Quote:
Originally Posted by LakeCleElum
My wife loves to travel. I get drug along as her Chauffeur. We earn miles on Alaska Air (and their partners) by putting everything we can on a credit card.
|
Same here. Wifey loves Europe travel and she plans 3-6 week trips for us and the kids every summer. Buy everything on our Alaska Airlines Visa to build miles and book Biz-Class seats well ahead of time for the ride home. (Coach is easier going over but Business is essential for the ride home.) Just got back last week from three weeks in Paris, Zurich, Lauterbrunnen, Munich and Vienna with day trips to other places such as Luzern, Bern, Lugano, Fussen (castles) and Bratislava. Flew home on Air France in their wonderful Business Class seats with good food and champagne during boarding and on request inflight. You just have not lived until you have had a flight attendant give her safety brief in French. Oh, and the BMW Welt in Munich is pretty neat. I hate to come home after all that great food--that doesn't try to kill you with chemicals and junk the way U.S. food does. They just know hoe to live over there. Oh, and we took the train from Paris (East) to Frankfurt to get our rental car for the drive to Zurich and thereafter. The train, in First Class, was one of the highlights of the trip. Fast, like 200-mph, and good food and service. Four-hour trip (with stops in major cities) and so smooth. I looked out the windows the whole time. We rent rather than stay in hotels. Much more fun being able to cook your own food and you meet great people. Our attic apartment in Munich was in a lovely 1930 house owned by an elderly couple. The hausfrau would bring us fresh bakery goods from the neighborhood bakery and include her homemade jam. She'd leave it by our door every morning. They invited us to watch Germany vs. Brazil with them and some of their friends and it was a great time. You just don't get that in a hotel. However, we did stay in a brand new Holiday Inn Express just south of Zurich (next to the train into town) and that was really nice. We rent very close to public transit so the car usually gets parked for a few days while we ride the streetcars and U into the towns and cities.
They really know how to do it over there. I get spoiled on the roads since 99% of drivers strictly obey the road rules. No passing on the right, keep right except to pass, no road rage, no problems. Oh, and higher speed is okay since people obey the rules. The Autobahn is like a car show too. My 14-year old son is into cars now and I'd see something coming behind us, FAST, and he'd try to get pics. M cars, 911s, Audis, Ferraris, whatever. WHOOSH! No problem. If one went by at 120 (mph) and someone was closing in on him then he'd move right and the faster guy would pass and then move right.