A few more “leftovers” from my recent trip:
While traveling on business — especially while filming — I have the time figured out very carefully and always have necessary reservations to keep things moving smoothly. In Denmark, leaving the Isle of Ærø early one morning as we began a demanding day of filming — and proud of my ability to read the sign — I directed us into a line for the ferry that said “reservation.” I felt smart…until all the other lines emptied into the ferry and I realized I put us in the “no reservations” line. We nearly didn’t get onto the boat.
A couple days later, I left Denmark with a 20-kroner coin in my pocket — worth about $4. It occurred to me that I couldn’t think of a nation that had a smaller “biggest coin” than the USA. (Europe’s 2 euro coin is worth over $3. Canada has a $2 coin.) What does it say about a nation that can’t get used to a coin worth more than 25 cents? We’ve tried 50-cent and one-dollar coins, but they just don’t work. (Now, don’t think this comment is anti-American…it’s an innocent question, neither pro- nor anti-USA.)
In Denmark, things are so costly that it seemed people consume more sparingly. The society is designed in a way that encourages people to consume less, chew slower, and just sip it. A glass of beer costs $10. A cup of coffee can cost $7 — and refills are unheard of. I think they know they could make more money if they embraced the “Big Gulp” track and started super-sizing things. But the collective decision is not based on what’s good for the economy. A Costco economy is just not Danish.
Susanna, who runs a gorgeous little B&B on the Isle of Ærø, hosts lots of travelers from both my guidebooks and my Scandinavia tours. She observed that nearly 100 percent of those with my guidebook are Democrats, while those taking my tours are half Democrats and half Republicans. Hmmmm.
While beer costs a fortune in Denmark, it’s half the price and twice as good in Belgium. Good beer has been a theme of mine in Belgium. Everywhere else, it seems you order what’s on tap for the best local brew. Here, the experts remind me that because there is such a vast selection of beloved specialty beers, there is not enough quantity consumed of any single brew to keep kegs from going old and stale. Therefore, the connoisseurs prefer their beer in the bottle.
Wandering around Brussels, I found a monument to “Au Pigeon Soldat WWI” at the end of St. Catherine’s Market. Imagine, honoring the men who cared for the pigeons that played an important role in a world war.
One evening I ordered wild mushrooms because of their evocative name in French: champignons sauvages.
Yeah, Costco would be tough in Europe….. bikes just can’t carry that much! Your descriptions of Belgium definitely make me thirsty….Heading to the fridge now!
Interesting comment regarding the perception that book carriers are Dems and tour members are split between the two major parties. I would be one that breaks the mold when we travel.
The European Union prints no one or two Euro notes; hence the success of those two coins. When Great Britain introduced the pound coin, they made it small and thick, unmistakeable for anything else. When the Susan B. Anthony one dollar coin failed in the U.S, we introduced a replica, just with a different name and likeness. Go figure.
What does it say about a nation that can’t get used to a coin worth more than 25 cents? We’ve tried 50-cent and one-dollar coins, but they just don’t work.
Hmmmm…..
Hmmm…As a conservative with a few libertarian leanings, I own a few of your guidebooks and have gotten others from the library. I would probably never take a tour, and I use the guidebooks as resources for doing my own planning. I am just a bit too independent to follow someone else’s idea of what I should do.. I know my liberal brother and his wife used their RS guidebook a bit more literally while on their last Europe trip.
I love the “coin culture” in Europe — it just works. The prices include tax and are usually rounded to the nearest 50 or 20 cents so you never have too much ‘junk’ — pennies, nickels, and so on, like in the US. Every transaction in Europe goes one of two ways for me: either I pull out my pocket of change and pick out the amount, or I hand over a bill and get coins back and dump them in my pocket. In the US (primarly because of the $1 bill) you often have an awkward combination of both to fumble with at the counter as the cashier is beckoning the next person in line. For this reason, at home I use credit cards almost exclusively.
I guess I greatly prefer the Euro to the dollar. It just keeps going up and up and the dollar keeps going down and down.
As far as using coins higher than 25 cents in the US, our government should stop making dollar bills and make $1, $2 and $3 coins. We are going to keep using what is made until they don’t make them anymore. It goes without saying that doing so should be cost effective and “green” for the environment.
Terry, maybe you should be watching the markets a bit more closely. Your comment makes you look a bit out of it, as the reverse is actually the fact.
I don’t like coins in general as they are too heavy/bulky when they add up in your pocket. I do like the idea of rounding prices, eliminating the penny, and going electronic when possible (debit or credit card).
As ive been to europe 4 times now since 2003, and ive always used your books, i look back at my political affiliations. I guess when i was travelling during these past years i was a republican. The fundementals of the republican party have seemed to be drown out by all the bad economical mistakes we see today. it is now a party of war and bad ideas. However, I have not switched to democrat. in fact,im a pro supporter of having a rising third party. Im afraid if this doesnt happen, we will be forced in to the “south park” senario where once again we will be reduced to voting for a sh*t sandwich or a d*!che bag. my point being that i was a republican during most of my past travels and now im a non-conformist who would like to see a third party or even a fourth or fifth or sixth party. In fact, id like to see a Bill Gates/ Steve Forbes combo and see if they could handel this deficit problem and terrible status of our peso (oops, i mean dollar).
Rick said:===In Brussels, Belgium I found a monument to “Au Pigeon Soldat WWI†honoring the men who cared for the pigeons that delivered messages in WW I. === It would be nicer if the Belgium’s honored the American soldiers who died for their country in WW II. === In 1985 I found there was a large protest “riot†one Sunday morning, so when we went to the tourist office, I asked what was going on. The girl said they were protesting about the missiles, and I said that must mean they were protesting against the Soviets. She very nastily said, “The US also, we don’t like your military position.†I said, “Did you like our Military position in 1944 when our soldiers fought and died to liberate Belgium? My brother was one of them (he lived).†She said she wasn’t alive then, so I don’t know about that. I said you better study your history. === Ardennes America Cemetery is at Neuville-en-Condroz. This World War II cemetery covers 90 acres and contains the graves of 5,328 American servicemen, many of whom died in the Battle of the Bulge. === I consider that more important than even pigeons, and especially more important than Beer. === We visited Oradour sur Glane, France (twice); the Nazi Concentration Camps at Buckenwald, and Dachau (twice) in Germany; Auschwitz and Birkenau in Poland; and the prison at Breendonk, Belgium. There is nothing but horror at any of these dreadful places, but if a tourist is near, he must visit one of these monuments to the revulsion of WW II.
I like the beer in Munich at the Victualienmarkt………. Fresh and outdoors under the trees in the sunshine. Gimutlikiet……….with a sausage and mustard to wash down….none better ……….
What can you say, I guess just habit. Just like most of the world is on the metric system too. I know when we are in Europe we have to really watch the coins so we are not giving away too much. And I can never quite get the metric system, I can kind of figure out about how cold or hot it is.
Thanks W, I got into the German market back in 2000-1 and then the EU a couple years later. Only very recently has the dollar moved up a bit. One should be prepared for mild fluctuations…and other opportunities. Additionally, it just seems the Germans have higher ethics, financially.
Just to let you know, some of us Republicans travel with your books and not on tours. (several times)!
My husband & I are Republicans and use your books on our European travel (Germany, Austria, Switzerland, Italy & UK), but we don’t carry them around with us. We tear out the pages we need for the day and take them with us. We don’t want to stand out as tourists, we are trying to blend in a bit with our surroundings….but then we unfold the map:))
I wanted to go on record as an exception to the comment about the political leanings of your guidebook travelers. In the last two years, I’ve been to six European counties…Spain, Portugal, Germany, the Netherlands, the Czech Republic and Austria. And the guiding force, the organizing principle, the pivot around which all my journeys have revolved, was always the RS book in my back pocket. I don’t even think of my overseas explorations as “traveling”–I think of them as “traveling with the Rick Steves book.” I actually want to diversify beyond Europe for my next trip–perhaps China–but I hate the idea of going anywhere for which there’s no Rick book. Having said that, I also wish to identify myself as a hard-core, far-right, NRA-life-member, idolized Ronald Reagan and William F. Buckley, still kind of like George W. Bush…conservative Republican. So we do exist. By the way, I appreciate the fact that, although Rick is open about his own political viewpoint, he does not saturate his travel writing with his politics to the degree that those of us who differ would feel excluded. (Okay, maybe with some exceptions–his long rant against Czech President Vaclav Klaus in the Prague book was a bit over the top–but in general Rick is quite evenhanded.)
Initally, I was curious to say something about this blog…coins..beer..etc. Reading the responses was even more interesting as the monatary markets change and the dollar goes up. Seeing Republicans chime in on books and tours. My wife and I use the books, are Republicans (converted by Bill) and take Rick’s advice and help in his books to plan and execute our own tours, thus far (Thanks Rick). I also use the reviews and add our impressions for fellow travels that follow. My only contribution is keep on blogging so we can learn from comments and experiences of others….thanks to all.