Car Rental for Two: Is a Compact Enough?

A good rule to follow when renting a car is “never rent more car than you need.” In Europe, unless you have an extraordinary amount of luggage, a compact is the ideal vehicle for two people traveling together. In Germany, all cars in that category are steady up to 140 to 160 kmph, are equipped with more electronics than most of us can figure out, good sound systems, and offer plenty of comfort for driver and passenger. Right now I’m driving an Opel Meriva (the photo is not so good but you get the idea) on an economy to compact upgrade from Avis booked through http://www.gemut.com. It’s a smaller version of the Opel Zafira and the VW Touran. These are so-called “crossover” vehicles, part wagon, part sedan, with a dash of SUV. Our Meriva is a diesel (price per liter about 1.31 euros vs. 1.44 for regular unleaded. It has six forward speeds and plenty of trunk room for two or three travelers but not enough covered trunk space for four. The onboard computer provides more info than I have so far been able to figure out how to obtain. One thing I like is a screen that tells how many liters of fuel it takes to go 100km. Accelerate and the number goes way up; coast and it drops to zero. It’s a continuing, always visible, fuel conservation reminder.

The Meriva a hatchback, which raises a security concern with some travelers. But not only is there a cover over the luggage compartment, the back windows are darkened and the rear seats and luggage area are simply not visible. With luggage cover deployed, two 25-inch rolling suitcases can fit side by side, with room on top for a good sized hanging bag, plus space to tuck in soft hand luggage. The back seat can handle one or two passengers. For a week this car cost $228, Regensburg to Garmisch-Partenkirchen. Get an online European car rental quote or phone 800-521-6722.


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Romantik Zum Hotel Klosterbräu: Thumbs Down

Bergen, Germany—Romantik Zum Hotel Klosterbräu. This country inn makes the Romantik Hotel Group's coveted list and also gets both Bib Hotel and Bib Gourmand designation in the 2007 Michelin Red Guide for Germany, but in my view deserves none of it. Three stories up a narrow rickety staircase, in an annex building (see photo), we found room #26, a double with a stiff bed, poor lighting, small wooden table, a pair of hard wooden chairs, miniature bathroom, a radio I couldn’t make work, and a 13-inch TV that can effectively be viewed only from the uncomfortble (longer than 10 minutes) chairs. There is no Internet access for guests anywhere in the hotel or, and to be fair I can’t blame this on the hotel, cell phone service. Even at 80 euros, it's overpriced. Why we were put in the annex, I haven’t the foggiest, because an upside-down glance at the guest book when we checked out next morning appeared to show just four occupied rooms. Still jet-lagged, we missed breakfast by 15 mintues. The hotel, of course, was aware of this but made no offer — as almost always happens in such cases — to accommodate us. But by that time we were anxious to get in the car and be on our way.

Dinner the night before, in the Zum Klosterbräu's restaurant, which Michelin gives the Bib Gourmand rating to, featured the sort of crushingly heavy, fat-laden dishes that only reinforce Germany’s sorry, mostly-undeserved, culinary reputation (notwithstanding recent New York Times praise for some very high-priced restaurants). My huge duck leg was tender and moist but hardly special. The heft and mass of a pahttp://www.blogger.com/img/gl.link.gifir of accompanying dumplings put me in mind of a specific Olympic field event as I mused upon just how far they could be thrown by a world-class shot-putter, as he — or she — certainly couldn’t eat them. Just as uninspiring and weighty was Altmühlemilchlamm, a hunk of dense, dark lamb covered with a murky gravy. Finally, raw dough is the best way I can describe the “crust” portion of day’s “special” dessert, Apfelstrudel. We couldn’t get of out there fast enough.

Given Michelin’s rating of Zum Klosterbräu, and its Romantik connection, our expectations were high, and therefore our condemnation harsh. As just another hotel and restaurant in a tiny Germany farm village, Zum Klosterbräu is probably about average—which means Michelin and the Romantik people should re-think their support.

For better German country hotels our website, www.gemut.com.



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Hotel Bischofshof am Dom: A Bad Meal

Regensburg, Germany—With the euro so strong it’s a time to mine the Web for deals, and to use miles and points. That explains how we wound up in a Courtyard by Marriott in an industrial area across the Danube from the great old town of Regensburg. During the day, despite the near-freezing temperature and a brisk wind, we walked to the center along the canal and over a bridge across the Danube. For more than three hours we explored the Regensburg's narrow streets and alleys, stopping just once in the mid-afternoon for a latte.

In the evening, for dinner, we returned to the old town, this time by taxi (about seven euros). The less formal of the two dining rooms of the Hotel Bischofshof am Dom is a wonderfully inviting example of a traditional Bavarian restaurant. High ceilings, dark wood paneling, comfortable banquets, well-spaced tables, and servers in traditional dress, send a subtle message that nothing here ever changes. The smiling, competent service honors the old John Wooden maxim, “be quick, but don’t hurry.”

Comfortably seated at a corner banquette with a view of the entire room, a tall beer before us, we looked forward to our first really good German dinner of the trip. (Last night at the Marriott was predictably adequate.) What followed has to be an embarrassment for this ancient and revered hotel and restaurant: just plain bad food, some of it undoubtedly microwaved, frozen, even canned. A juiceless rectangle of pork fillet was no doubt stuck in a microwave to melt its tasteless cheese topping. Mixed salads were mostly iceberg lettuce with a few shreds of carrot and three or four cucumber slices in a flat, watery dressing. Though it’s been less than 24 hours, I’ve forgotten what Liz ordered for a main dish, other than it was some sort of veniso, but I do recall her remark that it had no wild taste whatsoever. The final insult was Palatschinken (crepe or thin pancake wrapped around a sweet cheese and served with chocolate sauce, powdered sugar, and vanilla ice cream). I’d be willing to bet it wasn’t made on the premises, but provided frozen by a restaurant supply company and re-heated. The sour, chemical-tasting currants in Liz’s Rote Grütze (a red berry sauce over ice cream) may have been canned. The tab? About $125 including three beers and half a liter of Spätburgunger, Germany red wine, The room is pretty but the kitchen is incompetent.

Read a report on Regensburg that appeared not long ago in Gemütlichkeit, The Travel Letter for Germany, Austria, and Switzerland.


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SFO to London via Virgin Atlantic's Upper Class

Comment is in order about the flight from San Francisco to London in Virgin Atlantic’s Upper Class. Check-in at the counter two hours and 45 minutes prior to departure was immediate, no waiting. We then moved easily on to VA’s spacious, ultra-modern, Upper Class lounge where we were offered a variety of seating—at the bar, couches, various furniture qroupings—beverages and a light meal. It was a quiet, secluded hideaway to await departure, though I resent having to pay for wireless Internet access.

Boarding was equally painless and soon we were ensconced in our pods/seats/beds, 8A and 9A in the upstairs cabin of the 747-744. Upper Class passengers sit or recline facing the center aisle at an angle, windows behind them over their shoulders. In order to communicate, Liz and I had to sit up as straight as possible, which left our heads just above the dividing barrier, like neighbors gossiping over a back fence. We do not fly in the front of the airplane for the food or wine but for the extra space. That's fortunate, because the meal, in a word, was lousy and it would be waste of time to describe it. In every other respect, however, VA’s Upper Class experience was outstanding. Seats can be adjusted for maximum comfort immediately upon boarding and kept in that configuration for both take-off and landing. Each pod can deploy a rather spacious table-top, perhaps 18 inches by 18 inches, for meal service. I found the seat especially comfortable because of the leather-cushioned stool at its foot that allowed me to fully extend my legs; it’s like sitting in a recliner chair. A “guest” sitting on the facing stool (it has a seat belt), with the table between, can join you for dinner. At bedtime, the entire seat flips upside and extends absolutely flat. A quilted mattress cover is put down, then a duvet and a large pillow. As a bed, I found it superior to business class in both Swiss and Lufthansa. For those that want them, “sleep suits” are provided. The extensive — and, I thought, somewhat complicated — entertainment system offers movies, music and games. For the record we paid about $1300 each and then 40,000 miles each to upgrade.




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Final Notes on a Brussels Visit

• Just across from the wildly popular Manneken Pis (sculpture of a little boy urinating) stop for a beer at Poechenelleklder. Grab the first vacant table and wait for a busy server. The Lindemann's Framboise (raspberry-flavored beer, only 2.5% alcohol) is delicious. If berry-flavored beer is not to your taste, there are dozens of other choices. Great 50s music on the sound system.

• The town's two most popular beers seem to be light lagers, Stella Artois and Maes. I preferred the Stella.

• Though I like the style and clamor of the very popular Restaurant Vincent (Rick Steves recommended) we caught a whiff of attitude. Our table in “Siberia”—despite an advance reservation—came with an apathetic waiter going through the motions. A nearby table was relocated—much to its occupants' dismay—in order to accommodate a group apparently more familiar with management. Next to us, a group of eight Italians never lost their good humor despite waiting a good 20 minutes before getting drinks ordered. The bread was dry, cold and served with little plastic containers of butter. On the other hand, across the street at Scheltema (see previous post) we were started with a small, fresh loaf directly from the oven and a generous slab of butter. It's an easy choice: Scheltema—better food, better service.

My Losing Battle with the Euro:

• Three paperback books for the price of two, 36.5 euros ($55).

• Breakfast for two at the Metorpole (wonderful Art Deco cafe with 20-foot ceilings, 20 euros ($30)

• Breakfast for two at the Marriott, 40 euros ($60)

• Guidebook and map from Flanders Tourist Office, three euros ($4.5).

• 24 hours Internet use at the Marriott, 19.95 euros ($30).



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Brussels Marriott Hotel

Our hotel, the Marriott, just across from the stock exchange was convenient to the Grand Place and the Sablon, the best area of shops and restaurants. The bed was big and comfortable with high-grade linens and multiple pillows. The English-speaking staff was quick assist, though we were cautioned at departure not to take a taxi to the Midi rail station. The route, they said, went through the Sunday open-air market and the normally 7-10-minute taxi ride could take as long has half an hour. With just 30 minutes until our train departed we had a tough decision. Better to take the streetcar, we were told, only four stops, 15 minutes. Upon hearing this, the taxi driver shrugged and said “it’s not far.” We were there in 10 minutes for seven euros.

My problem, and I’m not sure if it’s a major on minor one, is the Marriott’s immediate neighborhood. Roaming the streets are hundreds of 15 to 25 year-old men looking restless, bored, and perhaps a little angry. They seem to hang together in groups of two to six. I’m sure many have a middle eastern background though, of course, they all could be from Spain, Italy, Greece, or other countries—Ireland, for example—that produce handsome, dark-haired males. Perhaps given our two pickpocket brushes (see previous posts) and the encounter with the street fight, we were a little spooked. Nevertheless, walking in the immediate area and on the long main boulevard that passes the hotel, was uncomfortable. Like ‘yon Cassius,’ these men have a ‘lean and hungry look.’ Better, me thinks, to stay at a hotel in the Sablon district.



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Brussels Restaurants: Toscana 21

Bingo! It’s 4pm and almost dark on our third and last night in town. As we wander the byways of he Sablon district — lots of galleries, clever little restaurants, and boutique shops— we keep an eye out for a place for dinner later on. A tiny storefront is Toscana 21. We enter and a bearded man waves us away, no food. “Ah, that’s different” he says, when he learns we only want to make a 9pm reservation. The deal is set and we return at the agreed upon time. Two tables are offered, at the smaller one near the serving bar we can watch the activity. The main players seem to be the bearded man we met earlier (the father), his tall son Lorenzo, Lorenzo’s wife or girlfriend, a sister who works the kitchen, and mother Janine (Jeanine?), who is the chief cook. Italians all.

The menus are hokey little artist’s palettes with dishes and prices written on scraps of paper and stuck haphazardly onto the palettes. Hmmm, what to make of this? Mostly, the offerings are pasta; plus, as I recall, one chicken entrée. The prices are 10 to 14 euros. To start, we decide to share a dish we have had many times, Caprese, a salad (in this case 12 euros) of sliced tomatoes and bufalo mozzarella cheese, garnished with fresh basil. Is a good, but not killer rendition. The tomatoes are a bit pink and peaked but actually have some taste; the cheese is of the right consistency, and there is an occasional explosion of fresh basil. OK, but not special.

Then the pastas arrive: penne with ragu (12 euro) and a tried-and-true favorite, spagetti carbonara (12 euro). We dig in. I think the first words out of my mouth were a hushed “Oh, my God.” Liz is too stunned to speak. We exchange bites and quickly agree that this is hall-of-fame pasta. The ragu, we decide, is bits of veal cooked with a tomato sauce slowly and given enough time for just the right combination of herbs to subtly and seamlessly invade the meat and sauce. Magnificent. Who knew pasta outside of Italy could be this good?

In my experience, carbonara is often overwhelmed by one or more of its ingredients: the cheese, the cream, the egg, and/or, the usual culprit, bacon and its grease. Too often, the bacon fat soaks up the Parmesan cheese and the raw egg yolk, leaving a sticky, heavy, too rich clump of pasta. Janine’s has none of these qualities. The dish is silky smooth, the house-made noodles slippery and beautifully coated, the bacon chunks tender and understated, and the tiny cheese kurds tender and moist. It’s easily the best carbonara I’ve had and maybe the best pasta dish anywhere, ever. The penne with ragu is completely different but, in its way, equally good.

We are not finished. In the hands of Janine, tiramisu, another cliche dish, turns to gold. Usually served as a cake with custard between the layers, hers is mostly custard in a small bowl sprinkled with powered chocolate. Her version goes easy on the booze-soaked lady fingers. Magic. My turn. Somewhat lost in its small round bowl, a mold of vanilla ice cream imbedded with chocolate slivers (stracciatella?) seems missing something. The bearded one, who pours about six ounces of beautiful hot, just-brewed, Italian coffee over the ice cream, provides the “something”. More “Oh, My Gods” all around.

We have found food of this quality—and at this price—no more than two or three times in some 60 European trips and in 21 years of actively seeking such places for our newsletter, Gemütlichkeit, The Travel Letter for Germany, Austria & Switzerland and for our website, http://www.gemut.com. I hesitate to go public with Toscana 21, instead perhaps keep it to ourselves, family and close friends. There are only seven tables, the place is not generally known; nothing comes up in a Google search. But finding places like this and telling you about them is what we do. So, here’s as much as we know (Lorenzo wrote this on the inside of a matchbook cover; there are no printed brochures, menus, cards, or credit card receipts): Toscana 21, Rue de Rollebeek 21, 1000 Bxl, Tel. 0032-02-5023621. It’s in the Sablon district on the right side of the street that goes uphill from the bowling alley. We’ll be back.




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Brussels Restaurant: Scheltema

As you might suspect, there’s a lot more to Brussels than pickpockets and street fights. Just off the imposing Grand Place is a network of alleys (Ilôt Sacré/Restaurant Lane) lined with gaudy restaurants aggressively recruiting customers carnival barker-style. One relentless, slick-haired dude followed us for a good 50 feet, all the while rattling off menus and their prices. Even at this time of year there is outdoor seating (warmed by overhead heaters). Mussels and oysters are in season and many establishments mount giant seafood displays over huge containers of crushed ice near their entrances. The alleys are narrow and, with the outdoor tables, the food displays, the barkers, the hundreds of wooden a-frame menu signs, and the pedestrians, it’s a crush. Though there is some charm, and it’s a lively, fun atmosphere, the word is the prices are high and the food ordinary. Keep walking.

On the edge of this district, however, is Restaurant Scheltema, where we scored a table at 8:30pm without a reservation (no barker). Noisy, busy, friendly, with an all-male wait staff, Scheltema serves large portions of good quality food, most of it from the sea. The light Stella Artois beer goes down easy and we were welcomed with a just-out-the-oven, crusty loaf of homemade bread and a generous slab of butter. Liz’s fine sole meuniere (27 euro) was the entire fish, sans tail and head. My main dish of plump scampi (tails attached) wrapped in thin strips of sole filets, each of which was nuzzled into a pile of whipped potatoes seasoned with nutmeg, finished second. Potatoes and nutmeg don’t work for me and when I asked for pommes frites they were provided instantly and without charge. A giant, shared green salad (16 euros) featured heaps of tiny off-pink crevettes (the menu called them “grey” shrimp). This all went well with the small glasses of Stella (3.3 euros) and a half-liter of an unknown dry, white wine (10 euros). Dessert? Belgium? Waffles? Yeah. We finished with a light, crunchy one enhanced with vanilla ice cream, chantilly (whipped cream), powered sugar, and a boat of hot melted chocolate. Total: 96 euros, about right—if the exchange rate were one-to-one. Still it was an enjoyalbe meal. It's fun to watch a really busy, really competent waiter work a room with missing a trick and keeping every customer happy. Our guy did it with good humor, as well.



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A Pickpocket’s Welcome to Brussels

Brussels, Belgium—Thanksgiving Day, 2007. This all happens in less than 30 seconds. Just off the Eurostar and seeking an ATM to obtain euros, we are examining a wall map near a street exit of the Brussels-Midi Rail Station. A young man approaches and asks a question in French. As I turn away from the map to respond, there is a flicker in the corner of my right eye; someone has passed very close behind me and I sense has brushed my rolling suitcase and the briefcase attached to it by a strap and clip. Looking immediately down I see that the case with my laptop, camera, portable GPS, mobile phone, and noise-canceling headphones, is gone. Thirty feet away I spot it in the right hand of a tall man walking rapidly toward the exit. I run after him yelling, “Hey man, you stole my briefcase.” Without breaking stride, he dips his right shoulder and sets it gently down. By the time I cover the remaining 15 feet to retrieve it, both guys have melted away. Alerted by my shout, a few people have witnessed this little scene, but they all keep waking too. It was only then that we begin to notice the posted “Watch out for pickpockets” signs. From now on the briefcase strap is over my shoulder and the hanging bag, with just clothes, is attached to the rolling suitcase. It happens fast, and you simply aren’t ready for it—especially when, all in the same day you’ve flown 10 hours from San Francisco to London, taken a train from Heathrow to Paddiington Station, a taxi from there to St. Prancas Station and then waited three hours to make the two-hour Eurostar run to Brussels.
Brussels Pickpockets, Part II
Fast forward to Friday on a busy street in Brussels, the morning after our pickpocket experience in the Brussels rail station. Trying to figure out something on my new mobile phone, I stop for a couple of minutes in the middle of the sidewalk. Liz waits patiently. From here on, it's her story as I am totally engrossed in the phone. A young man walks by, stops about 15 feet away, then pauses to look back at us. His gaze, says Liz, is concentrated on my back pockets of my blue jeans (had to be my wallet). He lifts his eyes, they meet hers and he hurries on. Throughout the remainder of day and evening we walk the city's streets, wide and narrow; everywhere we see hundreds of young with that same “lean and hungry” look. All items of value are now kept in zipped pockets.
A Final Brussels Street Scene
As we turn down a rather dimly-lit, rather narrow street—no more than a block from our hotel, the Marriot—on our way to dinner at about 8:45pm, we hear shouts. Ahead about 25 yards two men are squared off to fight in the middle of street. Strung out along the sidewalks are perhaps a dozen others; bystanders or participants, we can't tell. Seconds later a police car, blue lights flashing, pulls up. A lone officer emerges quickly, shouts at the fighters and emphatically gestures them to face the wall of a building. They respond verbally and with gestures but do not move. Instantly the policeman turns to the rear of his vehicle and uncages a big dog. There is more shouting, and soon more sirens. In the meantime, we have crossed the street and passed the fracas. As we do so, we can see the anger on the faces of those not directly involved (at the cops? at the fighters?). Less than a minute after the first police car arrives, there are more sirens, more blue lights, more shouts, and a dog barks. Just then we turn into our destination street where all is calm. In the 24 hours since our arrival we have had more excitement than in all our previous visits to Europe.


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London to Brussels Via Rail: St. Pancras Station

Most passengers access Eurostar security by inserting tickets into a turnstile machine. Those issued by Rail Europe have no bar coding so you must find a live person to stamp your ticket and allow access to the security lines. The agent we flagged down was friendly and helpfull but it took him a good five minutes of key strokes and peering intently into his computer screen before we were allowed us to go through. The security process is much less invasive than in U.S. airports: no shoes off, your computer stays in it case. The waiting area was jammed, places to sit comfortably for the two-and-one-half-hours until train time were at a premium. But after 15 minutes or so we found a low, rather hard couch to set up camp.

The space problem is, of course, exacerbated by the fact that there is no checked luggage and many passengers have multiple, sometimes very large, suitcases. That the passenger holding area of this brand-new, long-awaited station is inadequate less than a week after opening must be troubling to those who planned it and those who will frequently use it.

I had looked up Eurostar seating diagrams online and it appeared our seats were not together. At the St. Pancras information counter I inquired about getting an earlier train…not possible. No doubt it had to do with our non-changeable, non-refundable tickets. We were, however, assigned together. But instead of issuing a new boarding pass, the resvervationist simply crossed out the seat numbers printed on the ticket and over-wrote them in pen. As it turned out, car number seven was only half full and three of the four-seats-with-a-table clusters were totally unoccupied, until just before departure when lone, male business types grabbed each.

This was our first time through the channel tunnel. The ride was smooth throughout, and perhaps it was weariness from the long flight, or maybe I was too engrossed in my book to notice, but I was completely unaware of passing through the tunnel itself. First class included a meal and wine. We demurred on both counts, but but a visual and olfactory perspective, we didn't miss much. The trip is less than two-hours and I doubt I would again spend the money for first-class. There's not enough difference between first and second-class to justify the added expense.




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En Route to Europe: Expensive Bad Info from Alamo

Alamo's toll-free number—given to me by the reservationist at the Medford, Oregon, airport because she said she couldn't provide it—assured me we could drop the car at the downtown location after 7pm. I could leave the car in the parking garage and drop the keys and contract in a “drop box,” a common practice in the car rental business. However, at 8pm last night there was no drop box or slot in the door; nowhere to leave anything. The parking garage attendant confirmed Alamo offers no such service at San Francisco's 750 Bush downtown location. Had we known, we would have arranged to be there by closing at 7pm and saved the $56 is cost to park the car at our hotel.

En route to Europe: Dinner in San Francisco

Dateline San Francisco, CA
Tomorrow we fly, but tonight it's dinner in San Francisco.
Tadich Grill. Since 1849, a renowned San Francisco watering hole, feeder of fresh seafood and top-grade just-off-the-hoof rations for the carnivore. Though never a regular in our Bay Area days, we managed a Tadich visit every year or so starting in the late ‘60s until our escape to southern Oregon in 1999. Maybe the best calves liver on the West Coast; something Liz remembered when we checked in to our $65 Priceline room at the Hyatt Regency at 8:45 last night. Same almost-rowdy bar, ‘60s menu, polished wood, semi-private booths, and white-coated men waiters—little has changed. Sierra Nevada Pale Ale is now the draft beer of choice and I swear it is better here than at the brewery in Chico, a place we know well.

On to the food. Much-breaded Dungeness crab cakes laid in a Marinara puddle were heavy and unimpressive. We must have looked like out-of-towners because our waiter touted them and each leaden disk cost $12.50. A disappointing start, though Liz’s thick slice of pink-in-the-middle liver, with lovely fried onions and several strips of smoky bacon, did not disappoint. After some deliberation I gave the nod to pan fried Sand Dabs over Rex Sole, both favorite fish dishes from ‘back in the day’ and not often found on menus outside the Bay Area. With just a few drops of fresh lemon juice, the seven delicate little filets were almost as good as I remembered. I like restaurants that pay attention to more than their headliners. The difference between good and great is often defined by supporting players such as vegetables, rice and potatoes. Here the reviews are mixed. Sautéed Brussels sprouts and chard were unmistakably farm fresh with deep, satisfying flavors. But wide, fat, and somewhat soggy “Longbranch” potatoes were no more than Denny’s quality.
There is little that is innovative here, but ingredients are top quality and fresh and, for the most part, well-prepared. The Sierra Nevada is heaven and it’s fun to revisit that late 20th century culture of liquid lunches that often stretched from noon to dusk. $94 with two beers, two glasses of wine and no dessert. Next up: How wrong info from Alamo costs me $56.

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10 Mistakes Made by European Travelers

Most of us get only a handful of trips to Europe in a lifetime, so we want to do it right every time and avoid the most common mistakes. Based on our staff's daily contact with European travelers over two decades, we know what some of those missteps are. Here is our top 10 for 2008:

10. Checking luggage on a European train: First, it’s not free; but more important, your bags will likely not travel on the same train as you and may not arrive at the destination for several days. Assuming his luggage would be on the same train and arrive at the same time as he did, one traveler we know paid almost $25 to check two bags from St. Gallen, Switzerland to Prague. His luggage arrived three days later. It’s fairly standard operation procedure. If you must check bags, find out in advance when they will arrive at their destination.

9. Failing to prepay your European rental car: Many Internet car rental websites don’t require payment in advance. It’s nice that you don’t have to put up the money up front, but when you pay in Europe, most credit cards will access a 3 percent foreign transaction charge. That’s $30 on a $1,000 transaction. Be sure, however, when you pay in advance for your rental that the company you book with will allow you to cancel at any time, for any reason, and refund your money in full. Get a US dollar guaranteed quote here.

8. Reliance on the wrong maps: Don’t think that 1:750,000 overall map of Germany or France that you got from the tourist office will be of any use when you’re driving in the countryside. Some roads and some villages won’t even be shown. You need a scale of 1:200,000 or, better yet, 1:150,000. Buy the proper maps — and Michelin Red Guides — for 10 percent off at Travel Essentials (use the discount code gemut2007).

7. Buying travelers’ checks: Even if purchased in foreign currency, travelers’ checks are passé. It’s hard to cash them outside of a bank (limited hours of operation), and the exchange is seldom as good as you’ll get with your ATM card — often much worse. Our advice is to get daily cash using your ATM card. Make sure you have a four-digit PIN.

6. Paying in dollars in Europe: If a hotel, restaurant, store, or rental car agency offers the option of settling your bill in dollars, you should insist on paying in local currency. Otherwise, it will cost you an extra 3 percent to 5 percent, depending on the merchant’s level of greed. Called Dynamic Currency Conversion (DCC), this device to extract money from visitors is pitched as a “service” that enables the customer to know exactly the amount that will appear later on the credit card statement. Otherwise reputable firms such as Harrod’s in London are ripping off travelers every day with this shabby trick. Pay in local currency with your credit card and let your bank make the currency exchange. You will pay the credit card’s foreign transaction fee (usually 1 percent to 3 percent) but you won’t’ be gouged the additional 3 percent to 5 percent for DCC.

5. Picking up a rental car at an airport: In Germany, Italy, Switzerland, Belgium, and Austria, the added cost of a rental commencing from an airport (and sometimes from a rail station) ranges from 15 percent to 19 percent — thus, the fee on a $500 rental can be as much as $95. Some countries charge a flat fee: Holland $75; France $42, Spain $38, and the UK $45. In many cases, it pays to take public transportation to an off-airport location to avoid the airport charge. At the end of the rental the car can be returned to the airport without cost.Get a US dollar guaranteed quote here.

4. Ignorance of Michelin’s Red Guide series: No auto traveler in Europe should be without these guides. Used properly, they will take you to wonderful hotels and restaurants, both on and off the beaten track, in your price range — while providing an amazing amount of other useful information. And don’t tell us they’re in a foreign language; read the English section at the front of the book, learn the symbols, and you’re good to go. Buy Michelin Red Guides for 10 percent off (use discount code gemut2007) at Travel Essentials.

3. “Open jaws” that are too wide: Many travelers make the decision to fly from the United States to one European city, and home from different city, without first knowing how they’ll travel between the two cities. With some vague idea of working their way slowly from, say, Rome to Frankfurt, they commit to a Rome-Frankfurt “open jaw” airline ticket. Ignoring for a moment the expense of renting a car in Italy (highest rental car prices in Europe); the international one-way charge alone to drop the rental car in Germany will be from $500 to $1,500, provided you can find a company that will allow it.

There’s the train, of course, but a three-country, Italy-Austria-Germany or Italy-Switzerland-Germany pass costs two people $740, is good for only five days rail travel (additional days are available at additional cost); not very conducive to a leisurely exploration of small towns and country hotels along the way. A Rome-Copenhagen open-jaw involving a car rental is prohibitive. Just the drop charge is around $1,800, and only one company, Avis, will even consider it. One-way rentals involving old eastern bloc cities such as Prague, Budapest, and Krakow, and cities in the west, are also expensive.

Same-country open jaws, such as Berlin-Munich, Paris-Nice, Rome-Milan, are no problem as there is usually no car rental drop charge. Others, such as Frankfurt-Zürich, Munich-Paris, and Frankfurt-Vienna have drop charges in the $75 to $150 range.

Before committing to an "open-jaw" airline ticket be sure you know how you're going travel between the two cities in Europe — and how much it's going to cost.

2. Too many reservations prior to US departure: Unless it’s necessary, avoid reservations that lock you into something you may want to change once you’re in Europe. Train reservations are a prime example. First, they are more expensive in the U.S. than in Europe, and you must make a financial commitment to a departure date and time that may ultimately not be convenient. All seat reservation fees and some tickets purchased through Rail Europe are not refundable; others carry a 15 percent penalty. (Buy rail passes online here.)

Reservations are in order, however, for special trains like the Glacier Express and for long rides that commence the day of, or the day after, your arrival in Europe. For example, if you arrive in Paris on the same Saturday that you have be in south of France to take possession of a house you’ve rented, by all means have TGV tickets and seat reservations in hand before leaving the U.S. Watch out, too, for holidays, such as Easter, that can pack trains. And do purchase rail passes — as opposed to point-to-point tickets — before leaving the U.S.

The same applies to hotels. Book them in advance in the big cities but rely on the Michelin Red Guides when traveling in the countryside. Of course, if you want a special hotel at a special time, reserve ahead. Otherwise, one of the joys of traveling the countryside is discovering new towns and hotels along the way.(Book thousands of European hotels at a discount).

1. Attempting to see too much in a short time: the classic mistake and still the most common. If you love the process of travel—long train rides and automobile trips, carrying luggage, packing and unpacking, checking in and out of hotels, spending time in rail and air terminals, and riding in cabs, buses, and trams—by all means schedule one of those Paris-Rome-Vienna-Berlin-Krakow-in-10-days trips. But if your vision of travel is quiet walks, hours at sidewalk cafes, unhurried explorations, and leisurely breakfasts, then park the car and get off the train. Limit time in the car to two hours a day, and make your drives slow meanders along scenic backroads.

Countdown to Europe

Tuesday we drive five and a half hours in a rental car one-way, Ashland, Oregon, to San Francisco. Wednesday we fly to London Heathrow, immediately fiind public transport to the new Eurostar station, St. Pancras, and go on to Brussels. Today, Monday, is the last day in the office; always a frantic one with last-minute chores: making sure my phone is forwarded, emails routed to the laptop, files backed up, plenty of batteries laid on for the trip, and all the electronic gear — with attachments and necessary cabes — in readiness.

The latter list inlcudes laptop, mobile phone, camera, tiny digital tape recorder for verbal, on-the-fly note-taking, and a Garmin GPS with Europe maps. I've lost track but this has to be about our 60th trip since 1973. Not that big a deal. One of our subscribers to Gemütlichkeit, The Travel Newsletter for Germany, Austria & Switzerland, told me he'd done 60 trips just since his retirement 10 years ago. But he's from Pennsylvania and it's easier from the East Coast than from out here in the Pacific Northwest; the flight times are shorter and there's only six hours worth of jet-lag to recover from.

Check this blog daily for my notes from the airports, trains, hotels, restaurants, and beer joints along the way.

Car Rental Insurance: Questionable Visa Practices

This summer, one of our customers, let's call him John, booked a rental through us with Avis. He got a great deal on a guaranteed midzide to full-size upgrade; in other words he paid for a VW Passat (or similar) and was guaranteed an upgrade to a fullsize Mercedes C-Class series (or another car in the fullsize category)—$553 for two weeks. He paid with a Visa credit card which includes insurance coverage for collision and theft.

When John picked up the car in September in Munich, he got what he thought was a wonderful surprise, Avis didn't have any Merecedes C-Class cars, or any other fullsize cars for that matter, so they rolled out a gleaming E-Class Mercedes. They said it was the only car available. Unfortunately, in the course of the rental the car was scratched and John was charged about $900 for the damage, an amount he fully expected to be reimbursed by Visa. He immediately notified Visa and, upon his return to the U.S., filed a claim with them and completed the necessary paperwork. There was some back and forth between John and Visa over a period of weeks until one day Visa told him they never should have accepted the claim—the E-Class Mercedes is not covered by their insurance.

The CDW page on the Visa Website says “Examples of excluded expensive or exotic automobiles are the Aston Martin, Bentley, Bricklin, Daimler, DeLorean, Excalibur, Ferrari, Jensen, Lamborgini, Lotus, Maserati, Porsche and Rolls Royce. However, selected models of BMW, Mercedes-Benz, Cadillac, and Lincoln are covered.” When I called Visa to ask a live person about coverage, the woman I spoke to read a script and said that “Visa covers cars in the economy to luxury categories” but excludes “exotic and expensive” cars from coverage. When I asked her to define “exotic and expensive” she said she could not; I needed to call back and speak to a “claims examiner,” available only from 8am to 4pm eastern time. When I described John's dilemma — he ordered a covered car but was given a more expensive vehicle, Avis gave him no choice — the woman said John should have called Visa to find out if the car was covered. Of course, since he picked up at 11am in Munich, it was 5am EDT and no claims examiners were at work. Had he spoken to the same woman I spoke to, all she could have given him is same inconclusive spiel I got. In fact, that might have led John to think he was covered since the E-Class Mercdes is below the “covered” luxury category and is in the lower “premium” category. But even had he been able to determine that the E-Class MBZ was not covered he then could have purchased the optional insurance from Avis. The problem with that is, the insurance would have cost $250 to $400 and the deductible would have have nearly $1100; meaning John would have been out the cost of the repairs ($900) plus the cost of the insurance. John was loser either way.

These are questionable practices by Visa. They have every right, of course, to exclude certain vehicles from coverage. But why not tell us which vehicles those are? Why the vague “exotic and expensive” terminology? What's wrong with a complete list on their website of covered cars? And how come customers can only learn which vehicles are covered be calling at certain times of the day? Bad show Visa.

Rail Strike in Germany - Need a Car?

Train service in Germany has been heavily curtailed today and yesterday due to a strike by train drivers who seek a 31% pay increase. Though the magazine, Der Spiegel, says they'll take 15%, no settlement is in sight. Apparently trains will operate normally tomorrow (Saturday) but more strikes are possible in the days and weeks ahead. Some news organizations in Germany say rental car companies have no cars, but Auto Europe president, Imad Kahlidi, assures us cars are available and predicts drivers' only problem will traffic jams. (As the largest customer of Europcar and Avis Europe, Mr. Kahlidi would know.) Next week from Germany I'll be able to deliver first-hand reports to this blog, so stay tuned. In meantime if you need a rental car, phone 800-521-6722 or get an online quote at our website.

The “Best” Car Rental Deal in Europe

My thought for today. After spending the last hour or so perusing the various online travel forums at Fodor's, Frommer's, and Ricksteves.com, I have come to the conclusion that the best car rental deal in Europe is the one that gives you the best price—provided, of course, that you're adequately covered by liability, collision, and theft insurance with a zero or very low deductible. The vehicle provider just isn't that important; Hertz, Avis, Europcar, Sixt, and National are Europe's “Big Five” and each has admirers and detractors. In service and reliability, my impression (no data to support this) is that Hertz is a cut above the rest, so all things being equal I would probably choose them. But if I can get the same car in the same location from Europcar for $50 less, why not? A VW Golf from Europcar is no different than a VW Golf rented from Hertz. Of course, this is a vast over-simplification; there are many other elements to consdier when renting car in Europe (read more about them here) but price drives this business. Don't listen to those who say “I would never book with anyone but Europcar,” or those who wail “Europcar is terrible, stay away from them.” Take it from someone who has been in the European car rental business for nearly 20 years, all suppliers have good and bad days. Usually, it comes down to the agent that writes your contract; sometimes you get a smart one that smiles and really wants to help, and other times you wind up with an ill-trained rude malcontent just going through the motions. It's a roll of the dice. I can live with rude, as long as I get a car that works for me at the lowest price. Get a low price quote.

The Problem with $100 Bills in Europe

Charles, who visits Europe several times a year for business and pleasure, told me this story. Prior to his departure from the U.S. last month he obtained ten $100 bills from his bank. At the end of the trip he needed to exchange one of the bills for euros at Gare Lyon in Paris. However, the teller at the bank branch there identified the bill as counterfeit and immediately confiscated it. Asserting that the U.S. $100 bill is the most counterfeited currency in the world, the teller ripped the bill in half and gave Charles a receipt. Of course, upon his return to the U.S., he demanded the bank replace his lost $100. Paperwork has been initiated but Charles is still waiting for his money. Since then he has learned that, because it is so often counterfeited, the U.S. $100 bill is not accepted in many places throughout the world. A cautionary tale.

Shady Online Airline Practices

Perhaps you've seen the news that travelers in increasing numbers are turning their backs on Internet travel sites and going back to booking travel the old fashioned way, with a living, breathing, talking travel agent. The drop in online travel purchases over a one-year period is a hefty 9%. Besides being time-consuming and confusing, travel sales websites in some cases are misleading and underhanded. A European Union consumer watchdog group notes these questionable practices used by some well-known airline websites:

• The price of the ticket is first indicated without airport taxes and additional fees.
• Offers promise tickets for free or at a low price, but such tickets are unavailable when the consumer wants to buy them.
• Check boxes for insurance or additional services are checked "yes" by default, trapping the consumer into buying unwanted items or being included on spam mailing lists.
• General terms of sales are not provided in the language version used by the consumer during the booking procedure — or not available at all in any language.
• No information is given about the rights and procedures of cancellation, transferability and ability to change dates.

For European car rental, transatlantic airline tickets, rail passes, and travel insurance, phone 800-521-6722. If you don't immediately get a “living, breathing, talking” travel expert, leave a message and your call will be returned same day.

Do you need winter tires in Europe?

German law now requires winter tires when driving on snow, though rental car companies do not require their use. The penalty if your rental car doesn’t have winter tires, and you are caught driving in snow, is €40. Worse, however, you may be financially liable if you don’t have them and are involved in an accident on snow. And since you would be breaking the law, driving without winter tires might also void your insurance coverage.

The problem is winter tires are expensive. They don’t come as standard equipment, so you must request them prior to U.S. departure. Avis charges $20 per day to a maximum of 12 days. Europcar and Hertz also charge $20 per day, but their maximum is about $135. National wants $23 per day to a maximum of 20 days.

The good news is if you’re not in the mountains, your chances of actually driving on snow are pretty small. And when it does snow in Germany, roads are quickly cleared.

If you are picking up a car and haven’t ordered—or don’t want—winter tires, be sure you aren’t charged for them. One of our editors rented a car in Germany from Avis in late November and only discovered the charge later on his credit card bill.

When Renting a Car in Austria
Winterization in Austria is much less expensive, though of course basic rental car rates are much higher than in Germany. All Europcar rentals, for example, are equipped with winter tires at no charge from November 1 to March 31. Avis imposes a $5.50 per day fee to a maximum of seven days.

When Renting a Car in Switzerland
Here, winter tires are mandatory. National charges $6.15 per day and offers winter tires on request from November 1 to March 31. Europcar charges $6.50 per day to a max of $64, November 1 through April 30. Avis get $7 per day from December.1 through March 31, and Hertz charges is $6 per day to a maximum $115, November 15 to March 31.

When Renting a Car in France
Europcar, which dominates, the France rental car market offers winter tires only on 4x4 vehicles at a cost of about $38 per day, minimum five days. Hertz has snow equipment on request at only a few, mostly high altitude, stations.

Other Winterization Options
Four-wheel drive vehicles in all countries are scarce and expensive. Several rental companies no longer offer tire chains as extra equipment. Some drivers feel more comfortable with front-wheel drive cars in ice and snow, though no rental company will guarantee front-wheel drive vehicles.

Get a quote and read more good advice on renting a car in Europe

LH to Fly Nonstop SEA to FRA

Good news for Pacific Northwest travelers to Europe. On March 30, Lufthansa begins nonstop service from Seattle to Frankfurt. Flight LH 491 will depart daily from Seattle at 2:30pm and arrive in Frankfurt at 9:25am local time the next day. Connections are available from there on Lufthansa to some 135 other European cities. The return flight, LH 490, leaves Frankfurt at 10:05am, and arrive in Seattle at 11:20am local time the same day. The new route will feature a 221-seat Airbus A330-300, with eight first class, 48 business class and 165 economy class seats. Lufthansa will also begin new Calgary-Frankfurt service on March 30. For a price quote call 800-521-6722x2 or get a quote online.

New Tunnel Cuts Swiss Rail Times

Switzerland just got smaller. At least that’s the way it will seem if you’re traveling by train through the Swiss Alps starting December 10. It’s the new Lötschberg Tunnel, nearly 22 miles long and 1300 feet lower than the old Lötschberg, will save 45 to 75 minutes on certain routes within Switzerland. For example, the current travel time from Zürich or Basel to Zermatt is 4:24. After December 9, it’s 3:12. The trip from Bern to Zermatt will be 2:08 vs 3:18. Trains will travel as fast as 124 mph.

The old Lötschberg via Kandersteg on the north and Goppenstein at the south end, will remain open to be used by hourly regional trains and become an official “scenic route.”