Foreign Perspectives

Archive for the ‘Travel’ Category

We thought we’d have a little daytrip to see the Pont du Gard on Wednesday. It’s only about two hours drive from here so no real problem getting there and back in a day.

The game plan was that we’d head off as soon as the guests checked out ie around 9am but, as usual, didn’t make it away ’til rather later than that and it ended up being more like 11.30 before we started onto the motorway. As it turned out, that was about the perfect time to see the aqueduct as in the morning the sun highlights the abomination that the French added in the 1700s (ie the bridge) and in the afternoon it highlights perfectly the aqueduct itself leaving the bridge in the shade, as it should be.

By then we’d had a quick squint at the map and figured that as we were there anyway that we might as well stay and see both Nimes and Avignon.

Or, in short, we’re just back this evening.

Well, touches down is a little more correct as the runway at Perpignan is too short by a long, long way for it to actually land.

Perpignan airport is at quite a convenient distance from Toulouse so it’s quite a popular spot for plane spotters after a view of the latest models of Airbus being tested.

We just happened upon this particular test of the landing and taking off of the A380 this afternoon. What’s very, very striking about the plane is that it is considerably more quiet than the normal Airbus plane such as the Ryanair one that landed during the test flight.

No matter where you live in the world, you’re pretty much sure to have at least some tourists coming to see things which you pass by every day.

We were just the same in Northern Ireland. In the three or four months before we left, we made a point of visiting as many of the tourist sites that we’d not gotten around to in the preceeding decades and I’m sure the majority of you are the same.

Over here, we’re just as bad. That’s a photo of Querbus Castle which we can see every day we go out the door yet we’ve not once been to see it up close!

So, when the holidays are over for you, why not allocate a few weekends over the coming year to go out and visit the tourist attractions that are on your doorstep? I’m sure you’ll be quite surprised to see just how many there are when you call in at the local tourist office!

Loads of people go on last minute holidays and do it very successfully but some of those people just aren’t organised enough to take a last minute break which becomes particularly obvious when they reach us.

Last minute holidays require you to be even more on the ball than normal as there’s usually not enough time to allow for any problems that you’ve not considered. Now, this usually doesn’t matter on a city break as you can get away with taking just your passport, credit card and plane ticket but if you’re aiming for somewhere outside a city or going for more than a few days you need to put a bit more thought into it.

The first thing you need to be clear on is how you are going to get from the airport to your accommodation. Many of the airports used by discount airlines are tiny and not fully operational when late night flights arrive. If you’ve hired a car, check that the car hire office will actually be open when you arrive and indeed up to about an hour after your flight is due as it can take that long to retrieve your baggage and get through customs & immigration. You might think that this will be OK as they wouldn’t take the booking if they weren’t open. Not so: car hire companies in Perpignan all accept bookings for times up to 11pm yet they are all closed by 6pm!

Check that the accommodation you’ve booked is open when you’re planning on arriving too. The majority of hotels don’t have 24 hour reception and if your arrival time is going to be after they close then you usually won’t get in (very small hotels often operate a grace period after official closing time but don’t bank on that). Tell the hotel what flight you are arriving on as some will check for actual flight arrival times and may allow for delays. Phone the hotel as soon as you know you are going to be delayed: don’t wait until you get off the plane to say that you’re four hours late, particularly if that means you’ll not be arriving ’til after 10pm.

If you’re going to arrive on Saturday or Sunday and plan on using public transport to get around, check that it operates at the weekend. In France, it’s commonplace for there to be no public transport operating on Sundays. If you’re going to use a taxi, try asking the hotel what the price is likely to be to avoid nasty surprises.

If you get off the plane really late and can’t face travelling to the accommodation that you’ve booked, don’t forget that you will almost certainly be charged for it anyway. Any cancellations usually need to be made at least 24 hours in advance to avoid “no show” charges. Even with that, any booking fee you’ve paid is never refunded.

If your flight arrives in France after 8pm, make sure that you have eaten something before you get off the plane because, outside the large cities, you won’t be able to get anything to eat in France.

Don’t forget to pack the really essential things that you will need during your stay. It’s not always easy to buy the likes of contact lens solutions and whatnot if you’re in a strange country. The electricity supply around Europe is the same but the plugs are different so buy an adaptor if you haven’t already got one (they’re usually much cheaper in your departure airport than they are at your destination).

Even if you’re not intending to drive, take your driving license.

Take Mastercard and Visa as not everywhere accepts both. It’s useful to have an American Express card as they can be replaced abroad if lost/stolen whereas Mastercard and Visa usually can’t be, despite what the respective companies will tell you.

Finally, don’t depend on the ATM at the airport working when you arrive, particularly if you’re arriving in a small airport at the weekend. Bring some cash in the local currency (around EUR 100 is enough).

We’ve had quite a run of Brits who live in Spain stay with us on their way to/from the UK over the last few months.

With few exceptions, they have all assumed that southern France will be just like Spain. So the resorts will be fully open ’til November, the restaurants will start serving food from 9pm, and so on.

Well, it isn’t like that at all.

The beach resorts in France start closing up in the first week of September and are almost completely closed down by the end of the second week. Of course, that suits us as we get a jump in bookings for the second two weeks of September.

Far from opening at 9pm, the restaurants here have all closed by then and usually won’t serve you much after 8pm. In fact, by then your choice is usually limited to McDonalds and the like. Even in the busiest week of the year for Perpignan (which is this week), they still close at their normal times. This seems particularly daft this week as the town is full of journalists and there’s a very popular nightly show which runs to midnight yet everywhere is closed by the time it finishes.