Sometimes home enjoying a beer with friends, sometimes on the road checking out the world.
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= Good travel doesn’t mean spending all your budget and then some. The U.S. dollar is so weak against the Euro and Pound right now that I paid $20 for a sandwich, water, and dessert at the airport. A taxi ride in Poland was $12 but in Portugal it was $28. At the Portugal hotel, room service continental breakfast is $25. Internet in Poland was $37 for a day so I’m afraid to look in Portugal. As a result, I save where I can so I can spend on sightseeing. I always bring a box of granola bars and Nescafe packets. It’s not gourmet but it’s cheap. When possible, I use free wireless. This means getting creative with the best connection and in this room it involved pushing a chair next to the window to steal a signal. I can’t do anything with credit cards or security with free wireless but I can access school and blog. Plus save money. The big bargain in Portugal is the cost of the Hop-On-Hop-Off Sightseeing bus. Only $14 and there are two routes plus all regular bus service is included for a 24 hour period. I made good use of that today to get around Porto. My hotel windows are too dirty to take a photo but if they were clean and the sky was clear, I’d have a great view of the Atlantic ocean. This isn't my room view but the coastline is beautiful. There are warnings not to go in the water though because it's so badly polluted. If no one swims in the Atlantic, then why are they all eating the fish? I don't want to eat something that swims in water that no one goes near. One of many cool buildings in Porto
In Lima they said not to eat the seafood because the water was so poluted but everyone eats seafood there. Of course I did too and got sick from something...
First the backstory. In about a week I'll be boarding a cruise ship (this year's Cruise Trek) in Romania. When I booked the flight many months ago, I had a brilliant idea to go in a week early to Vienna and use it as a base to spend a few nights each in Albania and Bosnia. Fast forward to 6 weeks ago and the Covid restrictions, flight schedules, and hotel prices made me give up. Changing the flight to Vienna would result in penalties and possibly fare increases so I made the best of it and thought, where can I go in Austria where I've never been? Innsbruck, hmm. Can I get a free flight from Vienna? Yes! Can I get a free hotel room? Yes. Check! The city is picture perfect though. Nestled in a valley between two mountain ranges, it's green, colorful, and everything you could want a place to be when the purpose is total work decompression. No major sightseeing, no expectations. You, a city and a view. It's walkable and small. You've got to look up, left and right, ...
The sun slowly gave way to clouds then rain. This is not a city for walking in the rain. Before it was time to shelter and stay dry, I did one last walk around the area. The business district and surrounding areas are clean and little graffiti or murals. Found this flamingo? near the old city. While the leaves probably congest the waterways, they do look cool floating on the water. Ornate door entrance. Soon after this was taken, the clouds and mist lowered and the top of tower stayed obscured for the rest of my stay. I decided to pass on paying to go to the top when there was no visibility. Back in my hotel room I saw this rainbow emerge right before the rain started pelting down.
Castle Habsburg in Switzerland. This one is used mainly for banquests and private parties. You can do a short walk inside but there's not much to see. The outside is more interesting. It's out of the way to go only to see it so if you ever find yourself castle hunting, skip this one. Castle Kitty Castle Lenzburg. Go here instead. This one is interactive, has lots of rooms to explore, and much more fun! Flags of Castle Lenzburg A short drive away are the Roman ruins - Augusta Raurica - Roman ruins in Augst, Switzerland. This was a good stop. It's free to wander around the the ruins spread over a fairly large area. We didn't get to them all.
In Lima they said not to eat the seafood because the water was so poluted but everyone eats seafood there. Of course I did too and got sick from something...
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