Skip to main content

Two Travel Tips

Image
By
Short post today... I wanted to make a note of 2 wonderful discoveries made while traveling recently, and desperate for both wifi and maps.

1. Starbucks has free wifi everywhere! Based on googling, I'd thought this was US-only. Not the case, and thank goodness, they are easy to find.

2. CityMaps2go offers fantastic downloadable maps! For $1.99, you can download very detailed maps, including points of interest, for over 7,000 places (and growing). On an iPhone (note: not iPad), it can even detect where you are, whether you are 'online' or not. Amazing.

...That is all.

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Saturday Morning Comparisons: by haiku

By
2 haikus 9 am Sunday morning in downtown Austin: Cyclists in spandex spin by Amidst the stench of vomit and homelessness Empty streets save for a motorcycle parade. 9 am Sunday morning, Alstadt, Mainz: The sun is shining A giant farmer's market fills the plaza Pedestrians, bikers, families smiling together.
Post a Comment
Read more

Frankfurt Airport, it's Time for a Do-Over

By
I'll start this post with a rant. I really hate Frankfurt Airport. Now, I've slept overnight at more airports than is normal - SFO, ORD, YYZ. So many, and I still remember the airport codes - this makes me somewhat of an expert. In Frankfurt, well, the putrid gray colors...the parking garages that are cold and endless... the smoking rooms you can smell from too far away... the lack of water fountains... the lack of helpful staff... I could go on. The absolute worst part though, is the process to reclaim your VAT. It's convoluted during normal working hours, and even more convoluted outside those times. Since neither Frankfurt's airport, nor inside signage, nor information desk, can be bothered to clearly explain how it works, here is your guide. After 4 failed attempts at off-hours VAT reclamation by 3 different family members.... we shall fail no more! DURING WORKING HOURS (7 am - 6 pm): Customs window is open. Find the window ("Zoll") in your terminal...
Post a Comment
Read more

Repatriation, Month 2

By
We're in the second month of returning stateside. What an evolution it's been. We relied heavily on family to get us through the first few weeks, spending nearly every weekend with cousins. It was nice, but they have their own routine, and we needed to establish our own. Finally, with the house painted, new floors installed, furniture delivered (hallelujah!), assembled, and boxes (mostly) cleared out, it looks like a house we can live in. Camping had become exhausting and wore the kids out. On the other hand, suddenly having a full house somewhat overwhelmed them - they would start massive fights over a single toy, ignoring the fact that there were now quite a lot of options to choose from. Given our long-term exhaustion over the past several months, this has been an annoying challenge. We have started to establish more of a routine though, and I already feel my mood lifted because of it. I hope it's the same for the kids. The early morning school routine hurts (whyyyyy...
Post a Comment
Read more