Tagged With "#Europe"
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Re: Your opinion of Bulgaria
Bulgaria is a place most Americans don't know much at all (although last year in Paris I saw a billboard that said it's the new best place for golf!) I'd love to know more and hope you'll write some blogs about it!
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Re: Your opinion of Bulgaria
I also have to admit that I don't know much about Bulgaria, although more and more I've been thinking about visiting eastern Europe. I look forward to learning more about it from your future posts! Thanks!
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Re: Your opinion of Bulgaria
Great to hear that you want to visit Bulgaria! It's really beautiful country! Hope to grab your interest with my future posts. Meanwhile here's some very nice and influencing videos, showing more about Bulgaria: ( https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CcyWiNAnNiI ) ( https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TVTNivPtTC0 )
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Re: Gumbo's Pic of the Day, June 3, 2014: British Telepone Box, Malta
I enjoy these British phone booths! I'm not sure the last time I saw a phone booth in North America. Maybe at an airport somewhere, but they've all but completely disappeared (thanks to near universal ownership of cell phones).
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Re: Replacing iPhone Abroad
Hello HistoryDigger, I have some friends in Cologne who might be able to give you some on the ground advice. I'll send you their contact info via dialog. Check for the top right corner for a message.
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Re: Replacing iPhone Abroad
I'd be inclined to contact the original source of the phone and see if they can Fedex a replacement.
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Re: Replacing iPhone Abroad
UPDATE: We went to GRAVIS on Ehrensrasse 2 : http://www.gravis.de/filialen/koeln/koeln/ They told us that nobody will repair a wet a iPhone. So, upon their advice, we booked a genius appointment at the Apple Store in the suburbs of Cologne: https://www.apple.com/de/retail/rheincenter/ There, we can exchange our wet phone with a refurbished iPhone 5 for 250 euros. Not cheap, but we can put my husband's SIM card into the refurbished phone, and he'll be on his way. We're trying not to think...
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Re: Replacing iPhone Abroad
Originally Posted by PortMoresby: I'd be inclined to contact the original source of the phone and see if they can Fedex a replacement. Be careful with that. There might be a huge duty/tariff you'd have to pay to do so. Check this out with your concierge before you take this route. But if no customs fee, I'd probably get a new phone from back home, too.
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Re: Replacing iPhone Abroad
"Be careful with that. There might be a huge duty/tariff..." VAT may, of course, be imposed but then most likely refunded when you take it home again. It's certainly worth checking out if all else fails. Then there's the dreaded "do without" option, if imagination allows.
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Re: Replacing iPhone Abroad
I don't know much about Germany's import taxes, but there may be taxes on certain classes of merchandise beyond and in addition to VAT. For example, in one country I know of, importing a car is associated with a tax of 100% of the value of the car. And after that, you also pay VAT.
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Re: Replacing iPhone Abroad
To me, VAT means any tax added onto the price, but I'll defer to the doctor in his quest for exactitude, while also mentioning, neither of us really knows, do we?
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Re: Replacing iPhone Abroad
I do expect a tax. If it's terrible, my husband will do without a phone. I remember we had to pay a big tax even when bringing in our own (used) car from the USA to use during the two years we lived in Germany. It was cheaper to ship our own car to Germany than to buy or rent one for two years. But, back to to phone...We will update this post with relevant news.
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Re: Replacing iPhone Abroad
While I know iPhone users can be very brand-loyal, if the price is too high, consider buying a cheap Android phone and using it with your SIM. At the end of the trip, you can put it back in a new iPhone, or (dare I say?) change sides... The iPhone 5 uses yet another made-for-Apple incompatible SIM size, but phone stores will have a small plastic holder to retrofit it to the sizes used by others.
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Re: Replacing iPhone Abroad
My husband would never switch phone allegiances! So, he'd still have to buy a new iPhone at home. Right now he's using his laptop to iMessage from the hotel wifi. But it's a good idea, and one that other travelers may want to try.
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Re: Replacing iPhone Abroad
UPDATE ON REPLACING AN iPHONE 5 IN EUROPE: Cologne's Apple store didn't have a US iPhone 5 in stock and the technician offered to order one for us. However, the phone would not arrive for a week, and we would be in London by then. So we made an Apple store genius bar appointment at London's Stratford City-Westfield location near the Olympic Park. WARNING: we made this appointment a week in advance, which is standard for Genius Bar schedules in Europe. (For laptop appointments, the wait is...
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Re: Replacing iPhone Abroad
Moral of the story: don't flush your iPhone down the john! What a saga! I'm curious to see how it all plays out.
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Re: Replacing iPhone Abroad
Is there enough cooperation among Apple stores that if the phone arrives in London after you've left that they could express-ship it to Apple at your next stop?
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Re: Finding Reiner: Taking a Break in Cologne
Thanks,I really enjoyed your tips for Cologne. The food looks great Hans meal alone sounds like it's worth a trip there!
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Re: Finding Reiner: Taking a Break in Cologne
A River Cruise from Amsterdam through Germany (inc Cologne) , France then into Switzerland is an amazing journey. http://www.vikingrivercruises....basel/itinerary.html Or you can follow the Rhine from North to South by car and stop wherever you please. The road runs along side the River for most of its journey !
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Re: Finding Reiner: Taking a Break in Cologne
Next time I'll take that river cruise. Thanks for the update.
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Re: Finding Reiner 4: Who Was He?
Thanks for another moving piece. Those illustrations by Maria Lebedeva are museum quality!
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Re: Replacing iPhone Abroad
NO cooperation between Apple stores in different countries. We made FOUR visits to Apple stores—Cologne, London, and twice to the Paris Louvre store—before my husband was finally able to exchange his water-damaged iPhone 5 with a replacement. He bought his replacement for 249 euros, only 1 1/2 days before he finished his three-week Europe vacation. The Louvre Apple store (which is underground in the Carousel shopping mall) was packed with confused and anxious Apple product users. Some...
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Re: Valletta, Why Do I Love Thee So?
Lovely pictures! I was surprised to see so many signs in English...is it the most common language, or is Maltese widely-spoken also?
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Re: Valletta, Why Do I Love Thee So?
Thanks PH. Maltese is the official language but English is widely spoken and there are little if any communication problems.
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Re: Valletta, Why Do I Love Thee So?
The island of Malta became part of the British Empire in 1800. The French had invaded Malta 2 years previously and were unwelcome. The British removed the French and established a base there at Valletta to give them a port in the Mediterranean Sea. And it provided employment and security to the local people. In 1964 it voted for Independence. The Coat of Arms of Queen Victoria can be seen over the VICTORIA GATE photo - above. The current Queen Elizabeth ceased any connection with Malta in...
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Re: Valletta, Why Do I Love Thee So?
Thanks for this fascinating piece, IslandMan. Malta quickly moves towards the top of future travel destinations in my bucket list.
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Re: The Maltese Islands – Underrated gems or best kept secret ?
What an interesting group of islands. Thanks so much for this article. Wondering - Do people get around mostly by boat ? Is English widely spoken ?
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Re: The Maltese Islands – Underrated gems or best kept secret ?
Hello F-car, people mainly use their cars to get around, which is a pity as the roads are not the best and there are far too many cars for the roads to cope with. There is an extensive bus network which I found more preferable to driving. Boats are used more for leisure but there are many fisherman who make their living from the sea. Although the Maltese have their own language, English is widely spoken and visitors get by without problems. Many locals also speak Italian (them being our...
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Re: The Maltese Islands – Underrated gems or best kept secret ?
Thanks so much Island Man.What a great post! I'll definetly include a visit to Malta in my future travel plans.
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AirBerlin Black Friday: $499 to Europe R/T!
AirBerlin, a OneWorld member, is offering a $499 roundtrip to several European destinations at cut-rate prices from now to Tuesday, with flights from Jan. 12 to Mar. 22. The $499 rate is for Berlin from Chicago, and Stockholm or Copenhagen from NYC....
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For those who hate Heathrow, Gatwick plans new allure
London's Gatwick Airport, second only to Heathrow in British air traffic, is in a hot competition with Heathrow for the right to build an additional runway to accommodate growing air traffic in Southeast Britain. Part of its strategy is to line up a...
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Hostels are Growing Up
Hostels aren't just bare bones places to stay anymore. They still feature the social aspects of hosteling, but there are large numbers of "Luxury Hostels" popping up, especially in Europe. Things like infinity pools, breakfast on demand,...
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Coming: TG's 'European Capital of Culture' Series
TG Update: These articles are now available -Capital of Culture Series: LiverpoolCapital of Culture Series: Marseilles Each year, the EU designates a special city or cities as the European Capital of...
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Traveling to Europe soon? It may pay to prepay...
If you're traveling to Europe in the next few months and can be reasonably sure of your plans, this may be a good time to prepay some of your expenses such as rent, car rental (especially since most agencies offer a prepay discount). the reason? The...
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Gumbo's Pic of the Day, Jan 20, 2015: Musee d'Orsay Clock, Paris
Paris is well known for its architectural splendor, and one highlight I experienced was a visit to the Musee d'Orsay , situated on the left bank of the Seine. It is housed in the former Gare d'Orsay, a Beaux-Arts railway...
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Gumbo's Pic of the Day, Apr 7, 2015: Obwarzanek vendor, Krakow
Kraków is the second largest and one of the oldest cities in Poland . Situated on the Vistula River in the Lesser Poland region, the city dates back to the 7th century. Our visit to Krakow was a surprising delight. Not knowing...
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A striking moment for travel in France
Not the best day for travelers in France, as air traffic controllers continue to strike, grounding hundreds of flights. Long-haul international flights continue, but domestic cancellations and shorter international flights are affected. The...
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Europe set to OK SkyTeam hook-up for Paris
It looks like European regulators are set to approve a joint operation covering routes between the U.S., Paris, Rome and Amsterdam. The arrangement, under scrutiny for three years, would let the airlines, all SkyTeam members, plan schedules together...
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Are airline alliances costing you $$$ on flights to Europe?
According to consumer advocate Chris Elliott, writing in Fortune, the answer is a big yes. He pinpoints the growth of the big three alliances (SkyTeam, OneWorld and Star), and the agreements among alliance members to coordinate services between the...
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Is merger the way to profit for European airlines?
A number of industry consultants and some airline executives believe that Europe's airlines, including numbers of its "flag" national carriers, need to consolidate to grow (or reach) profits. They point to the experience in the U.S., where...
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Gumbo's Pic of the Day, Nov 4, 2014: Empty Cafe, Paris
I'm not sure if we were too early or too late, but seeing all these empty chairs and tables lined up outside a cafe along the Champs Elysees in Paris was a most unusual sight I thought. Normally when you see pictures of cafes in Paris ...
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Liberland awaits: who will be the first tourist?
Taking advantage of a small (only Monaco and the Vatican are smaller) piece of Europe that is apparently unclaimed by either of its neighbors, Croatia and Serbia, a Czech politician named Vít Jedlička has proclaimed the Republic of...
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Emperor Ludwig's Ettal Monastery and Abbey, Bavaria
Samantha and her husband really enjoyed their visit to Emperor Ludwig's Ettal Monastery and Abbey in Bavaria, Germany. It is absolutely gorgeous.
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Is your hotel's WiFi fast enough? Check here!
Hotel WiFi Test, a company that collects WiFi data and uses it to help travelers find a hotel where they won't scream in frustration at bad WiFi, has published a list of rankings for chains and hotels in the U.S. and internationally. They...
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Ryanair's profits surge 66%: did 'charm offensive' do it?
Ryanair, the Irish-based airline that practically invented budget flying in Europe, and also nearly invented the reputation of low-cost airlines as cheap but unfriendly, has hit record profits this year. While others have also done well as fuel costs...
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Hot early summer worries Europe
And of course, if you're a kid...a fountain's a great way to beat the heat (Ken Thomas / Wikimedia) June weather that's hitting the mid-30s (mid-to upper 90sF) is worrying authorities in several European countries, where officials...
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Who's Cruising? 23 million, that's who!
Over 23 million passengers for cruises this year—up over 4%—and almost-daily announcement of new ships and new routes, tell you how popular cruising has become, and the 'specialty cruise' group (super-luxury, elegant liners and some of the...
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Gumbo's Pic of the Day, Jul 21, 2015: French Patisserie, Cassis
It's no secret that I like my food and am always looking for that something special to tantalise my taste buds, and what better way than to enter into a French patisserie and sample their delights. I spotted this attractive...
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Ryanair may hook up with BA, Virgin, TAP for long-haul
On the ground at London Stansted, where Ryanair might feed overseas passengers to BA Ryanair, the biggest short-haul and budget carrier in Europe has often hinted at starting a trans-Atlantic service, but never taken the step. Now it may be...
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Zurich throws a party, and a million show up!
Zurich throws a "Techno Street Parade" every year near the end of August, and it's become an incredibly big draw, with an estimated million participants from all over Europe dancing through the streets to the electronic beat, despite temperatures in...