, Windsor Ontario Canada, a frequent traveller

After five years, I can finally reenter the US

I waited more than five years, but last Thursday I crossed into the United States for the first time since August 6, 2020. That was the day I not only was turned around by US Customs at the Ambassador Bridge (photo) connecting Windsor and Detroit. But I was officially banned for five years from entering the country. The reason? Violation of employment visa rules. I was stunned by the decision and virtually everyone I tell the story to has been as well. And there are many ironies. Admittedly in August 2020 the border was closed because of Covid. However, “essential workers” were allowed through. And in Windsor-Detroit there are literally thousand of health care workers (i.e., nurses) who are Canadian and work in Detroit hospitals, a little known fact to the outside world. So, people like nurses, construction workers and truck drivers – even conveyors like taxis – were allowed to cross. My "significant other" lives in suburban Detroit and I live in Amherstburg Ontario, roughly an hour drive away in decent traffic. She was injured in a catastrophic auto accident in 2013. Under Michigan’s no-fault auto insurance benefits – some of the most generous in the US (though now modified) - not only could she obtain paid caregivers to look after her at home but family members and friends could also be compensated for the role. I was approved by Metropolitan Life for just this purpose. I’d emphasized to Met Life that I was Canadian and after some checking they assured this would be no problem. I was paid regardless of where I took care of her – in the US, Canada or abroad, and for those hours when I was actually with her (i.e., a day, weekend or week while travelling). On that fateful day of August 6, 2020, I ventured over the Ambassador Bridge, the first time since the border had been closed due to Covid. When I showed up at the “primary inspection” booth I explained that I was an “essential caregiver” and used a pay stub from Met Life to prove it. That is what got me into trouble. I was directed to “secondary inspection” and subjected to fingerprinting and a lengthy interrogation, leading to a five-year ban from travel to the US. The reason? I was working “illegally." How could this be? I wasn't taking "a job" from a factory or office worker. I was being paid by an insurance company no matter where I "worked" - in the US, Canada or abroad. However, after announcing the ban the Customs officer told me I could apply for a waiver. But this was the time of Covid, much of the US bureaucracy was closed down and there was already a lengthy backup in applications. Moreover, it would have cost me upwards of $2000 to hire a lawyer. I could have done it myself but the  application was lengthy, technical and a few errors could have deep-sixed it. Moreover, my girlfriend was able to cross into Canada either by taxi or with a friend though the red tape during Covid was cumbersome including using the faulty and scandal-plagued ArriveCAN border app. So, I decided to wait the five years out and crossed for the first time last Thursday, Aug. 7 …… As for the crossing itself it was exactly the same as in pre-Covid days! Despite all the talk of Canadians boycotting travel to the US due to President's Trump’s tariffs I waited 45 minutes in traffic before getting to US Customs. Vehicles were backed up perhaps 30 cars in a row in each of the five lanes that were open. When I finally arrived at primary inspection the officer, to my mind, seemed a bit surprised that I had been banned for five years; he directed me to secondary. Another officer also seemed surprised. Finally, the examining officer who reviewed my case was nonplussed but I inferred also seemed puzzled by the decision. Each of these officers automatically asked, “Why didn’t you apply for a waiver?”  After 15 minutes I was released, free and clear to enter the United States once again.

- Ron Stang, Windsor Ontario Canada, a frequent traveller

Misreading a reservation - that's a first!

I am supposed to be in Bogota, Colombia. But, for the first time ever, I misread my ticket reservation! Yes, it said Friday July 25. And I showed up at the airport more than three hours ahead of departure at 1.55 am. I’d printed out the boarding pass a couple of days earlier, thinking this airline, Avianca, gives a lot of time to do so! When I got to Security the officer couldn’t read the QR Code. She was puzzled and called a colleague. Then it dawned. The ticket was the correct time, just the previous day! How could this have happened? I really can’t explain it except that since the departure was at 1.55 am I associated it with July 25 – as in arriving at the airport for that overnight flight. Rather than arriving at the airport on July 24 for the 1.55 departure on July 25. Get it? A cluster mind f--- admittedly. Then again, I’ve never left at such an ungodly hour. I immediately walked over to the Avianca (Colombia’s national airline) desk. Chuckling, the clerk couldn’t believe it either. But he eventually offered me a free one-way replacement ticket. That was generous. But as tonight’s other flight was full, he could only offer it for the next night’s flight. I started to walk away then turned and asked, “what about the return ticket?” He seemed to suggest I should “deal with that with the airline” as in phoning the call center. Mind you, I had just driven four hours from Windsor to Toronto and now had to drive all the way home, after two massive Hwy. 401 traffic snarls, arriving 4 am. I got four hours sleep. Waking, I wondered if it was still worth making the trip to Colombia since it would mean having to drive back to Toronto, a grueling task at the best of times. Then I thought: what the hell am I going to do the next five days at home – time I’d booked off anyway. So, I phoned the Avianca call center to try to claim the full ticket. After more than a half hour the agent said she couldn’t do it, saying the airport had made a mistake, and to return to the airport for the ticket. I got in the car and drove up the 401 once again. I parked, took the airport shuttle, arriving 8 pm, four hours before departure. Only to discover a massive line waiting for the desk to open. (Do all Colombians travel with checked baggage?) After more than an hour my turn came, I walked to the desk, explained my situation. The same dude who’d given me the free ticket the night before – the “supervisor” – was there and the desk clerk spoke to him. But they said the agent at the call center was wrong and a free return ticket couldn't be issued under any circumstances. But I could purchase one - for $791! That was more expensive than my original two way ticket - $785. I declined and walked away; I didn't want to go to Colombia that badly. Later it occurred to me that that “free” first ticket was nothing more than a coupon. The airline pretended it was being generous only to try to hook me into buying a needed return ticket. In other words, a way for the airline to make more money. 

Park 'N Fly: I tried Park 'N Fly for the first time. It’s a massive airport shuttle service from several neighboring Pearson airport lots. But when waiting for it at the terminal, the bus pulled up but the driver didn’t open the door. I waited and waited while he fiddled with his cell phone. What was he waiting for! After 10 minutes I finally caught his eye. I raised my voice and asked why he hadn’t opened the door? “Oh, you should have knocked on it,” he said, because some people mistake his bus for another shuttle and just walk on. He later apologized. But at least the gate attendant didn’t charge me for the five days I’d pre-booked. A small mercy.

- Ron Stang, Windsor Ontario Canada, a frequent traveller

Learning a foreign language? Forget it!

Learning a language for travel or just learning a language. I’ve pretty much come to the conclusion: forget it! This is all in theory of course. I still practice languages – French, Spanish and German. Spanish I find the easiest. The reason I started learning them (via Duolingo) is because of travel. I spend a lot of time in Spain, I go to Montreal frequently and occasionally I head to Germany, where I have friends. I usually practice for an hour every day. I just finished my Spanish routine for the day, as I’m heading to Spanish-speaking Bogota Colombia next. But, I ask you, what good does it do me? Regardless of the country I’m in I hardly ever know enough of the local lingo to strike up a conversation, let alone keep one going, or even to string together a basic phrase -i.e., do you have ketchup? ("Tienes ketchup") Even that is wrong as it should be “tienes el ketchup” since some languages are more formal than English. That’s why you hear people from other countries use articles “the this” and “the that” because that’s how they speak in their native tongue. Often, when in Spain or Germany or Montreal, when confronted with a question from a native, or if I need to ask the most basic question or make a statement, I get flustered or “freeze.” Yet a minute later, if I think about it, I would have been able to string at least a few words together to maybe have gotten my point across. The problem is that I never spend enough time in any country. At most I’m two months somewhere. I think if I’d spend six months I’d start to be fluent…I think. It does please me that I can at least say a few things, like “mi maleta” (my suitcase), “un boleto para Barcelona” (a ticket for Barcelona), or my fave in grocery stores, “dos bolsas por favor” (two bags please) or “tengo una bolsa” (I have a bag). It’s not that I don’t like speaking another language, I prefer it. And I know it brings an inner smile to the native person when I do so. (I feel guilty that they always have to change.) Now I’ll be heading to Greece at the end of summer. After Hello (“ya”), Yes (“nay”) thank you (“esfratistow”) that’s about all I can handle. Okay, I’ll try to learn a few more words, please! ("parakalo") 

Meanwhile, I’m heading to Colombia this month, my first trip to South America. It appears very Spanish, as in hardly anyone speaks English. I’m not intimidated since I have some Spanish – some being relative – and it forces me to use that language. I chose Bogota for three reasons: it has a superb Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) system and I’m a transit freak. It also has a great cycling network through I’m less a bike enthusiast. Its airport looks sprawling and hosts myriad international flights, indicating the scale of the city. And famed local coffee sellers in Windsor and Amherstburg, Monteneros, are from Colombia. Hey, you’ve got to have some reason to go, right? From a few pictures the city is surrounded by mountains so there might be some enticing walks and hikes. The city also seems to have a lively arts and gay scene, though I’m not gay. But after having signed on to several online Colombian travel groups, virtually everyone is not going to Bogota but to myriad other places including Medellin or Cartagena, or doing remote weeks-long cross-country expeditions, and all seem more sophisticated in their plans than me. I.e., “Are there buses that go from La Pintada to Peñalisa or Bolombolo that not go via Medellin?” or “From Filandia to Jardin with public transport on a Sunday. What is the best option?” I’ll keep you updated. 

- Ron Stang, Windsor Ontario Canada, a frequent traveller

Montreal's great, save the pavement

Montreal, my hometown (a native) is great. The neighbourhoods, downtown, the mountain, the food (bagels and smoked meat!) and the legacy of this ever-so-bilingual city, of writers, poets and yes, even politicians (a gas to see the intersection of Rene Levesque and Robert Bourassa boulevards) is great. Here are some observations after being away a couple of years. The city has increased bike lanes dramatically an the pioneering Bixi bike service - a huge local industry now delivering rental bikes to cities across N America - is incredibly popular. Despite the temptation to try one I prefer to walk, with fave routes along Rue Sherbrooke and the stairwell up the mountain to the "lookout" over downtown, and across to Mount Royal Cemetery, adjoining the Catholic Notre-Dames-Des Neiges, Canada's largest. Besides visiting relatives' graves I visited Leonard Cohen's (photo), rather commonplace and not surprisingly piled with stones. Then descending north into affluent Outremont and heading east to The Plateau, a fashionable district of bars and bistros, or west by Universite de Montreal (Ecole Polytechnique) and stumbling across College Jean-de-Brébeuf, the intellectually formative institution of former PM Pierre Elliot Trudeau. A new discovery was Little Italy in Mtl's northeast along the very pedestrian and vibrant Rue St Hubert and the Le Roi du Smoked Meat. It's always wonderful discovering a

new smoked meat place, this one opened in the year of my birth 1954! (For the record, I avoid the iconic Schwartz's, a tourist trap if ever there was one). I also noticed that the city's notorious law breaking traffic seems to be calming. Cars don't seem to speed like I remember and pedestrians actually obey Don't Walk signs. I put it down to changing generations. There are still problems. The city's roads are in terrible shape. Rue Sherbrooke and The Boulevard - two showpiece streets - have great swathes of uneven pavement, patched asphalt, and potholes big enough to hold cats. Where does all the tax money go? On a visit to Beaver Lake the curb ramp next to handicapped parking was disintegrating (photo), an obstacle for wheelchairs as my partner is disabled (I posted on a Mtl FB group and got numerous sympathetic comments, and yes I've complained to the city.) Moreover the city's great transit system could use a do-over in the fare dept. My 'Opus' smart card from two years ago still had four fares on it but they had expired! Mtl should join other cities and allow credit and debit cards. The airport is still an horrendous mess. I needed to pick up my partner last weekend and was glad I took the bus there and taxi returning. Traffic was so bad it took half an hour just to reach the terminal from the ring road let alone trying to find a parking spot. But a newcomer might be hard pressed to believe this is a French city. Yes, the signs are mostly 'en Francais' but the conversations on the street, especially downtown, often are more English than French. 

- Ron Stang, Windsor Ontario Canada, a frequent traveller

It took five months but finally an apology from airport security

On Jan. 16, I posted about the hassle we endured by airport security at Toronto Pearson. Our mobility chair (my partner is disabled) has to be shipped separately from the lithium battery (left), which we carried on board as per airline regulations (no batteries allowed for safety reasons in cargo hold). But an agent didn't recognize it and held it for several minutes despite the fact I told her what it was. Who knew what was going through the glum staffer's mind but she was obviously suspicious. She consulted with other security and finally a supervisor, who told her to release it. After arriving home I complained to CATSA Jan 9 and finally got a reply May 28. (I'd all but given up hearing from them.) Here it is: "Good day Ronald, On behalf of the Canadian Air Transport Security Authority (CATSA), I wish to respond to the concerns you brought to our attention on January 9, 2025, regarding your pre-board screening experience at Toronto Pearson International Airport. Upon receipt of your complaint, a detailed review was initiated, including viewing the video footage and consulting with our regional management. Our regional management was able to identify the screening officers you dealt with on that day and review your screening experience. Our review resulted in actions and the necessary measures have been taken to prevent this type of situation in the future. We regret that your screening experience was unpleasant. We appreciate that security measures can sometimes be challenging and time consuming and we regret that this incident was upsetting to you. Please be assured that your feedback allows us to review our current services and improve the passenger experience at all airports across Canada. CATSA plays an integral role in the Government of Canada’s aviation security system and takes pride in serving the travelling public. While security is CATSA’s top priority, we also strive to maintain a high level of customer service and professionalism. We trust that your future travels will be pleasant. Sincerely, Patricia Gusta, Coordinator Client Satisfaction, Canadian Air Transport Security Authority (CATSA) 

This wasn't the first time my partner's disability triggered a false alarm. Three years ago, in Frankfurt, security detected something in her carry-on. Next thing we knew two guards with machine guns had been called over. I'm pleased to say that was resolved rather quickly. 

- Ron Stang, Windsor Ontario Canada, a frequent traveller

Flying or driving? Even with Air Miles the price is basically a wash

I’m planning to travel to Montreal for a month. The concern was whether to drive or fly. I was going to drive if my partner, who is disabled, was to join me at some point. Otherwise, I thought, I’d fly. But only if I was to use Air Miles. I have more than 7100 Air Miles. To fly to Montreal (return) would cost me 4700-5100 Miles depending on the flight. In addition, there is a “taxes & fees” charge of $192 to $225 so let’s say $200. And checked luggage would likely be at least $25 each way so $50. The departure time from Windsor is inconvenient to take a local bus to the airport so that means Uber which today is $48.56 but can vary and with a tip I’ve paid as much as $65. Meanwhile in Montreal I was planning to take a weekend jaunt to Ottawa to see friends. According to Rome to Rio, the bus fare to Ottawa is $30-$65 and train $30-$120 one way so let’s say $50. Meanwhile driving from Windsor to Montreal is $176-$254 so let’s say $200 as I don’t drive a gas guzzler. Add another $150 for the month including the trip to Ottawa as I otherwise don’t use my car much in Montreal. Parking at my rental is $150......So let’s do the math. Should I fly the cost would be $65 (Uber), $200 (airfare), $50 (luggage), $100 (Ottawa trip) for a total of $415 and with local transit, say $450. Driving is $350 (gas, at the high end) plus $150 (parking) for $500 total. Basically a wash! (By the way, bus and train prices Windsor to Montreal are roughly $100 - $300 each way.) Yes, flying time is less. But the most convenient flight leaves 1.50 pm and arrives, with a change, at 8.20 pm – six and a half hours plus Windsor airport travel and wait time of at least two hours – eight and a half hours total. And then the roughly one-hour transit ride in Montreal. So, nine and a half hours. Driving takes about 10 hours. Negligible! Yes, it’s more straining to drive but I avoid the airport hassle and I have the convenience of a car including the weekend jaunt to Ottawa. And I don’t have to worry about how much luggage I take for a month-long stay. I think I’m driving.

Mind the gap? I almost got sucked into it

I am a regular visit to London and this month flew over for just over a week stay. I’m starting to call it my “London fix.” If I haven’t been there in a certain amount of time (a month or four or five) I’ve got to get over there again. This time I took Air Transat from TO, arriving Gatwick. The last time I used Gatwick was in November 2002, in the aftermath of 9/11, when no one except me and a couple dozen other souls – if that – were on a then Northwest (now part of Delta) DC 10 flight from Detroit to London. I pride myself on figuring out logistics but, boy, did I screw up this time. Arriving Gatwick I reached for the train terminal into town. I found the cavernous hall and saw Thameslink (railway) departure on Platform 6. I arrived at said platform and the trains were going the opposite way, south to Brighton. Asked a couple of people and no one seemed to know since all tourists. I find a high-vis jacket RR employee and ask. “Oh, you should be on Platform 4” and it’s just coming in now.” Thx! Up the stairs I go and then down again to Platform 4. Or what I thought was. There was a train parked and since I’d been told it was “coming in” assumed that was it. I hesitated then made a go for it. As I did the train doors slammed shut. They caught my leg and threw me backwards on to the platform, while the train was moving. I had visions of being dragged and felt my rump slowly sinking into the “gap” between platform and train. Fuck! In situations like this a few split seconds can seem like eons and I wondered why the train wasn’t stopping and why the hell the doors not automatically opening. Aren’t they designed to do that? But thankfully it did stop. Almost immediately I felt someone with very strong hands grasp both my armpits and try to lift me up. I shouted, “I’m okay I’m okay!” But my left leg wasn’t. It was sore because the door hit my fibula (? outside bone). I wondered if I’d be able to walk for the subsequent week in London. Thankfully I was and really wasn’t sore only if I touched at rest. That’s my story of (not) minding the gap!

While in London last week I encountered several “51st state” jokes when I mentioned I was from Canada. A tour guide brought it up immediately touring an historic military installation (Uxbridge, Battle of Britain Bunker airborne HQ) – “you might have to defend yourself!” – and from a fellow tour mate. “Elbows up!” she joked. Even the Brits knew the phrase.

And a few London-off-the-beaten-track tips. I’d always wanted to tour the Houses of Parliament. And it proved very easy. Check app when Parliament in session, line up at the Cromwell Green Gate, and wait to be guided in. As a foreigner chances are you won’t attend PM’s

Questions (tickets reserved for constituents) but general Commons Questions or debates - as I did - or committees meetings. I also ended up getting an overall tour of the place by unknowingly crashing a private constituents’ tour. Talk about backhanded luck!...Also under the radar are Abney Park in Stoke Newington, a magnificent overgrown cemetery with tombs falling into one another, the Greenwich Foot Tunnel in far east London, a century old pedestrian tunnel under the Thames (free) and the Thames cable car (IFS Cloud) between North Greenwich and Canning Town, also east London - inexpensive. 

- Ron Stang, Windsor Ontario Canada, a frequent traveller

London calling but apply for that ETA first!

I have applied for Britain’s new (as of this year) ETA visa, the first of what will be another electronic visa (ETIAS) non-Europeans will have to obtain prior to travelling to the 29 country Schengen Zone. That second visa keeps getting delayed and is now scheduled to come into effect late next year. But I wouldn’t be surprised if it’s delayed again, as various countries have to sync their Customs and electronic systems to accept the new ID. It’s all about security, you see. But Britain successfully launched theirs’ Jan. 8. I’m heading to Blighty this weekend so applied a few weeks ago. It’s a relatively simple online application. It costs 16 UK pounds or just over $30 CAD and lasts two years. The application asks basic information. It took about five minutes and you upload your passport after a few security questions and essentially syncs the “visa” to your passport. So that all you presumably show or insert into a security gate is your passport as you did in the past.! The last couple of times I entered the UK, crossing the border was a breeze. All I had to do was insert my passport into the turnstile-like gate, which read it, and a door opened and I was allowed through and on my way; no need to talk to a Customs agent. 

London has become my new “go to” city. After spending two months there in fall 2023 I was there three times late last year and now for the first week of May. In 2023 I stayed in a shared (with the owner) Airbnb on the border of Hackney and Islington in NE London, half a block from the magnificent Regent’s Canal. Last year I/we stayed at a small hotel on the South Bank near Westminster Bridge and then in Central Finchley in far northwest - but well built up – London. This time I’m staying even further out in Harrow, site of the famous Harrow Public (private) School, whose alumni include several prime ministers, Royal Family members and Nobel winners. That’s not why I’m staying there. After swinging through the area on a city bus last December the “high (main) street” looked magnificent with shops, cafes, pubs and restos. It looked like a great place to spend a week. And despite its relative distance from central London it’s still London and connected by the Metropolitan tube line from “Harrow on the Hill” station.

I’ve also settled on a regular hotel chain for London stays. I found Travelodge to be absolutely great. In North America Travelodge, as I  remember it, was a tired chain with humdrum amenities. Sorry if they’ve improved. But in London they have been completely refreshed with modern sparkling clean rooms with midcentury Scandinavian-type furniture, funky colourful resto-bar (opened all night for food) (photo) and a great hot breakfast. The price is reasonable enough. The chain has locations throughout greater London so you can choose a different location each time to get a better feel of the city’s neighbourhboods.

- Ron Stang, Windsor Ontario Canada, a frequent traveller

Contrast in attire between flight crews and passengers could not be greater

After travelling through six airports, in North America and Europe, the first week of April, one thing caught my attention. The footwear and more generally clothing of my fellow passengers. Almost universally running shoes or as the British call them “trainers” or a version thereof. It was quite remarkable how running shoes have almost become the universal norm of attire at least for travelers. Besides shoes the top form of garment is athletic wear especially on women and jeans on men. And don’t forget sweats and the universal hoodies especially on younger passengers. As for me, a shoe in between formal and trainer - kind of like what waitstaff wear - and creased “formal looking” yet casual lightweight and wicking golf pants. It’s also a visual phenomenon the clash between the typical airline passenger and airline flight crews. Pilots still look like they always have, in crisp suits, hats, white shirts and ties. A similar look, minus caps, for male flight attendants. And female flight attendants look like they eternally have – skirts or tailored slacks, heels and blouses and tunics with often stylized hats. It seems that in the airline business the iconic traditional crew look remains, continuing I suppose the mystique of air travel. Long may it continue! As for the passengers…

Having travelled on three different airlines crossing the Atlantic over the past year I must say Air Canada, for all the derision it takes, is still the best. Its long haul flights to Europe still offer free wine and beer and a superb seatback entertainment system with myriad movies, TV and music choices. This contrasts with my Azores Airlines flight last week that had no seatback system, no free booze and a smaller portion dinner tray. Same for SAS (Scandinavian). Yes, it had seatback entertainment but not with the breadth of programming offered by AC. The dinner was okay but again no free booze.

Arriving in Montreal’s Trudeau airport last week I was surprised to still see separate Customs lines for people using the ArriveCAN app (image). They were mostly empty of course for this pandemic-era app that often didn’t work (I was almost stuck in Athens back in 2021) and scandal-plagued cost and how it was awarded contractually.

Two minor missteps: At the Ponta Delgada airport in the Azores, trying to find a fountain to fill up my water bottle and told there was one beside security I moseyed over until I heard a stern “Sir!” as in "you-are-not-supposed-to-here!" And then on the flight from Mallorca to Lisbon I was told to remove my jacket that was draped over the back of my seat exposed to the passenger behind me. I had done so upon boarding with an empty seat behind but should have known better.

- Ron Stang, Windsor Ontario Canada, a frequent traveller