Pedestrian access a little to be desired

There are plenty of things to admire about Spain. It's a nation of efficiency, cleanliness and orderliness. In any grocery store I’ve been in you'll never have to wait more than a couple of minutes to be directed to the next cash or have a cash opened up for you. Parking garages have floors that are so impeccably clean they almost shine. The nation is reputed to have the second best high speed network of trains in the world, and I can attest they are superb ways to travel, often reaching 300 km/hour, as per the LED read out at the front of the coaches. At even the smallest coffee shops, products are arranged with utmost tidiness. Chambermaids not only clean every nook and cranny but rearrange furniture, even trash cans, as exactly the suite was originally set up. But certain aspects of the country just makes you want to shake your head. I speak in particular of highways, sidewalks and pedestrian access. I adore my haunt of the last several years, Elviria, on the outskirts of Marbella (and home to Julio Iglesias!). But the pedestrian and motorist infrastructure would never pass the grade in North America. For example, on a well pedestrianized overpass leading to a commercial area, the "sidewalk" is more an afterthought than the real thing. In fact, it doesn’t even seem

to be designed as a sidewalk but simply a concrete surface a few feet wide on the opposite side of vehicle guardrails. In parts it's crumbling away. In another there's an indentation a few feet long. A sizable black PVC tube serpentines along part of it. Anyone walking along it either has to turn sideways to let a walker opposite pass or step aside, often on a makeshift gravel path that has been created over the years as the "second lane." Meanwhile, the outside posts that the guardrail is affixed to intrudes into the "sidewalk." Then there's the bus stop. A fully functioning bus stop with modern shelter is located just down below. Buses pull off the Autoivia (freeway) into these narrow bays, a site unimaginable in North America

where they would likely be deemed hazardous. But the kicker is pedestrian access to the bus stop. On one side there is a culvert, more than a couple of feet wide and a foot deep. To get from a sloping lawn (no sidewalk or steps) to the bus stop you either have to walk into and out of the culvert or jump across it, risking twisting your ankle. Yes, you can go around it to the very end where an exit ramp meets the highway and a walking path of sorts exists. But the sidewalk is disintegrating with a mess of gravel.

Two oh-so-Euro things: Cigarette machines still reign supreme in restaurants, cafes and grocery stores, just like they used to do in North America up to the 1970's...And even on an overcast windy day, Europeans can be seen dining outside, oblivious to the blustery conditions. or maybe they love the Costa del Sol just oh-so-much!

- Ron Stang, a frequent traveller, Windsor Ontario Canada

Israel: this multidimensional land will survive

My Israel Solidarity Mission trip concluded, here are some takeaways:

The country remains vastly united. Sure, there may have been mass demonstrations last year that seemed to be tearing the country apart over a more than controversial judicial review by the Netanyahu government. All that has ended. I don't doubt people are still irritated with the prime minister and I saw obscene graffiti stating just that. But when Israel as a nation is attacked its body politic comes together. How would you feel if a nation roughly the size of southern Ontario was most viciously assaulted for no provocation? And when the attackers vowed to do the same over and over again? Hostage kidnapped posters were everywhere, the one visual departure from what otherwise seems a very normal going-about-business country. Scratch the surface and talk with anyone and you know people are outraged and want to fight back. Israel didn't start this, just as it didn't the Yom Kippur War (1973), Six Day War (1967) and War of Independence (1948). Not to mention innumerable terrorist attacks, with one clock estimating that

the shortest time Israel has not been attacked by a missile is 56 minutes. We visited Sderot, a city south of Tel Aviv that has long been a target of Hamas missiles, often made from UN donated water pipe. We watched a video of Hamas terrorists where, on an otherwise quiet Saturday morning,  begin shooting people on the street outside the police station, the site of a vicious Oct. 7 battle. We dined with soldiers who had come to Israel from around the world, from Uruguay, Brooklyn and Manhattan, all of whom made Aliyah and are now proud Israeli citizens. Gun-toting soldiers (some off duty) has long been a feature of Israeli society the sight of which has more poignancy now. You have to even smile when you see attractive young women, applying makeup and seemingly without a care in the world, toting an M4 or M16 rifle across their backs. There is no question Israel is a Jewish state, with Orthodox Jews most visible but numerous men also wearing yarmulkes. So many israeli women wear religious turbans (Mitpachat), a fascinating and exotic garment which you will see in no other country at least in this abundance. But, as probably the vast majority of outsiders are unaware, this is a multi-ethnic state. A fifth of the population is Arab - and Muslim. Road signs are in three languages - Hebrew, Arabic and then English. And eschew any talk that this is a "white" country. It’s as racially diverse as Canada or the US, with people of all shades including Blacks and Asians. And don’t believe the rhetoric that this is a "settler" country. Jews have been here for 3000 years. The country is traditional but more than contemporary. Walking back from a kosher Italian restaurant in the Machane Yehuda Market we passed open air rave parties with rock bands. Hard to find something like that even in Detroit. On my last night, taking the new and efficient train from Jerusalem to Ben Gurion airport, I met a vibrant younger woman originally from Chicago and in part as American as apple pie. She has lived in numerous countries and now resides in Haifa in Israel's north. She's going home to the States in a week. But she says that when she travels, she isn’t out of the country a day before she misses it. This uniquely multidimensional land - religious and ecumenical, traditional and contemporary with an undefinable life force shot through it - are the reasons why. 

(Photos of Jerusalem light rain line and a coffee bar in Jerusalem's chic yet traditional German Colony district.)

- Ron Stang, a frequent traveller, Windsor Ontario Canada

Israel - the ordinary and extraordinary

As I write I’m in the Baka neighbourhood of Jerusalem, a kind of upscale but historical borough about a half hour walk from the Old City. The sky is blue, the air fresh and clear. I’ve been here the past 10 days on a Solidarity Mission with more than a dozen other Canadians. The purpose is to show support for Israel in its time of need. We have toured numerous sites, from Hostages Square in Tel Aviv to Kfar Aza, one of several kibbutzim that suffered horrible atrocities when it came under attack Oct. 7 by Hamas from neighboring Gaza, about a mile away. We could see black smoke rising from Israeli shelling in the distance. We could hear the tat-tat-tat of heavy caliber tank mounted machine gun fire. Occasionally

we’d hear the very close booms of artillery, from our side of course! The burned out houses were horrific. We then toured the site of the nearby Nova rave, where hundreds of young people were slaughtered, injured or kidnapped, an open field (photo) of victims' pictures on stakes, now a national monument with visitors/mourners coming every day. We met with the deputy security head of Sderot - a city long the target of Hamas shelling - and saw video of an Hamas attack on the police station, the once modern building since razed and where an open lot with a large menorah now stands. We met soldiers and cooked for them at a field relief station. We volunteered at numerous sites including picking kohlrabies in a field just

outside Ben Gurion airport. We packed necessities, including food, for soldiers, the destitute - and evacuated families (many of whom were in our hotels) - the poor and elderly Holocaust survivors. We spent time in Tel Aviv and Jerusalem. It was surreal flying here. What would Israel be like? But it didn't take long to adjust to the fact that life goes on. Taking the 20-minute train ride from the airport to Jerusalem seemed as normal as taking the subway in Toronto. There were traffic jams on the neighboring freeway. People were going to work as they always have. The stores were open, the restaurants buzzing (the food here is extraordinary), the vast and teeming old world Machne Yehuda Market (photo) shoulder to shoulder the afternoon before Friday sunset and Shabbat when people stock up for food in a land largely silent on Saturdays. We met an injured soldier at the Shaare Zedak Medical Center, also the largest obstetrics hospital in the world. We dined with soldiers who had joined the Israeli army from as far away a Uruguay and New York City. The bottom line is that, at least in most of Israel, you wouldn’t know a war is going on. But scratch the surface and talk to people and you know there is a common cause to support the soldiers in the fight for the country’s survival. “Bring Them Home” hostage posters (photo) are everywhere. Life here is both ordinary and extraordinary.  

- Ron Stang, Windsor Ontario Canada, a frequent traveller

The El Al experience

Israeli airline El Al is reputed to be the most security conscious airline in the world. And for good reason. The state of Israel has been under threat almost since its inception and has suffered scores of terrorist attacks since its creation in 1948. I’d always wondered what it would be like to fly on the airline. Yesterday my wish came true. I boarded flight LY 319 at London’s Heathrow Terminal 4 for the just over four hour flight to Tel Aviv’s Ben Gurion Airport. I’m in Israel for 11 days. Prior to boarding I had had a good part of the day in London after arriving at noon on Air Canada from Toronto. My flight to Tel Aviv didn't leave until 10.20 pm. But after arriving back at the airport, claiming my luggage and checking in at the El Al counter, I was asked several additional questions while in line by an airport official before I even got to check in. These were pretty general, including how I was transferring flights and what I did between them. But I think it was the fact I had left the airport and went into the city that triggered a security alert. First a square yellow sticker was attached to my passport. I was also told to show up at the check in gate at 9 pm,  half an hour before boarding. I did and was asked to enter a security office and hand over my shoulder bag. There a staffer went through with it with the security equivalent of a fine tooth comb. Even my Clif energy bar was put on a device to see if it contained explosives. The experience lasted 15 minutes. Everyone was polite and courteous. But attached to my bag, as well as my checked luggage, were the same yellow security stickers (see photo). I wasn't the only one so diverted; three other passengers all of whom seemed Israeli citizens and spoke Hebrew, also were. I didn't consider this procedure particularly onerous and was expecting perhaps a more thorough interrogation. Otherwise the packed flight to Israel was as normal as that of any other airline.  Something else I noticed. The El Al flight departed at the very end of an airport terminal pier. The plane parked on the tarmac was completely dark, surprising because at night usually one sees cabin lights. The plane also seemed to sit in outdoor darkness. (A friend later told me this was all part of the security procedure.) No doubt there also were undercover armed air marshals on the flight  to thwart any attempted hijacking. And, not surprisingly, at the initial airport check in counter - unlike at any others in the airport - there were two armed British police officers carrying machine guns. 

I guess every friggin public institution now has to have its hypocritical and guilt signaling so-called Indigenous land acknowledgement, from city council meetings to the new University of Windsor Law school and the former Art Gallery of Windsor (now Art Windsor Essex). Now even Air Canada does. Flying from Toronto to London Friday night I heard it for the first time. After the security announcement, an Air Canada voice overlaid a video of the panoramic Canadian natural landscape. Only, instead of the usual Acknowledgement words indicating the meeting is taking place on (former) Indigenous land, AC’s acknowledgement is that it is “flying” over such territory. Apparently you just can’t get away from this woke stuff, folks, even in the skies.

- Ron Stang, Windsor Ontario Canada, a frequent traveller

St. Lucia becomes St. 'Elucia'

I’m supposed to be in St. Lucia now. But my SO’s disability has declined to a point where she doesn’t have sufficient mobility, therefore sidelining that plan. Yes, the airfare had already been paid. No insurance because we’d never needed insurance before. My way of looking at it is, yes, I’ve eaten $2000 but the entire trip would have cost another $8000 for three weeks. That, my friends, is money in the bank…Why St. Lucia, which I’m now calling St Elucia (as in elusive)? During the pandemic this deep southern Caribbean Island seemed to have the best Covid protocols, with all resorts abiding by a standard system which appeared better than other Caribbean Islands. Hence the Island was more open for business, combing safety and normalcy. Moreover, from all reports and photographs the island, unlike others, is a standout with its lush forests, waterfalls, chocolate factories and Pitons mountains. Well, we never ended up going during Covid; we’d simply put it aside among other priorities. And now this cancellation (no charge for the resort). We’ll see if St. Elucia ever becomes St. Lucia! Coincidentally, on Monday, the expected day of our arrival, my computer screen randomly generated a screen saver of, guess where.

Postscript: friends whom I wrote about in the last post were delighted to obtain two $400 vouchers after their Toronto-Windsor flight was cancelled and they had to take Via Rail to Windsor. “I sent a registered letter to Air Canada on Monday, requesting a refund of the cancelled portion of the flight from Windsor to Toronto, and our train fare, and by Wednesday evening we had a refund of $800 in our bank accounts!  I’m not kidding! Pretty impressive." Sure is, that speed is almost unheard of for any business. AC is more than pulling up its socks paying refunds, a far cry from 2022 with massive backlogs from delays when people started flying post-Covid, though I've never had too much of a problem getting refund vouchers ... However, there’s a story in today’s National Post about the airline taking a Vancouver couple to court for making a similar claim. The airline says it is not seeking vengeance but testing a new adjudication process by the Canadian Transportation Agency (CTA). “The complaint was centered around a January 2020 flight that the couple says was delayed for 24 hours. Nearly four years later, the CTA ruled that Air Canada owed the Dyczkowskis $1,000 each and gave the airline until the end of December to pay. Instead, Air Canada has opted to challenge the ruling in Federal Court. If the airline is successful, the couple fears they could be out for more than just the $2,000 compensation they received — they could also be on the hook for Air Canada’s legal costs.”

The more I think about it, Athens (photo - sunset from Filopappou Hill) – where I spent almost two months last fall - is an ideal city. Sure, it’s large on a metropolitan scale but the central city is compact yet overflowing with activity. Hundreds of restaurants, cafes and wine bars cluster in the circumference below the Acropolis, all within walking distance. The same goes for the city’s roughly dozen museums. And in summer, you can easily hop on a tram to take you directly to beaches on the “Athens Riviera,” just south of the city. No need for a car; how perfect is that ... I've joined several Athens FB groups and find myself as an ambassador touting the city's glories. 

- Ron Stang, Windsor Ontario Canada, a frequent traveller

More complaints about Windsor flight connections

Yet another complaint about Toronto to Windsor air service. A friend last week, returning from Western Canada, had her Windsor flight cancelled, necessitating a train ride home. “We were fifteen hours longer getting home because of Air Canada.” This is the third time this has happened," she said. “It took me less time to fly from India than it did from Victoria.” Well, I’ve suffered flight cancellations too – always from TO to Windsor and never the other way around – also, over the past three decades. The first time, in the 1990’s, I hitched a ride home with famed (now deceased) Windsor Police detective Neal Jessop, who was also on the flight and rented a car and we made it back to Windsor in the dead of night. The second, more than 10 years ago,  I was stuck at the nearby Holiday Inn in Milton and shuttled very early back to the airport for the first flight next morning back to Windsor. And, in December 2022, my SO and I, returning from Italy, had the last flight of the day cancelled. That is, to Windsor. Air Canada would put us up in a hotel but for one night only, when the next available flight was two days away! So I spent almost $300 out of pocket for a car rental. (I forget whether AC provided compensation but unlikely since they offered a hotel voucher but for one night!)…..I know people who refuse to use Windsor Intl Airport because of all-too-frequent flight cancellations. I still use the airport. I’m a fairly frequent flyer and most of the time the connections work. But I know people who adamantly will not use YQG (branded Your Quick Gateway) because they can’t trust flights departing or arriving on time or at all. In 2022 I wrote a story for my companion website WindsorOntarioNews.com. I found there were even travel agents who refuse to book through Windsor airport: ‘Al Valente, owner of Valente Travel, said he “purposely” does not fly out of Windsor because he can’t depend on flights not being cancelled. “It’s pretty sad to say because I love to support Windsor and the airport but we have to be honest with our clients and just say it's unreliable,” he said. Maria Voros of Complete Travel said she was heading to Europe but flying out of Detroit. “Why? Because I don’t want this happening to me,” she said. “Half of the time they don’t go, they cancel the flight.” Airport CEO Mark Galvin said most of the time there are no flight problems. But there can be bumps. “It’s very fluid, you have a day where everything is totally on time, even a flight’s 10 minutes early, and then the next day you might have two or three delays.”’ Said my friend: "I truly get the feeling that Windsor International Airport is a “joke title”.  Our Border City is not taken seriously as a hub of industry, technology, etc.  Proof of the pudding is the lack of connectivity by air, both coming and going."  

- Ron Stang, Windsor Ontario Canada, a frequent traveller

I lost my wallet in Athens

It had been a perfect four-month sojourn in Europe – and almost two months in Athens – when one bright Saturday I decided to take a long walk and break up the days saddled at my desk with work,  despite a magnificent view of the Acropolis. Stopping at a neighborhood coffee bar for late morning cappuccino and Spanakopita (spinach and cheese pie), I ventured northeast across Loef. Vasilisis Amalias, by tourist photo mecca Hadrian’s Gate and through the sprawling National Gardens behind Parliament. There I sat down in a tranquil opening (photo shows ancient ruins resting on ground nearby; ruins are all over the place, literally, in Athens) and pulled out a bottle of water. Inadvertently I must have pulled my wallet out of my shoulder bag at the same time. Because after an afternoon of walking through the upscale Kolonaki neighborhood and then back through Plaka, Athen’s oldest district and one I thought I had mastered – but getting hopelessly lost – I returned home, emptied my bag only to find no wallet. What?! How could this be? I searched every nook and cranny of my apartment and my shoulder bag an infinite number of times, but, again, no wallet. Hell! Where could I have lost it? Probably the coffee shop. I had wanted change for a 20 euro bill so I could leave a tip. Maybe I left it on the counter. Sure, that’s where it was! In said wallet were two credit cards, one debit card, driver’s license, registration and insurance, and the most treasured original laminated Quebec birth certificate, which the government doesn’t make anymore. Not to mention the leather wallet itself, a gift a few years ago from my Significant Other. Hardly any cash. I check online that night to see if anyone had put any charges on the card – nothing. Reassured, it must be lost and no one has committed fraud. First thing Sunday morning I check again, and there are several charges on one card and three on the other! I immediately call BMO and CIBC and have the cards cancelled and told I’ll probably not be charged. Then head back out to the coffee bar. No, the staff search but turn up nothing. So the next probability is I dropped it in the park. (All the perp’s charges were in one or two blocks of the Gardens.) I’m not good with park benches. Several years ago, in Newport RI, I sat on a bench on commercial Thames St. and my wallet dropped out of my pants. On that occasion a Good Samaritan found the wallet, tuned it into Newport police, phoned me, and I recovered it, all ID and cash intact. Then there was the time I first when to Europe in 1988 and walking in front of the Spanish Steps in Rome – tourist ground zero – I’m distracted by a Roma child holding up a newspaper while with his other hand, yanking out my money belt with any number of important dox (yes, I know you’re supposed to wear the belt but it was an unseasonably warm day at the end of several weeks of uneventful travel, and I was lulled into complacency). Generally, I find human nature to be benign and sided with the thought that whomever found my wallet would contact me. No luck this time. The perp – yes, I have hexed him a myriad times - went on a minor spending spree. But I miss the birth certificate and leather wallet itself the most, everything else was easily replaced. Also, thank god I kept my main Mastercard separate, in a zipped pant pocket or otherwise I would have been up the river big time. And no, unlike Roma in 1988, I did not lose my passport as it had been left at the apartment.

Other annoyances but more trivial: The Lufthansa flight from Athens to Frankfurt – more than two hours in length – offered no food or beverage, even for a price, except for small bottles of water handed out. This from Germany’s national carrier. Hell, even on the puddle jump turboprop from Toronto to Windsor Air Canada Jazz offers free beverages and a snack and paid booze….And on the Air Canada flight from Frankfurt to Toronto, after the seatback video screen security announcement, passengers were held captive by several advertisements; no way to turn off or skip. I complained to a flight attendant. “We’ve done it forever.” That’s backed up by Air Canada PR, whom I also contacted. News to me as well as air passenger rights advocate Gabor Lukacs, who said “wrong morally for sure, although I cannot pull a case that says that it is wrong legally too.”

- Ron Stang, Windsor Ontario Canada, a frequent traveller

You want sweets? Athens has got sweets

Just wrapping up my stay in Athens and my location could not have been better. I’m literally within two short blocks of the Acropolis (pictured from my apartment), immediately south of the dominating outcrop and Parthenon temple. From my neighbourhood of Makrygianni I can walk virtually everywhere in central Athens, an area encompassing the city’s oldest neighbourhood Plaka (north of the Acropolis), Syntagma, where the Parliament is located, the vast national gardens via Hadrian’s Arch, the traditional downtown with department stores and theatres, the upscale Kolonaki shopping enclave, the university district and then west around the Acropolis itself. Slightly east is the Mets neighbourhood and the first modern era Olympic (1896) (Panathenaic) stadium recreated from an ancient one and built all in marble. I can easily walk to a voluminous number of museums, from the national art gallery, the city’s vast contemporary art museum, a jewellery museum (one block away), Benaki Museum of Greek Culture, Museum of Greek Folk Musical Instruments, National Archaeological Museum, Onassis Foundation (actress Tilda Swinton recently put on a one woman show) and more. You can even walk to, and then walk up or catch the funicular train, to Athens’ highest point, Lycabettus Hill.

Three blocks down my street is Filopappou Hill, where you can observe great evening sunsets looking out at Piraeus and the Saronic Gulf (photo) with ships at anchor waiting to dock. This neighbourhood, a combination of small hotels and residential apartments, has dozens if not hundreds of cafes, wine bars and restos. Indeed, the entire city is filled with places to eat, most with outdoor patios and most extremely well frequented, every day of the week. Athenians, like most Europeans, love to dine out but the vibe seems more intense here. Not only are streets chock a block with eateries, the number of patisseries and sweet shops is phenomenal, some the size of small grocery stores with every variety of torte, cake, mousse, cookie, donuts, baklava, mini pies, sweet bread, and chocolates (photo of Christmas choclates window display below). The sweets are delectable, so much one could get fat if not careful.  The other great thing about central Athens is, in summer (it’s 65 F as I write Dec. 13), you can catch a tram three blocks from my apartment and take it all the way down the Attica Peninsula or “Greek Riviera.” Just spot a beach and hop off; no need for a car. And, yes, it gets HOT here in summer. Another retail quirk is a few blocks away, among innumerable leather shops, is ‘Stavros Melissinos, The Poet Sandal-Maker,’ who famously (and the store more than advertises this) made sandals for A-list celebs like The Beatles and Jackie Onassis.

Other Athens observations: There are a fair number of people (10-15 per cent), post-Covid, still wearing medical masks, especially on transit.....You don’t put toilet paper down the toilet here (the sewer system can’t handle it) but in a tight lidded trash can and empty at the end of the block in a street bin.....Like other European cities, narrow streets in the central city predominate and are largely pedestrian filled, even on the most unpleasant days (last weekend the temp dropped to the mid-50s if you can imagine). But unlike orderly and anal North American cities motorbikes are everywhere and mingle with pedestrians, and even the odd car (mostly for deliveries) makes it up “pedestrianized” streets. I can just imagine the conniptions if this occurred back home.  

- Ron Stang, Windsor Ontario Canada, a frequent traveller

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

 

Travel in Britain? A breeze

 

When travelling to England the BritRail pass is the way to go. Don’t try buying it here. You can only buy it abroad, to the envy of the Brits. It will save you literally hundreds of dollars on relatively expensive train fares. I bought a pass in Canada for $933.40. Sound expensive? It’s for 15 round trips within a two-month period within England. You can also buy passes that include Wales and Scotland. But if I had bought separate train tickets here I would have been out a whole lot more money. The pass is also good for First Class travel (photo), a bonus in itself. Most trains have First Class sections. And you often don’t need to make reservations. Just arrive at the station and board a First-Class coach. If you’re worried the train might be crowded head to the ticket office and make a seat reservation – at no cost. Once aboard you’ll get the privilege of free food and beverages, including booze. Attendants, like in planes, wheel trolleys down the aisle. But First-Class service varies. The best I’ve had is on the London – York LNER line, where attendants took meal requests and served hot dinners on real plates. Booze was also served in glasses. But on the return trip no hot meals but beverages flowed frequently. Other services and railways didn’t have sandwiches, just snacks and drinks but usually booze. The Southeastern high-speed service had no first class at all.

Train travel generally here is a charm. Trains are frequent, even to long distance locations. If you miss a train there’s usually another in a half hour or hour. On board information is excellent. LED reads outs tell you the next stations, sometimes graphics will display how crowded each coach is and where the restrooms are. Upcoming stations are announced by an identical female voice sounding like actress Emma Thomspon. Beyond that, onboard “train managers” will welcome you aboard, inform how to connect to another train at a transfer point, and let you know why we might be hesitating or slightly behind schedule. Moreover, if you’re late usually beyond 15 minutes you can apply for a Delay Repay refund. Station signage is also good. Even at the most rural stations, and after hours when ticket offices have closed, electronic platform signs inform about next arrivals and departures.

The one downside of train travel – and city buses for that matter – is the passengers. On London buses people invariably talk on their phones. On trains, there’s yakking but also inconsiderate behaviour. Groups are often loud and have no conception of how their behaviour impacts others. Trains can have one “quiet car”; I wish there were more.

London buses are frequent and onboard signage informs of the next stop along with audio announcements. If a bus is delayed at a stop you’ll be told a reason such as a wait to “spread out” service or because of a driver change. Pay is no problem, you just tap your credit or debit card. All buses are accessible and have buttons on the side you push for a ramp to come down from the middle door. About half the tube stations have elevators. And all the stations along the gleaming new 72-mile Elizabeth Line bisecting London are accessible.

This last point isn’t about trains. But upon arrival at London’s Heathrow this was the best Customs experience I’ve had. No speaking to agents just an electronic gate using passport recognition. Sort of what's at Pearson without the added “speak-to-Customs” bit.

- Ron Stang, Windsor Ontario Canada, a frequent traveller

Lost in currency conversion

You’ve heard of lost in translation. Often happens when you travel. But how about lost in currency conversion. This appears what happened when the Nova Scotia Health Authority (NSHA) incorrectly billed for an overnight stay in June of last year at the Cape Berton Regional Hospital. The health department sent two notices (together) that an outstanding amount hadn’t been paid up. The original cost was $7818.10 (Yup, that’s what it costs for overnight and a few tests). Yet, the dear people at Nova Scotia Health didn’t seem to make the connection between Canadian and US dollars, or should that be the conversion. They kept insisting that $1637.69 was owing. Uh, no. The patient, an American, was covered by GeoBlue travel insurance, a US provider. The bill was paid in full. Their payment, dated Nov. 17 of last year, was for the total $7818.10. It even says this on the form to “NSHA Accounts Receivable Service Centre $7818.10 Canada Dollars.” But it was paid in US currency which was $6180.41, the equivalent of the Canadian amount. So, Nova Scotia Health made a boo-boo. They thought the $6180.41 was Canadian dollars and therefore remitted a balance (two notices) of $1637.69 ($7818.10 minus $6180.41). Clearly, they assumed the payment by GeoBlue was in Canadian money when it was in US. We alerted Nova Scotia Health August 30, resending GeoBlue’s documentation as proof of payment. We’re still waiting to hear from them as to whether the bill has been cleared. The wheels of bureaucracy turn...

- Ron Stang, Windsor Ontario Canada, a frequent traveller