Tag Archives: Squatzi

Europe, Switzerland

Zurich: The Layover

Strawberry Ice Cream
Strawberry Ice Cream snack

If you ever have the option to fly SwissAir, I highly recommend taking the opportunity.  SwissAir has to be one of the most hospitable airlines we have ever used.  AND, the airplane food wasn’t like cardboard covered with vomit.  Even more impressive — meals were served with REAL cutlery and glassware.  Christmas miracle!

Squatzi MadridBoth of us were rather excited to have a layover in Switzerland, rather than Frankfurt again as we have on previous trips.

On our way home from Madrid we ended up in Zurich for the better part of 6 hours.

The ubiquity of Burger King was a running joke for us while we were in Spain.  So, the irony of eating at Burger King while in Switzerland is not lost on me.  Yes, Burger King, at ZRH was the most economical option at 15CHF or approx. $19CDN for a small combo.   A $40 lunch at Burger King for 2 people would not fly here. (Although it would probably help reduce a lot of health issues! The Swiss could be onto something.)

We scouted out some vending machines too!  A 200ml bottle of coke was 5CHF, so roughly $6.40CAD for 200ml.  Our vending machine size is typically 600ml.  So, you’re looking at almost $20 for a bottle of coke, folks!

Even accounting for airport pricing which is usually quite high to begin with…ZRH HAS GOT TO BE THE MOST EXPENSIVE AIRPORT IN THE WORLD!

Happy (cost-effective!) Travels,
~j

(NB: I know, I’m flying somewhere, going on vacation, get some perspective and realize how lucky that is in itself!  I do realize that, and appreciate how extraordinarily lucky I am to be able to explore beyond my hometown.  I get it, but for a budget traveler, Zurich was nuts!)

North America, USA

Do Not Feed Prairie Dogs

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Do not feed prairie dogsPrairie Dog Town is a real location at the entrance of the Belle Fourche campground. True story. Check out the map. We ended up spending a very rainy night there. The campground was nice enough, but the weather not so much. At least we were able to take some fun photos.

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 These Black-tailed prairie dogs remind me of the marmots at one of the parks here. (photo below) Even though they’re Yellow-bellied marmots–they still look the similar. Yep, Groundhogs, Marmots, Prairie Dogs, whatever you like to call them–the same all over the place. (ps: they really are all from the Sciuridae family, so there’s your mini science lesson for the day.)
gopher

 

 

Mexico, North America

Is my forehead red?

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At the airport waiting for the flight home. Should be back in Vancouver in 11 hours and home in about 15 or 16. Today we took the metro to the historic center of Mexico City. (ps: the Mexican Metro is set up the same as the French Metro. Easy peasy!). We visited an archaeological site that basically shows 7 different evolutions of the buildings and the people that lived in them.

It is kinda crazy when you can see what the modern day buildings are built on top of. Yesterday we ended up taking a bus to Teotihuacan. Teotihuacan is an interesting place but most of it is scorched earth with no shade. (kind of like The Kumsheen Resort in the pre-pool/pre-air conditioning days) Not a good day to forget the sunscreen! Oops!

I would have enjoyed the site a lot more if there weren’t so many touts and chatzski sellers trying to sell their crappy crap to me every second step.  So annoying!

The bus ride on the way there should have been a good indication of what to expect. For the hour long drive there the driver kept picking up people selling ice cream, candy, cold drinks etc. And then he picked up Mexican Stevie Wonder who serenaded us for about 20 minutes. Jon took some good video. (NB: Video to be added after we get home. I’m not that technologically advanced when we’re on the road!)

The bus ride home was 2/3 the price of the one there and I’m guessing there was some sort of deal for standing room only.  We are still alive, so no worries. Maybe Greyhound should look into new pricing policies?

More on the bus system later friends, must go find Squatzi some more clothes.
Sent from my BlackBerry device on the Rogers Wireless Network

England, Europe, United Kingdom

British Museums

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Squatzi London PassVisiting the British Museum in London is free, and it is absolutely worth the time. (The website has A History of the World in 100 Objects which is pretty cool.) We wandered the entire museum. A few of the high lites – The Rosetta Stone, the Hoa Hakananai’a, Egyptian Art & Mummies. The museum even has a Haida Totem Pole from BC. We also went to the Natural History Museum, and the Tate Modern which are also free. I’d have to say of the three, the British Museum was the best by far.

During our shortened stay in London we managed to visit several other sites as well. Tower Bridge and Tower of London were interesting. And, the HMS Belfast The Imperial War Museum was kind of neat to see, but there were a trillion school kids on the ship with us and they were not well behaved! All of them were wearing their little school uniforms running around like little psychos all over the ship.

London BridgeThe most mundane part about London that was also one of the best=Marks & Spencer food shops. We need more grocery/food opportunities like this in Canada. M&S has outstanding policies for a retailer. Here’s a quote from their site:

We launched Plan A in January 2007, setting out 100 commitments to achieve in 5 years. We’ve now extended Plan A to 180 commitments to achieve by 2015, with the ultimate goal of becoming the world’s most sustainable major retailer.

Through Plan A we are working with our customers and our suppliers to combat climate change, reduce waste, use sustainable raw materials, trade ethically, and help our customers to lead healthier lifestyles.

I don’t know if shoppers actually appreciate that the food has no GMO’s, or that M&S support fair trade, but it was kind of refreshing. If we had not had to deal with the whole passport fiasco, and actually been able to enjoy another day in London, I’m sure we would have seen so much more.
Update

“Am I Going to Die?”

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I’m back! December was a little hectic. Slowly but surely we’re getting things ready for the trip, like buying journals, voltage adapters, memory cards etc. We still have a ton of stuff to do before take off, but the voltage adapter reminded me of this Travelocity commercial. I LOVE HIM! And, now I have my very own Squatzi.  He will be roaming through Europe with us.

Happy Travels,
~j