A friend of mine recently got back from a sweet honeymoon vacation in Europe. He and his new wife started their trip off in style, spending several days in the Italian Capital of Rome. They saw many of the famous sites the city has to offer, and I’m sure they enjoyed the food as well. From there they went to Interlaken, Switzerland where they only stayed for a night before heading over to Oktoberfest in Munich, Germany! I remember thinking to myself as I was reading his facebook updates, what are they going to do to top this? I knew he had a week left, and Oktoberfest was ending, what would they do? They decided to make the most of the week, and headed up to Paris, where they spent countless hours in museums, and then to Amsterdam, where I’m sure they consumed countless pints of fresh Heineken. I spoke to him once he got back, and he was pretty much still floored by the experience. We should all be so lucky to be able to experience a trip like that!
Remember, nothing says I love you like a car rental in Europe! What would your European honeymoon entail?
From its inception, Virgin Galactic has been inspiring people the world over to think about what a look at the Earth would look and feel like from the capsule of a space ship. It would appear, that we are inching closer to that reality. For those unaware, the idea behind these flights is to have a large ship, ascend to the height of 50,000 feet and then drop a smaller ship, which will then take space tourists about 65 miles above the earths surface at a speeds of over 2500 mph.
So far what’s been announced has been pretty amazing. A space station known as Spaceport America is already being built in New Mexico, and the larger ship, the VMS Eve has taken several test flights, including one with Sir Richard Branson himself. It was the 16th flight and so far seems to be working smoothly. Virgin expects the ship to make an active drop by the end of 2009.
Another unique aspect of Virgin Galactic is how green it is. Great measures have been taken to make the ships as environmentally sound as possible. The engineers have basically taken what we know about space travel and started over, and so far it has paid off in a big way.
Speaking of paid in a big way, the price tag to get on to one of these flights is $200,000. So in the meantime, I’ll be sticking to regular flights to Europe for my next vacation!
The other day I was lucky enough to re-discover a long lost love. It’s a game I once thought was only reserved for Italian retirement centers, and southern California beach bums. I’m talking of course about the game of boccee.
Boccee (pronounced botch-ee) is a precision game involving a varying number of players. Each player gets between 2-4 boccee balls, which are pretty heavy and big. A smaller ball (the jack) is then thrown somewhere onto the court (which can be a park, or back yard and varies in size) and the goal of the game is to launch or roll your ball closest to it. It’s very easy to understand in theory, but application of the knowledge revolves around how well you can throw the balls.
Boccee sets are usually 8 balls with different patterns or colors, one jack, and a tape measure. After having forgotten about it for over a year, I decided to dust off the set and head down to Payson Park, here in Portland Maine. The sun was out, and we had some bottles of ice cold water for hydration. It made for a perfect afternoon. Now if only I could get over to Italy for some lessons!
Today’s post comes from the archives of Paul Dodson, a travel writer who claims to have successfully ordered chicken in over 80 countries and knows the pronunciation of ‘crazy’ in eight different languages.
When you think of cheese, do you visualize a stringy piece of mozzarella stretching from your lips to a freshly baked slice of pizza. Perhaps you picture a big fat block of Stilton, some water crackers and a bottle of your favourite red. Or maybe, just maybe you see yourself rolling headlong down 300 yards of Gloucestershire countryside in pursuit of a seven lb. chunk of Gloucester’s finest. If you find yourself falling into the last category, read on.
Cheese rolling’s origins are hazy to say the least. A common presumption is that the masochistic frolic began as a pagan festival hundreds of years ago – a celebration of the onset of summer. Other theories have it relating to age-old fertility rights, the hope of a successful harvest and even as a safeguard of the Commoner’s rights for the people of Cooper’s Hill.
Wherever it’s origins it’s hard to argue that cheese rolling is a sport for the outrageously courageous or at least the dangerously demented. Contestants in the Cooper’s Hill event (between Gloucester, Stroud and Cheltenham in the Cotswolds) on the last Monday in May, stand precipitously at the top of a 300 yard hill, that maintains a gradient of two in one for the most part whilst a Master of Ceremonies counts them down.
‘One to be ready
Two to be steady
Three to prepare’, at which time an invited guest launches the chunk of cheese on its downward pilgrimage, then
‘Four to be off.’
What follows can only be described as dairy based carnage. Broken bones are a given and sprains and bruises are numerous, as up to twenty contestants in any given race tumble and roll their way headlong down the slope in pursuit of the elusive chunk of Double Gloucester. Keeping your feet is rarely an option, contestants just seem to go with the flow, tumbling out of control like rag dolls with a death wish. Inevitably the cheese wins.
Four races are held on the day, including an event for the ladies. Of the 50 odd contestants – and I do mean odd – 18 injuries were reported from last years event. Not great odds in anyone’s books. And casualties are not limited to contestants. At least one of the estimated 4,000 strong crowd was treated for head injuries after tumbling 30 yards down the course whilst attempting to evade a wayward clump of cheese.
Oh, and the prize for winning, you get to keep the cheese. Food for thought that.
Dear Auto Europe,
I’m new to your site and was wondering something. It looks like you don’t have your own fleet of cars, and you are a consolidator. Why would I book with Auto Europe when you just book me with Hertz, Avis, Europcar, National, etc? Wouldn’t it make more sense to go to them directly and bypass you?
Henry
Wisconsin
Thanks for the email Henry!
Service is the name of the game for Auto Europe. If you book with other companies, you can sacrifice the quality and service you deserve, and end up with a less than savory rental experience. Fortunately, this is where Auto Europe can help. Our US based call center never closes, and you can reach us toll free from nearly anywhere in Europe if there is something you need to discuss. All that aside, we also offer you the best rates!
Many companies have guarantees, but our best rates guarantee is one of a kind. The way it works is simple. In a nutshell, if you find a lower rate with another company, and we can confirm the rate is true, we guarantee to meet or beat the price. A couple of things have to line up in order for us to happen. We need to confirm that we are comparing apples to apples. This means that we need to account for the car type, insurance details, and local fees, etc. If we can do that, you can save! We can do this because we can get a better deal on our contracts due to the number of rentals we provide to our clients every year.
Give us a try, we promise you won’t be disappointed.
If you have a question you would like to see addressed on our blog, please leave a comment or send me an email.
Berlin is a great city to visit. There are ample activities for the whole family. The city is home to over 150 museums and 50 theaters, 3 major opera houses, and countless music festivals. It is a city rich in culture and history, and offers access to the area, serving as a travel and transport hub to Eastern Europe.
One important element of the city is the Berlin Zoological Garden. It is the oldest and most popular zoo in Germany attracting over 3 million visitors each year. It is home to around 14,000 animals. One of the most famous residents is Knut, a 3 year old Polar bear who was born at the Zoo in 2006. Whatever your stance on Zoo’s are, here’s a piece of advice everyone can take to heart. Do not jump into the polar bear habitat during feeding time. Someone actually did this recently. As you can imagine, it did not go over well. She was bitten and mauled several times before on lookers could pull her to safety. Thankfully, she’s okay, but faces trespassing charges.
With all there is to do in this great city, jumping into a polar bear habitat is probably not going to be found in any guide book. Whatever you decide to do on your next vacation in Germany, you can always turn to Auto Europe, for your car rental needs. Just remember to not feet the bears.
Here’s a story with a happy ending. A friend of mine was recently traveling in Eastern Europe, specifically Budapest, Hungary. He took his car rental in Budapest to a downtown hotel, and was about to check in. As he was waiting in line, he set his luggage down, and forgot about it. Sure enough by the time he remembered, he had already taken a few steps forward and the luggage was no where to be found. This was bad news. His carry on bag was with his luggage, and it included his passport. This was definitely a major situation. He had a money belt with all his cash in it, but that was of little assurance. All he could think of was the movie Midnight Express, as he had watched it on the flight over, on the laptop that was now currently missing.
He then remembered that his bag contained his cell phone, which had been outfitted with an international SIM card. He went to the front of the line and asked the hotel to call the phone. Imagine his shock when someone answered!
The voice on the other end only spoke Hungarian, so my friend gave the phone to the clerk and frantically asked him to convey his message. The clerk looked at my friend and started laughing, and then hung up the phone. Apparently a passing security guard had spotted the lonely luggage, and asked everyone around if it belonged to them. Unfortunately, my friend doesn’t speak Hungarian, so he never heard the announcement. The guard was just bringing it to the lost and found on the other side of the hotel when the phone rang. By the time my friend got to his room the luggage was already there, and the rest of the trip was fantastic.
It’s little stories like this that remind me to always keep track of my personal belongings when traveling, no matter how tired I may be. If you are looking for a way to avoid this situation, check out our cell phone rental page. Have you been saved by a cell phone? Leave a comment and tell us all about it!
Chances are if you’re reading this, you are a fan of travel. Most people enjoy getting away from it all to experience something different from time to time, and Europe is a great place to do that. The themed vacation is becoming more and more popular. If you’ve never taken a themed vacation, you should seriously consider it. Imagine touring southern France and Italy for a couple of weeks, only stopping at the finest vineyards to sample local wine and cheese. Maybe you want to see as much art as you can, so you plan a trip to Paris or Rome, and give each museum a day, or a half day. Vacations packages like this can be found all over the web, but many people make their own adventure.
Some more examples of a themed vacation would be to do a car museum tour in Germany, a castle tour in Ireland or England and a Mozart tour of Austria and the Czech Republic. Why do you travel?
For those of you who ski or snowboard, the mountains in and around Innsbruck, Austria offer some of the finest winter slopes in the world. The region attracts millions each year with it’s powder fields, massive snowfalls, and active night life. A few years ago, I was lucky enough to take a ski trip to this area. My friends and I picked up a rental car in Munich, Germany and were soon on our way to Innsbruck, Austria.
I was asleep for about an hour and a half when my traveling companions woke me up with some news I didn’t want to hear: We were lost. I was baffled. I had printed out directions that I thought were clear, but somehow we were in the town of Fugen. I gave them the benefit of the doubt, and could understand why we were lost. We had after all just been on an intercontinental flight. Apparently when my companions stopped for a bathroom break in their haste they got on the wrong highway. We were only an hour behind schedule once we made it to our hotel in Innsbruck, and ended up having a terrific time, so all was forgiven.
There are many places in Europe that are great to get lost in while on vacation. Scenic parks, museums filled with beautiful art and ancient ruins are a few places that come to mind. However, getting lost while driving to these locations isn’t something that most of us would consider a good time. That’s why there are many options for finding your way back on track, including a GPS rental from Auto Europe.
Apparently there was an election yesterday, although there was hardly any news coverage. Did anyone know about this?
Relax, I’m only kidding!
To say that the election of Barack Obama changes America’s perspective in the world is a massive understatement. This is good news for those of us who want to travel abroad because for some reason, Americans have a bit of a bad reputation. Having family in Germany and Austria, traveling to the region is something I try to do whenever possible, however with the recent economy “changes,” it has been difficult to make it happen. This is the time to travel. Gas prices are down, taxes are soon to be lower for most Americans, and our global image has improved. As I have written about before, the mountains in Europe are legendary. I thought I would share this amusing anecdote with you today.
I went on a ski trip to Austria in 2005. We had a flawless flight, and after a short stop in London, I landed as scheduled. I picked up my rental car in Vienna (a sweet Mercedes-Benz) and headed off on what should have been a 3 hour drive to Klagenfurt, to see some of my family before hitting the slopes over in Innsbruck.
I stopped in a small town called Poggersdorf for gas, as I was nearly out. My German is pretty good, and I chatted with some locals about the weather, or so I thought. As it turns out I was using a very inappropriate German word, with out my knowing it. They failed to point this out. I decided to check out the area and found myself in an area called Pubersdorf. When I started making conversation in this location, one of the locals commented on how rude I was acting, and asked me to leave. I was dumbfounded. Was there some kind of difference in Poggersdorf and Pubersdorf that I was unaware of? I simply could not figure it out. I managed to get lost trying to find the highway, due to the fact that I did not have a GPS rental in Austria. I had no other option but to go into the store I had just been kicked out of. As I entered, the owner rolled his eyes and before he could kick me out again, I asked in English, “Why are you so angry with me?” He immediately started laughing very hard. Apparently he thought that I was someone else. When I met my cousin for the first time, I understood why! He looked just like me! We ended up being the best of friends, and I look forward to seeing him again.
