Contrary to popular belief, there is plenty of good food to be found in pubs, if know where to look. Generally pubs with more lunch patrons that advertise their food specials outside are going to have fresher food, and a cleaner kitchen.  In most pubs that serve food, you are sure to find traditional meals like fish and chips and boiled dinner. Don’t be afraid to branch out though! Pubs can have some of the finest soups and chowders you will ever have.  One thing you will find goes well with all of the food in the pub is beer. If you simply ask for a “pint”, expect a 20 oz. Guinness.  There are usually many other styles of beer to be found, and you can also get half pints if you like.

Another great part about an Irish pub is the fact that generally they are usually family friendly until around 8 p.m.  Of course you can find traditional pub games like darts and trivia, but the real fun is in talking to the locals.  Many of them come specifically for the conversation, known as “craic.” To add to the atmosphere, smoking is now no longer allowed inside pubs, so the outdoor areas have gotten a make over , and in many cases are protected from the elements. There’s nothing quite like listening to some live traditional Irish music with a pint in hand, while meeting new friends. It’s something everyone should experience on their next vacation in Ireland!

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Remember, nothing says I love you like a car rental in Europe! What would your European honeymoon entail?

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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!

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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!

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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.

Check out Paul’s article at 2Camels.com to see photos and video of the event! Also, check out some more of his work at http://www.unimportant-man.co.uk

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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.

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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.

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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!

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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?

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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.

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