Notes from England and Greece

London is a very expensive city. A cappuccino and chocolate croissant can set you back as much as $10 Cad. A pint in a pub for more than that. I sampled the famous British Sunday dinner in a pub (photo) and it cost me $47.18 Cad. A film and beer in Canterbury cost me $33.75. There are no getting around some of these costs if you want to indulge. But there are ways to mitigate. I often took homemade sandwiches on walking trips around London and bought a Coke/coffee at a takeout (“take away”), eating on a park bench. But one thing's a bonus in Jolly Old - museums. All major state sponsored museums like the National Gallery and Tate are absolutely free. I’ve never experienced this in any other country. Since Brit museums are some of the greatest, it’s more than a treat.

This weekend I was thinking of flying back to London from Athens for the massive combatting antisemitic demonstration (attracting more than 100,000). But not only were the flight times inconvenient. To make the best I’d have to overnight going and coming at a London airport. And the least expensive fare I could find was about $200 Cad. So much for cheap European airlines, of which we’ve heard so much about.

My sense of travel adventure must be waning. I’d booked four days on the Greek island of Paros (left), a four-hour ferry from Athens’ famous port Piraeus. But then I thought about it. Do I want to be on a ferry four hours coming and going? I looked at the island on Google Street View and the neighboring coastal island Antiparos, where I’d booked my hotel. While the buildings gleamed white in that traditional Greek way, the streetscapes didn’t impress. I’ve been to Greek islands and these resembled the previous ones. Moreover, I’d have to catch a bus or taxi for a 15-minute ride to the second ferry dock to get over to Antiparos, which looked like a hassle. So I cancelled. As luck would have it there was a storm Friday night and Blue Star Ferries cancelled its Saturday sailings. I got my full refund almost $150 Cad. As for the hotel, the price was less than that and there was no free cancellation. I pleaded with them but haven’t heard back. Moral of the story? Before booking check Google Street View.

I have now stayed in an array of airbnbs and Vrbo’s – vacation rentals of peoples’ homes. But with one exception (St. Petersburg, Fla.) even the nicest ones have something lacking. There’s no coffee maker, for example, or toaster (a grill instead). Or furniture is basic or utilitarian. Not a problem but couldn’t there be a few warm accents like artificial plants or more art on the walls? 

- Ron Stang, Windsor Ontario Canada, a frequent traveller

Getting around England - a slice

One of the great things about Britain is how easy it is to get around. From London buses and subways (the Underground) to intercity trains (National Rail) it’s a marvel the nation is so well interconnected. The new Elizabeth Line, inaugurated by the late queen last year just months before she died, is a 72-mile marvel that bisects London and which you can take from Heathrow Airport, expediting the much slower Piccadilly tube line. The Elizaberh Line’s stations are gleaming, all are accessible (along with about half the city’s tube stations which they call “no step”) and trains run just minutes apart. There are also platform door barriers for extra security. But transit prices can vary, from less than a couple pounds for travelling within one zone to several (or more than $10 CAD) for going two or three zones, which left me of two minds. If governments want people to get out of their cars – and the Mayor of London certainly does by extending, to a lot of people’s dismay and anger – the Ultra Low Emission Zone charges for older higher emission vehicles – then make transit more affordable. On the other hand, government will make money from gas taxes and parking or from transit – one or the other – there’s always a catch. That said, transit is highly efficient, with buses running every few minutes on the three lines (the 76, 141 and 73) I mostly took, as well as tube schedules. As for intercity services, definitely the way to go for a North American is to buy a BritRail pass. These come in various configurations – from several days to as many as, in my case, 15. This allowed 15 round trips any days I wanted within a two-month period. Since England is such a small country it’s easy to plan one day journeys – two or three hours each way and then several hours at your destination without staying overnight and incurring a hotel fee - and then catch the train back to London. Trains run frequently, usually every half hour or hour, even to some of the remotest places. The BritRail pass also allows first class travel, meaning free grub and beverages including booze, those these varied by train company (there are about a dozen severing different geographic areas and from different London stations) and time of day. Very inconsistent! Seat reservations are free though on many trains you don’t need them as seat availability is plentiful. The trains themselves are modern, sleek with plush seating, and would put any North American railway to shame. (Photo shows side by side Great Western Railway trains in Paddington Station where, yes, a statue of Paddington Bear is located along the platform.) Ironically, British people love nothing more than griping about their trains, which apparently run late and are prone to labor strikes, at least in recent months. I encountered little tardiness - and usually with great apologies over the intercom and avails for compensation if more than 15 minutes - and during the few labor “action” days during September and October (well publicized in advance) I simply made up my mind not to travel. The other great thing about BritRail passes are the prices, a fraction of what Brits pay. My “senior” pass came to under $1000 CAD for 15 round trips. Had I bought separate tickets in England I would likely have paid at least twice that amount. Don’t leave North America without one!

- Ron Stang, Windsor Ontario Canada, a frequent traveller

Getting there is half the fun

There have long been jokes about Europe’s – or more correctly, Ireland’s – deep discount airline, Ryanair, a pioneer in cheap flying. Back in 2012 CEO Michael O’Leary in all seriousness wanted to sell standing-only tickets – until thwarted by a regulator. Some of O’Leary’s other great schemes were charging for restroom use and bunking passengers in the plane’s hull, both of which have never taken flight. So it’s with some mirth whenever I book a Ryanair ticket. This week was my second flight with the airline, and it was a bit of an eye-opener. I’d though I’d got a good deal when I initially booked and was charged $144.28 CAD from London Stansted to Athens Greece. That included one checked bag. Arriving at the airport I put my bag on the conveyor at check-in – typical for any other airline I’ve ever flown with – only to be told that my suitcase was ”too heavy.” Huh? It weighed just over 20 kg; I’d only paid for 20 kg. Sure enough on the website, ”max weight 20 kg.”  Read the small (or unexpected) print, Ron! So, I had to shell out $69.37 more. So much for a bargain flight to the Greek capital. As for the flight itself, it was typical Ryanair. A good aspect of the airline is you board either from front or back, making boarding much more fluid. But the downsides are a shopworn interior with seats that look like they’ve each carried 10,000 bums and their flippy-floppy arm rests. The seats also don’t recline; I’m fine with that. But no seat pockets and airline safety instructions are pasted to the top of the seat ahead (photo), giving the interior an overall tacky look.

But flying on Ryanair was only half the fun. I used to think Toronto’s Pearson was bad but London’s Stansted now outranks it as my least favourite airport. This box of a terminal – obviously assembled in no time – is about as bare bones as you can get. There is hardly any seating for waiting passengers, despite the fact this, being London, is one of the most crowded airports I’ve been in (London has six major airports). I finally found some wooden slatted seating – the same as at London train stations - near the food court, which could have accommodated about 100 people. Other than that – nothing. Well, not quite. Walking a long way towards the gate, there was eventually a bench beside the terminal window. But the bench resembled what you’d find in a bus shelter, perhaps worse (photo). Barely a foot wide and of metal with no back it wasn’t a comfortable design to begin with. But what took the cake is that it was convex in structure, making it very easy for someone to slide off of. A fellow passenger quipped it was designed to look like an airplane wing. Moving along I finally did find regular terminal seating – a nook of about 15 chairs. How they were allowed to be there is a mystery! And, at the passenger gate, at last, regular seating like at most airports, though the seats had seen better days, their fabric peeling off. Alert to terminal management – mass seat replacement needed!

-   Ron Stang, Windsor Ontario Canada, a frequent traveller