Posts Tagged ‘internet access’

The Journey through Germany continued – but my internet access did not, and charges for tap water

Thursday, November 12th, 2009

Yes, I had intended to report more on Dresden, and then Worms (pronounced Vorms) and end with Frankfurt. Unfortunately, Dresden was the last city in which I was able to get reasonably priced internet access.

I discovered two things about travel in Germany: Internet access is prohibitively expensive unless you live in Germany, and restaurants charge for tap water. Although some hotels provide it at a reasonable cost, most have outsourced it and charge prohibitively (at least for this traveler) high prices.

If you plan on traveling make arrangements in advance for a month of service. T-Mobile is very popular but there is still an 0.18 cents per minute roaming charge.

If anyone has a solution, let me know.

The tap water thing really surprised me. The server asked if I’d like anything to drink. I asked for a glass of water. And it arrived. A small drinking glass with maybe three inches of water in it.

When the bill came I saw I was charged 2.50 Euros (about $4 USA). Huh?
I even checked that restaurants don’t pay dearly for water, so that isn’t the reason. They just charge for water. So, make a note, either carry it with you, or drink whatever the heck you want. Water will probably cost the same, if not more.

The Jewish history through Germany saga will continue.

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Popular Blog Topics

Saturday, December 13th, 2008

I’ve been writing this blog for about five months — since the middle of August, 2008. My stats tell me it’s received 42352 hits, over 16,000 rss visits, and 2093 unique visitors.

The stats also tell me what y’all are reading.

I thought it might be fun to let you know what you’ve been reading :)

So, here’s the top five blog posts (so far) and in tried and true cliff-hanger fashion, working my way towards the most popular …

5 — Slovenia: Saying Goodbye, and Vowing to Return As I look back on the trip, one of the aspects that amazed me (besides the beauty of the country and the diversity of experiences) is how well and smoothly things ran. Read more at Leaving Slovenia

4 — Las Vegas: What happened to all the cheap food? Okay, this isn’t a new observation. Lots of people think about the “good old days” when hotel rooms were cheap, the food cheaper and the shows were free. Read more at Cheap Food in Las Vegas — Try Fremont Street

3 — Visiting Fabled Bled, Slovenia: Who’d have thunk it?
It sits on the edge of a clear glacial lake surrounded by mountains. The trees are turning colors and it seems to be a magical time. There’s a castle up on the hill, and another on the island — the only one is Slovenia — that rises out of the water. Read more at Bled Slovenia

2 — United to Charge for Meals on Transatlantic Flights???
And y’all thought I was angry over US Airways charging for water? Well, now it’s personal. About a week ago I booked a transatlantic flight on United, flying out of Washington Dulles (IAD). Read more at Charging for Meals on Transatlantic Flights

And the most popular is:
1 — Internet Access
I don’t think this is exactly a rant. I really do think it’s more along the lines of … hmm, isn’t this interesting, even a bit puzzling. Why is it that almost all upscale hotels charge a daily rate for internet access and motels and less expensive lodgings almost always give it away? Read more at Internet Access and Hotels

BTW, I hope anyone who read the post about United charging for meals, also read Change of Heart and Policy where they changed the policy back to complimentary meals on transatlantic flights.

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Posted in Random Observations, Uncategorized | No Comments »

Internet Access

Monday, September 8th, 2008

I don’t think this is exactly a rant. I really do think it’s more along the lines of … hmm, isn’t this interesting, even a bit puzzling.

Why is it that almost all upscale hotels charge a daily rate for internet access and motels and less expensive lodgings almost always give it away?

I stay in a wide range of accommodations — everything from the most inexpensive motel chains (and even an independent) to the too-expensive-to-afford-on-my-own places.

I’m almost always paying an extra charge to go online in the upscale places, and we all know that a travel journalist, website publisher, and now blogger really has no choice about whether to go online or not. But when Ed and I travel on a road trip we stay in considerably less expensive places and have almost always found free internet. And in our room, not in the middle of the lobby. In fact, we stayed in a place in Missouri that was the seediest place I’ve stayed in a long time — and they had high speed internet. Although it was through a cable — rather than wireless — they would have provided the necessary cable had we not had our own. (Note: traveling with a techie is always a handy thing)

Okay, a little digression in case you were wondering. We were staying in this place because it was getting late and sometimes a motel room in hand is better than one three hours down the road… if at all. It was actually once a lovely place (we saw the pictures) but which had fallen on hard times.

So, back to the internet. I know that part of the reason is probably that most folks staying in a motel costing $60/night (and yes, I’ve often stayed in them) won’t be forking over $12 extra just for the internet. But it is certainly a wonderful perk.

Perhaps then, what this post is really about is “thank you” to all the inexpensive places that still give away internet access.

I appreciate it. And I do look for you when I stop for the night.

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Posted in Random Observations | No Comments »