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