Apr 11, 2008
Has anyone used Helpx.net, or known anyone who has? And how did they do?
In a recent issue, Time magazine described the various hospitality clubs that this blog, and Frommers.com, have been mentioning for years. But among the familiar names -- like www.usservas.org or www.couchsurfers.com -- they listed one of which I had not earlier heard, a club called Helpx.net, which arranges free room-and-board for you in exchange for four or five hours a day of your labor, usually at a farm or a backpackers' hostel.
Have any of our readers used or heard about Helpx.net? I'd be grateful if they'd respond about their experiences, as this is an intriguing service that many of our readers might want to consider.
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Have any of our readers used or heard about Helpx.net? I'd be grateful if they'd respond about their experiences, as this is an intriguing service that many of our readers might want to consider.
Write and read comments about this post.
Labels: accommodations, websites
A slight correction: My riverboat cruise on the Rhine was on the Amadeus Symphony, but not on Amadeus Waterways
The name "Amadeus" appeared on the cocktail napkins, on table settings, on banners hung on deck, in various other places -- and I quite naturally assumed that my Rhine riverboat belonged to the well-known Amadeus Waterways, as I reported in a recent blog. Turns out that the Amadeus Symphony is operated by Lueftner Cruises, and not by Amadeus Waterways (which also has a ship called "Amadeus Symphony") -- you can imagine the kind of litigation such a duplication would have set off in the United States (the Europeans apparently regard the word "Amadeus" as in the public domain, for obvious reasons).
More to the point, the Amadeus Symphony of Lueftner Cruises, an excellent, well-run ship with top cuisine and amenities, has been chartered for the year by Gate 1 Travel of the U.S., and it was their personnel -- three tour guides as good as any I have encountered -- who were in overall charge of the cruise. I should have paid more credit to Gate 1 Travel (www.gate1travel.com) and not even mentioned Amadeus Waterways (another fine company), the last-named firm having nothing to do with the trip I was on. Mea culpa.
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More to the point, the Amadeus Symphony of Lueftner Cruises, an excellent, well-run ship with top cuisine and amenities, has been chartered for the year by Gate 1 Travel of the U.S., and it was their personnel -- three tour guides as good as any I have encountered -- who were in overall charge of the cruise. I should have paid more credit to Gate 1 Travel (www.gate1travel.com) and not even mentioned Amadeus Waterways (another fine company), the last-named firm having nothing to do with the trip I was on. Mea culpa.
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Labels: correction, cruise, europe
For you cruise ship fans, there's now a giant vessel sailing European waters during the coldest months of the year -- and thus charging low rates for
In a surprising gamble, Norwegian Cruise Line has just announced that it will station its 2,400-passenger Norwegian Jade in European waters throughout every month of the upcoming winter season (instead of returning the ship to the Caribbean, as would normally be done). From November through March, it will operate 12-day cruises of the western Mediterranean, 14-day cruises of the entire Mediterranean, and 12-day cruises to Morocco and the Canary Islands (the latter being the only area associated with European-vacationing that remains warm in winter).
It's a big step they're taking, and obviously the prices will be low. And you will visit port cities that are happily devoid of tourists in the winter months. I think you may discover a big opportunity when you look up the Norwegian Jade on the websites of the major cruise discounters in the next few weeks, when their rates for that ship's winter cruises are announced.
Go to:
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It's a big step they're taking, and obviously the prices will be low. And you will visit port cities that are happily devoid of tourists in the winter months. I think you may discover a big opportunity when you look up the Norwegian Jade on the websites of the major cruise discounters in the next few weeks, when their rates for that ship's winter cruises are announced.
Go to:
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What I've learned about European travel, in the course of a short stay there these past ten days
It wasn't a really substantial trip, my seven recent days on a Rhine riverboat (stopping in six cities and four countries), followed by three nights in Lucerne, Switzerland. But in any overseas setting, you are reminded by actual fresh experience about the basic principles of smart travel, as follows:
- The various European rail passes are more valuable than ever. From checking the railroad ticket offices, it became obvious to me that the increase in the cost of point-to-point rail tickets in Europe has not been matched by an increase in the cost of the various European rail passes. It's as if the people who market these promotional devices in the U.S. have deliberately slowed their rise in price to keep the trip attractive; people I met were able to hop-scotch all over Switzerland with a Swiss Rail Pass for just a little bit more than we paid for two tickets at a Swiss railroad station. In advance of leaving for Europe, look into the various rail pass possibilities at www.raileurope.com.
- The ATM is your very best bet for obtaining cash. Over and over, I discovered that I could get a decent rate, and pay no big fee, by using my ATM card at the various ATMs in European cities. By contrast, I was shocked by the fees and poor exchange rates of the various money-changing kiosks -- and especially by those kiosks and counters at airports and train stations. The latter, paying high rents to be near the tourist crowds, give you a lousy number of Euros for your dollars, and then charge an additional 5% (at least) as a fee. Even banks, I discovered, now charge big commissions for changing your money. Don't use them. Go to an ATM, and you'll receive an honest exchange.
- The European equivalent of our T.S.A. will confiscate the same items that T.S.A. does. In European shopping, you have got to stay sensitive to the security check you will later encounter at the airport. We had friends who deliberately passed up the chance to buy reasonably-priced Swiss Army Knives (as gifts for their friends) at shops in Lucerne in the thought that they could buy them for much less at an airport tax-free shop. Passing through security in the airport for the flight home, and rushing to the area of the tax-free shops, they of course discovered that none of these shops were able to sell Swiss Army Knives (since those knives could no longer be placed in luggage checked aboard). You have got to keep mentally agile on your trips to Europe, you have got to think logically and have eyes in the back of your head.
- You can enjoy big savings by crossing the Atlantic on a flight making stops en route to your destination. I met person after person who had flown to cities in Europe using frequent flyer mileage not on the carrier whose program they had joined, but on the planes of an "alliance partner" flying out-of-your-way to another European city -- and only then to your desired destination. Thus, people flying to Amsterdam on frequent flyer mileage earned through Continental, would go there at very cheap cost via Dusseldorf on Lufthansa, a "partner" of Continental; this involved a bit of a hassle, but saved big sums. Bear in mind that all the major U.S. airlines -- American, Continental, Delta, Northwest, United -- belong to airline alliances whose other members will honor the frequent flyer mileage programs of the big American carriers (but you are not always told that by the U.S. carrier; you have to raise the subject and insist).
- All the tried-and-true rules for smart eating continue to bring major savings in today's Europe. Because more and more European hotels include a large buffet breakfast in your room charges -- enough to fill you long past the lunch hour -- it has become smarter than ever to make lunch a picnic meal from ingredients purchased at a grocery. You eat well, cheaply and healthily. Similarly, at low-cost European restaurants, the servings are generally so large that the smart traveler orders an appetizer for themselves, a main course for their companion, and then proceeds to split the plates.
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Labels: airport security, europe, money, tips
Apr 8, 2008
What I've learned about Germany and Switzerland in my river boating (and quick trip to Lucerne) over the past 10 days
I haven't been to either Germany or Switzerland for the last five-or-so years. And it was instructive to see the obvious changes that such a lengthy absence would make apparent.
First and foremost, both nations have become multi-ethnic in composition to an extent that would not have been imaginable years ago. Nearly a full 10% of the German population is now foreign-born; and this becomes obvious as you stroll the streets of German cities. Yet, although certain nativist political parties have sprung up in both Germany and Switzerland, I saw no clear evidence of any major anti-immigrant feelings of the Lou Dobbs/Michael Savage/Rush Limbaugh variety.
Instead, I saw clear evidence of a major move towards highly-sophisticated new political advocacy. The Green parties of both Germany and Switzerland are rather powerful, and their posters and appeals for votes are everywhere. Even more surprising is evidence of an emerging Women's Party in Switzerland -- a feminist movement that has taken political form and whose vote-for-us posters were everywhere on the streets of Lucerne. Will wonders never cease!
It is clear, as well, that after considerable worry in Germany about the state of their economy -- concerns that caused the recent defeat of the Socialists and the election of Angela Merkel -- that the economy of Germany is once again booming. And although Merkel has made small (and almost insignificant) cuts in the welfare payments and guarantees, no one is speaking any longer of any major shift away from the strong safety net enjoyed by every German (free medical care, extraordinary retirement and unemployment benefits). The same, apparently, in Switzerland, whose currency is now so strong that it sells at par to the U.S. dollar. Although the people with whom I've spoken may not be representative of the German and Swiss society (these were mainly English speakers), they all seemed somewhat smug about how well their country is doing. Germany, in particular, is now the largest country in Europe (with over 80 million people) and certainly the most influential, ousting Britain from that position.
When a speaker at a lecture I attended sought to talk about a "typical" German family (husband, wife, and two children), he cited as their average earnings: € 40,000 a year. That, dear friends, is the equivalent of $63,000 (at $1.57 to the Euro), which compares with the median family income in the United States of $43,000. We are no longer the richest nation in the world.
As for the quality of life here, it is impressive. In Lucerne, where I now am, electric signs at the bus stops tell you exactly when your bus will arrive. And when you board the bus, an electric sign tells you when you will arrive at your stop. Public facilities, including the trains, are modern, comfortable and well-maintained. Sensitive attention is paid to the environment. In hotel corridors, hotel rooms, and even public bathrooms, the lights are out when no one is there, and the lights go on only when a person enters.
End of a rushed commentary, made nervously while my wife is insisting we leave the room to see the Lion Monument (yesterday, we ascended in a cable car to the 7,000-foot-high Pilatus Mountaintop affording us a never-to-be-forgotten view of the Swiss Alps).
It's been interesting and instructive to return to such highly-developed countries. We really should make greater investments in our own infrastructure and public facilities.
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First and foremost, both nations have become multi-ethnic in composition to an extent that would not have been imaginable years ago. Nearly a full 10% of the German population is now foreign-born; and this becomes obvious as you stroll the streets of German cities. Yet, although certain nativist political parties have sprung up in both Germany and Switzerland, I saw no clear evidence of any major anti-immigrant feelings of the Lou Dobbs/Michael Savage/Rush Limbaugh variety.
Instead, I saw clear evidence of a major move towards highly-sophisticated new political advocacy. The Green parties of both Germany and Switzerland are rather powerful, and their posters and appeals for votes are everywhere. Even more surprising is evidence of an emerging Women's Party in Switzerland -- a feminist movement that has taken political form and whose vote-for-us posters were everywhere on the streets of Lucerne. Will wonders never cease!
It is clear, as well, that after considerable worry in Germany about the state of their economy -- concerns that caused the recent defeat of the Socialists and the election of Angela Merkel -- that the economy of Germany is once again booming. And although Merkel has made small (and almost insignificant) cuts in the welfare payments and guarantees, no one is speaking any longer of any major shift away from the strong safety net enjoyed by every German (free medical care, extraordinary retirement and unemployment benefits). The same, apparently, in Switzerland, whose currency is now so strong that it sells at par to the U.S. dollar. Although the people with whom I've spoken may not be representative of the German and Swiss society (these were mainly English speakers), they all seemed somewhat smug about how well their country is doing. Germany, in particular, is now the largest country in Europe (with over 80 million people) and certainly the most influential, ousting Britain from that position.
When a speaker at a lecture I attended sought to talk about a "typical" German family (husband, wife, and two children), he cited as their average earnings: € 40,000 a year. That, dear friends, is the equivalent of $63,000 (at $1.57 to the Euro), which compares with the median family income in the United States of $43,000. We are no longer the richest nation in the world.
As for the quality of life here, it is impressive. In Lucerne, where I now am, electric signs at the bus stops tell you exactly when your bus will arrive. And when you board the bus, an electric sign tells you when you will arrive at your stop. Public facilities, including the trains, are modern, comfortable and well-maintained. Sensitive attention is paid to the environment. In hotel corridors, hotel rooms, and even public bathrooms, the lights are out when no one is there, and the lights go on only when a person enters.
End of a rushed commentary, made nervously while my wife is insisting we leave the room to see the Lion Monument (yesterday, we ascended in a cable car to the 7,000-foot-high Pilatus Mountaintop affording us a never-to-be-forgotten view of the Swiss Alps).
It's been interesting and instructive to return to such highly-developed countries. We really should make greater investments in our own infrastructure and public facilities.
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Labels: germany, switzerland
We interrupt coverage of an idyllic river cruise with dreadful news (you probably already know) of airline bankruptcies at home
Though I was less than successful this past week in obtaining news via Internet cafes along the banks of the Rhine, I couldn't avoid the newspapers in every traditional cafe and the reports they brought of three major airline bankruptcies in the U.S.: of Aloha Airlines, ATA, and Skybus. The skyrocketing cost of fuel, and the economic slowdown, apparently proved too much for these low-cost carriers, of which one (Skybus) sold at least 10 seats a flight at $10.It's interesting -- and an important lesson for air travelers -- that the airline executives announcing the tragic news all suggested that passengers contact their credit card companies. They did not advise filing with the bankruptcy court. In bankruptcy, it's probable that passengers will receive nothing. Outside of court, passengers paying for their tickets within the last five-or-so weeks with a credit card will probably get every penny back from their credit card companies. The lesson is clear that, in travel, you should lift heaven and earth to make payments with a credit card; the card companies will normally refund the expenditure, unless it was recorded many months ago.
As for the elimination from the skies of Skybus, a very small carrier, this will have hardly any impact on travelers living anywhere but in Columbus, Ohio, hub of the unfortunate company. But the elimination of ATA and Aloha Airlines will have a disastrous effect on airfares to Hawaii, to which both ATA and Aloha flew from Oakland, California, at wonderfully low rates. Though all the other Hawaiian-bound carriers are proclaiming that they will take up the slack, and at no increase in price, it's obvious they are simply mouthing bedtime stories to worried travelers. After an initial few weeks of low-cost fares, I predict that all the carriers to Hawaii will raise their rates by at least $100, which is sad.
If you can possibly make that trip now, you might pay current levels. And that's especially the case if you rush to book the trip from Oakland on Hawaiian Airlines, which has announced replacement service from Oakland. They, too, will raise the rates after the initial switchover is completed.
In the same way that the price of oil, the price of wheat, and the price of rice, have all recently soared, it may be that airfares to Hawaii will remain permanently high. That's all the more reason to explore the use of alternate, low-in-cost accommodations for your own visit to this tropical state: vacation homes and vacation apartments on the island of Oahu (the same are being forced out of business in Maui); low-cost Ohana hotels in the Waikiki Beach area (Ohana being a chain of very adequate high-rise hotels owned by the Outrigger chain); B&B's in Oahu, Kauai and the Big Island. The unpretentious traveler willing to make those adjustments in their lodging habits, will continue to enjoy all the rewards of travel.
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Labels: airlines, hawaii, money
Apr 7, 2008
My 140-passenger riverboat, the Amadeus "Symphony," chartered by Gate 1 Travel, compared well in every important respect to those massive cruise ships
I've been peppered with e-mails from readers about the physical properties of the riverboat on which we cruised the entire length of the Rhine. How do they compare with various properties of the more familiar cruise ships?
1. Are the cabins on a European riverboat as large as those on an ocean-going cruise ships? As best I could see, they are exactly the size of a cruise ship cabin, and the bathrooms seemed somewhat larger than those cramped and compact little bathrooms on a cruise ship. In every other respect, the cabins had all the furnishings and amenities of a cruise ship cabin, and indeed the mattresses, feather-blankets and down-filled pillows were superior to those I remember. The cabin also had a large, flat-screen television able to get all the channels of a land-based TV system: we not only received a full-length, English-language movie each night, but also BBC Television, Sky Television, CNN, CNBC, and four other German-language, Dutch-language, or French-language channels.
2. How was the food? Better than on the average, popularly priced cruise ship. It was thoroughly European, and reflected all the glories of the European cuisine and the care and attention that Europeans devote to meals. At a final-night party when the entire crew was paraded before us, we were surprised to discover that the ship had six cooks for its 140 passengers, and all of them were either Dutch or German chefs well accomplished at making all the complementary sauces that Europeans pour over meats and fish. Wine was free and unlimited and good; in fact, the ship apparently picked up supplies of Mosel whites when we took a detour over a stretch of the Mosel river, and that night we all had mild, mid-sweet Mosel wine with our meals. Beer, good European beer, was also available and free at all meals. Breakfast was a giant buffet of endless dishes, including an omelette station at which a member of the crew prepared whatever kind of omelette you desired.
3. How was the staff? Courteous, efficient, and service-oriented as only Europeans could be. Waiters, waitresses, and room stewards were mainly young people from Hungary, Bulgaria, Romania, all of them extremely well motivated. Our captain was French (even though the Amadeus Symphony is a German-owned boat), speaking fluent English with a heavy accent; our cruise director, surprisingly, was a young American woman who had left teaching to first become a guide with Collette Tours and then shifted over to Amadeus Waterways when the occasion presented itself. The three staff members from Gate 1 Travel (Roland, Monique and Peter) who supervised the tour aspects of our cruise were, in the case of two of them, Dutch; and the third was from Hungary. They were superb; as professional, personable, and efficient as any I have seen.
4. How was the evening entertainment? On a riverboat, there is almost none -- and I found that refreshing. The entertainment staff consisted of a pianist and a singer, and I never stayed up late enough to hear them. The post-dinner activity mainly consisted of a "port talk" alerting us to the key features of the next-day's port visit. All of this is presented in a large and comfortable lounge also containing a bar, and this is where you relaxed during your few hours on the ship. Apart from meals and sleeping, most of your time was spent ashore, as there is a port visit each day of the cruise. On the rivers of Europe, continually lined with fascinating towns, there is no such thing as a whole day simply at sea -- as there is on ocean cruises.
5. Facilities for children? None. And there were no children. While I don't think they are forbidden, a child would be bored to tears on a river cruise, and I would be surprised to find a family with children taking a European river cruise. The passengers aboard? Overwhelmingly middle-aged -- a few younger people, a few fairly old, but mainly middle-aged. Nevertheless, young people in their 20s and 30s would enjoy these cruises to the same extent as everyone else.
6. Daytime activities? You spend most of the day ashore. And as contrasted with an ocean-going cruise, the ship is never docked in a remote location impossibly far from the town. The ship ties up -- in every instance but one -- at a river location right in the town, within a short walk of the main square. That exception: the day we docked in Speyer, Germany, where buses took us to Heidelberg -- the main point of that day's visit.
7. Shipboard lifeboat drills? None. And though I saw lifebelts in our cabin closet, it was quite obvious that passengers would be expected simply to make their own way to shore if anything untoward happened.
8. Seasickness? None. The ship is always level and one encounters no evidence of motion, even in areas of the Rhine where one spots rapids, like near the rock mountain on which the Loreley apparently lured 17th century river sailors to their doom.
9. Casinos? There are none. But there's an occasional casino ashore in some of the towns visited.
10. Daytime activities for passengers not going ashore? Almost everyone does go ashore. The one or two who stay aboard read in the lounge or their cabin, or stroll about on the top deck, where there is also a wading pool.
All in all, my cruise of the Rhine River was an extremely pleasant and memorable week, showing me an aspect of Europe that I am glad to have seen; and I have gone on at such length about it because of the popularity which these river cruises -- of the Rhine, the Danube, the Elbe, the Seine, the Rhone, the Mosel -- are currently enjoying. They are a cost-effective method of visiting Europe (the chief reason for their popularity) and thus allay the weak-dollar fears of a great many Americans. The amount charged -- $1,499 or $1,699 per person in off-season for a one-week cruise, including round-trip air between the U.S. and Europe -- is a remarkable bargain, for which the tour operator (Gate 1 Travel) and ship line (Amadeus Waterways) are to be commended. As I sat sipping champagne and munching on exquisite hors d'oeuvres during our farewell party, I marveled at the ability of these two companies to maintain such a reasonable level of price for such an extraordinary trip on the Rhine.
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1. Are the cabins on a European riverboat as large as those on an ocean-going cruise ships? As best I could see, they are exactly the size of a cruise ship cabin, and the bathrooms seemed somewhat larger than those cramped and compact little bathrooms on a cruise ship. In every other respect, the cabins had all the furnishings and amenities of a cruise ship cabin, and indeed the mattresses, feather-blankets and down-filled pillows were superior to those I remember. The cabin also had a large, flat-screen television able to get all the channels of a land-based TV system: we not only received a full-length, English-language movie each night, but also BBC Television, Sky Television, CNN, CNBC, and four other German-language, Dutch-language, or French-language channels.
2. How was the food? Better than on the average, popularly priced cruise ship. It was thoroughly European, and reflected all the glories of the European cuisine and the care and attention that Europeans devote to meals. At a final-night party when the entire crew was paraded before us, we were surprised to discover that the ship had six cooks for its 140 passengers, and all of them were either Dutch or German chefs well accomplished at making all the complementary sauces that Europeans pour over meats and fish. Wine was free and unlimited and good; in fact, the ship apparently picked up supplies of Mosel whites when we took a detour over a stretch of the Mosel river, and that night we all had mild, mid-sweet Mosel wine with our meals. Beer, good European beer, was also available and free at all meals. Breakfast was a giant buffet of endless dishes, including an omelette station at which a member of the crew prepared whatever kind of omelette you desired.
3. How was the staff? Courteous, efficient, and service-oriented as only Europeans could be. Waiters, waitresses, and room stewards were mainly young people from Hungary, Bulgaria, Romania, all of them extremely well motivated. Our captain was French (even though the Amadeus Symphony is a German-owned boat), speaking fluent English with a heavy accent; our cruise director, surprisingly, was a young American woman who had left teaching to first become a guide with Collette Tours and then shifted over to Amadeus Waterways when the occasion presented itself. The three staff members from Gate 1 Travel (Roland, Monique and Peter) who supervised the tour aspects of our cruise were, in the case of two of them, Dutch; and the third was from Hungary. They were superb; as professional, personable, and efficient as any I have seen.
4. How was the evening entertainment? On a riverboat, there is almost none -- and I found that refreshing. The entertainment staff consisted of a pianist and a singer, and I never stayed up late enough to hear them. The post-dinner activity mainly consisted of a "port talk" alerting us to the key features of the next-day's port visit. All of this is presented in a large and comfortable lounge also containing a bar, and this is where you relaxed during your few hours on the ship. Apart from meals and sleeping, most of your time was spent ashore, as there is a port visit each day of the cruise. On the rivers of Europe, continually lined with fascinating towns, there is no such thing as a whole day simply at sea -- as there is on ocean cruises.
5. Facilities for children? None. And there were no children. While I don't think they are forbidden, a child would be bored to tears on a river cruise, and I would be surprised to find a family with children taking a European river cruise. The passengers aboard? Overwhelmingly middle-aged -- a few younger people, a few fairly old, but mainly middle-aged. Nevertheless, young people in their 20s and 30s would enjoy these cruises to the same extent as everyone else.
6. Daytime activities? You spend most of the day ashore. And as contrasted with an ocean-going cruise, the ship is never docked in a remote location impossibly far from the town. The ship ties up -- in every instance but one -- at a river location right in the town, within a short walk of the main square. That exception: the day we docked in Speyer, Germany, where buses took us to Heidelberg -- the main point of that day's visit.
7. Shipboard lifeboat drills? None. And though I saw lifebelts in our cabin closet, it was quite obvious that passengers would be expected simply to make their own way to shore if anything untoward happened.
8. Seasickness? None. The ship is always level and one encounters no evidence of motion, even in areas of the Rhine where one spots rapids, like near the rock mountain on which the Loreley apparently lured 17th century river sailors to their doom.
9. Casinos? There are none. But there's an occasional casino ashore in some of the towns visited.
10. Daytime activities for passengers not going ashore? Almost everyone does go ashore. The one or two who stay aboard read in the lounge or their cabin, or stroll about on the top deck, where there is also a wading pool.
All in all, my cruise of the Rhine River was an extremely pleasant and memorable week, showing me an aspect of Europe that I am glad to have seen; and I have gone on at such length about it because of the popularity which these river cruises -- of the Rhine, the Danube, the Elbe, the Seine, the Rhone, the Mosel -- are currently enjoying. They are a cost-effective method of visiting Europe (the chief reason for their popularity) and thus allay the weak-dollar fears of a great many Americans. The amount charged -- $1,499 or $1,699 per person in off-season for a one-week cruise, including round-trip air between the U.S. and Europe -- is a remarkable bargain, for which the tour operator (Gate 1 Travel) and ship line (Amadeus Waterways) are to be commended. As I sat sipping champagne and munching on exquisite hors d'oeuvres during our farewell party, I marveled at the ability of these two companies to maintain such a reasonable level of price for such an extraordinary trip on the Rhine.
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On a laptop linked to broadband, I'm again blogging from Europe
From a weeklong cruise on the mighty Rhine, having sampled seven cities in four countries -- Holland (Amsterdam), Germany (Cologne, Cochem, Rudesheim, Heidelberg), France (Strasbourg) and Switzerland (Basel) -- and having marveled at the physical wonders of the "Rhine Gorge" (the Loreley rock, the castles, the fortresses, the wine-producing villages, the almost-vertical vineyards, the locks), we disembarked on Sunday morning in Basel, and immediately took a lightning-like Swiss train to Lucerne, an hour away (for a final three-day stay before returning to the States). And now, in a hotel flanked by the Rigi Mountain, and linked to both broadband and wi-fi, I'm able to resume blogging on my trusty laptop.
It isn't that the towns we visited lacked internet cafes -- even tiny Cochem had one. But the computers at each one of those cafes, as well as those on the ship itself, used European keyboards whose differently-placed keys made a nightmare out of my attempts to touch-type lengthy messages on them. And finding a Wi-Fi location for using my laptop proved difficult; surprisingly, the one Starbucks I visited in Heidelberg had never heard of Wi-Fi; and when you don't have access to a hotel room (many of the hotels are, in fact, Wi-Fi-enabled), which is the condition of a cruise passenger, you aren't able to use your own keyboard and laptop.
The solution for future cruises? One passenger pointed out that if I had a cell phone with Bluetooth capabilities, I could have used that phone to gain access to the Internet. It, in effect, would have provided my laptop with the Wi-Fi I needed. Another pointed out that in Europe, you can rent a device from Vodafone that attaches to your laptop and supplies you with portable internet capabilities, again via telephone technologies. I'd be fascinated to learn whether even other methods are available for going on line from a riverboat, and if readers are aware of them, would be grateful for your comments. But now, back to my daily posts.
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It isn't that the towns we visited lacked internet cafes -- even tiny Cochem had one. But the computers at each one of those cafes, as well as those on the ship itself, used European keyboards whose differently-placed keys made a nightmare out of my attempts to touch-type lengthy messages on them. And finding a Wi-Fi location for using my laptop proved difficult; surprisingly, the one Starbucks I visited in Heidelberg had never heard of Wi-Fi; and when you don't have access to a hotel room (many of the hotels are, in fact, Wi-Fi-enabled), which is the condition of a cruise passenger, you aren't able to use your own keyboard and laptop.
The solution for future cruises? One passenger pointed out that if I had a cell phone with Bluetooth capabilities, I could have used that phone to gain access to the Internet. It, in effect, would have provided my laptop with the Wi-Fi I needed. Another pointed out that in Europe, you can rent a device from Vodafone that attaches to your laptop and supplies you with portable internet capabilities, again via telephone technologies. I'd be fascinated to learn whether even other methods are available for going on line from a riverboat, and if readers are aware of them, would be grateful for your comments. But now, back to my daily posts.
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Fifty years ago, 
Arthur Frommer is generally acknowledged to be the nation's foremost travel authority. He is the founder of the
