Lori

Patrick,<BR>What we've found best to combat the "sitting around in one place for a long time" is simply doing day trips. That is why we love London (and Paris) - it's so easy to go out for the day and still be "home" in the evening. From London you can get to many places within 2 hours (we enjoy the not so touristy places). <BR><BR>I am so jealous of your trips

topper

here's Patrick's report for the person who was looking.

topper

trying again to bring this to the top.

Elsa

Thanks to "topper" for bringing this report up. I don't know why I never saw it, b/c with a title like "Return from 90 days...." I would have known it was probably from Patrick. He said he'd be gone 3 mos. so I've been waiting for his reports. I check the Forum at least twice a day (everyday) so I can't imagine why I never came across THIS post.<BR><BR>Welcome back, Patrick.

BTilke

Patrick, interesting report. One question about your ATM snafus in Belgium. Did you try any Citibank machines? They are on a different system from the Bancontact/MisterCash system affiliated with Belgian banks. The debit cards from our U.S. bank are linked to MC/Visa, so we've never had a problem. But that's interesting to note.<BR>BTilke (Brussels)

Patrick

I can't really answer about the Citibank machines -- actually I'm not sure I ever saw one. I probably would have tried if I had as our regular Visa and Master Card charge cards are Citibank cards. But of course I wouldn't want to use those cards -- as it would only allow me to "borrow" funds from the credit card account. After talking with the one banker in Belgium who told me that all banks in Belgium were connected with that Visa system, I believed her and didn't try again. I did continue looking at ATM machines and noted that everytime I saw a Cirrus, Plus, or Honor symbol it was within the framework of a Visa symbol -- so what she said certainly did make sense.

topper

topping<BR>

BTilke

There are many Citibank machines in Belgium, but they're not in the more touristy locations, so travelers easily miss them. For anyone else who has this problem in Brussels, there's a Citibank right by the Arts-Loi (Kunst-Wet) metro stop. The machines are not on the Belgian system, so you can take out money without having a Visa/MC logo on your card.

Rex

&lt;&lt;It may take me a few days to figure how to post various sections of my trip report&gt;&gt;<BR><BR>Welcome back, Patrick. I just got back from a trip of only 8 days (Brittany and Normandy), and I feel the same way - - quite unsure what to report, why, for whom, etc.<BR><BR>I'll probably do it on a website, separate from the forum, partly because I think I might prefer to tell the story in pictures - - as much or more than I tell it in words. Finally got a digital camera, and immediately I wondered what took me so long. Took about 250 pictures, and I was very, very happy with the camera - - but even now, I wonder - - to whom will these pictures really be all that meaningful?<BR><BR>I guess I'm trying to say that I connect strongly with the uncertainty you express - - about a trip report and where to start, and what to include.<BR><BR>Good to see you back with such a good experience.<BR><BR>Best wishes,<BR><BR>Rex<BR>

Patrick

I know what you mean about the pictures, Rex. Everybody is always on my case to buy a digital camers. I'm happy with a decent point and shoot with a zoom lens. Took 16 rolls of film -- not that much for a three month trip, but I've learned long ago that the pictures are only for me. I like putting them in a single album and pulling them out from time to time just to look at -- and yes, I do that. But I have yet to have my friends want to sit for an hour or two and look at my pictures. No picture ever does justice to that incredible sunset over the Adriatic, or the depth of the mountain scenery in the Alps -- so why try? I merely regard the pictures as a way for me to remember those unforgettable images.

Nora

Hi Patrick, wonderful trip, I'm envious. Did you have problems with currency in Slovenia or Prague. I've heard merchants prefer the Euro over the home currency.

Rex

I'm leaning towards a collection of "essay-lets" (on a website) with pictures, so that a viewer (most likely family members in the first few instances) can pick and cvhoose with an overview - - to digest 15 minute segments.<BR><BR>One of those might be "the dilemma of travel photographs". I have always firmly believed (and still do) - - that the only really good pictures are always just in your head. Wanna see what I saw? Go there.<BR><BR>Still, a picture DOES replace a thousand words (though sometimes the thousand words are an obligatory companion to various pictures). And I will probably go back and forth on my views on having a digital camera. Through most of this short trip, I was ecstatic to have it - - even if it is just for me (and those who went on the trip). For one thing, it totally eliminates the issue of worrying about "is it worthwhile to try to get a picture of this?" because the whole concept of "wasting film" is non-existent. I even found myself shooting many pictures twice - - once broader angle, and again zoomed in on something - - with the intention (sometimes I have dome this after the fact, sometimes not) - - to do an inset on something not easily seen on the big picture.<BR><BR>I'm still trying to decide how to assemble pictures that only tell half of the story. Especially with the Normandy invasion (D-day landing) sites, it was learning more about what happened there that was what I enjoyed about going there. Three films, at the Musee d'embarquement and at Arromanches 360 were major highlights of understanding the Normandy war efforts - - and neither words NOR (still) pictures can capture what you see in "3-D" (the actual land- and sea-scapes) and in those moving images.<BR><BR>So for a trip report - - and for my digital images, I come back to my former held view: want me to share with you the places we went and the things we saw? - - you have to go there for yourself.<BR>

xxx

<BR><BR>Good comments, Patrick. As far as many older Europeans having difficulty with the Euro . . although, as a tourist, I love the euro, and I think it's good, overall, for EU countries, I feel sorry for people who have known one currency their entire lives and now have to deal with another one. I'm sure if the U.S., Canada, and Mexico all converted from their currencies to mericanos plenty of older people in those countries would have trouble dealing with the new currency as well. <BR><BR>Wasn't one of the reasons, aside from the cost of conversion, the U.S. gave up on conversion to the metric system the fact that officials felt the adjustment would be too difficult for people to make?

Patrick

Yes, xxx, you're absolutely right. I don't fault the older generation in Italy or elsewhere having the problem. But one interesting side note: we were also told that many people (especially older ones) are actually getting themselves into financial problems. They see a price in Euros and it seems so cheap they just keep buying and buying. Interesting observation if it is true, and I suppose it is. Actually we were told that in France.<BR><BR>We didn't go to Prague this trip, but in Slovenia and Croatia, we just used local currencies, like elsewhere easy to get from any ATM. I did not hear or see anything suggesting to pay in Euro. We did a day trip to Montenegro (as wondefully suggested here) and were surprised that the ONLY accepted currency there is the Euro. Even the ATM's spit out Euro.

Rex

Another "essay-let" that comes to mind from this most recent trip was "my first dealings with the euro".<BR><BR>It cracked me up that what used to be a useful crutch (seeing prices printed in euro amounts along with francs, lire, whatever) is somehow mow disorienting. I can't count how many times I saw an item, priced in the euro amount - - and mentally paused to think "now how much is that?" before I went "Doh!" and realized that no conversion was necessary (for all practical purposes).<BR><BR>I was also struck with the "hanging onto" francs - - mentally - - that we saw everywhere. Every single receipt - - whether cash or credit card had the amount in francs also printed on it - - along with the word "soit" (roughly translates to "which would be") - - i.e. 10 &euro; soit 65.xx F (or FF).<BR><BR>And I agree that making change seem to be something done quite deliberately by older shop keepers or proprietors.<BR><BR>My mother-in-law thought it very odd that the French people were struggling with the euro - - until I explained it to her like this: imagine that a new currency came along to replace the dollar - - say the "Yankee" - - and a movie now costs 1.1 Yankee, a tank of gasoline costs 2-3 Yankees, a loaf of bread costs 0.1 to 0.2 Yankees.<BR><BR>It would be very, very hard to get used to.<BR>

xxx

<BR>Rex, I would bet that if the U.S. ever were to convert to another currency, we'd have a similar "hanging onto the dollar" mentality for quite some time. I can imagine people converting the new currency--be it yankees or mericanos--back into dollars for quite some time in order to make sense out of how much something "really" cost them.

ttt

topping<BR>

Joel

Are there additional pieces to this report from Patrick yet?<BR>

amy

Patrick, a question for you...Like you, I paid attention to the spring thread on the Visa logo. The thinking was so cogent that even my husband was persuaded.<BR><BR>Given your experience in Belgium, if you were going to France or Italy or Spain, would you stick with the non-Visa ATM? I still have my other one--I just didn't take it on the past two trips. What do you plan to do on the next trip?

anon

Patrick's trip report --Part 2, Amsterdam/Brugge/London<BR><BR>http://www.fodors.com/forums/pgMessages.jsp?fid=2&tid=25919819<BR><BR>Patrick's trip report -- part 3, Nice and Corsica.<BR><BR>http://www.fodors.com/forums/pgMessages.jsp?fid=2&tid=28602467<BR><BR>Patrick's trip report -- part 4 Sardinia<BR><BR>http://www.fodors.com/forums/pgMessages.jsp?fid=2&tid=31661627<BR>