Month: August 2014

Saturday Night – We’re in the UK

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Flight Day

Friday dawned sunny, hot, and bright. Our flight isn’t until 4:40 PM so we like to turn the car in at around 2:00 to check in early. That means we have the morning and early afternoon to kill. We checked out of the Marriott at 9:00 AM and drove to our go-to off strip casino and race book – the South Point Hotel and Casino. There we spend a pleasant (?) few hours in the race book betting horse races from back east – mainly Saratoga and Monmouth.

Two years we did very well at the races. Last year not so well at all. I’ve been a real slump lately at the track, so I had low expectations and planned to at least minimize my losses. The slump continues. I hit the first at Monmouth – a favorite – and then NADA.

At 12:30 we left the casino and drove to the McCarron Airport’s offsite car rental return facility. After the bus to the terminal, we checked in without incident and settled in for some reading and relaxing prior to boarding and take off. We also had a light lunch. Virgin Atlantic boards premium economy passengers first and then serves (cheap) champagne. A nice touch. We left about 30 minutes late. Dinner was pretty good for airline food – it usually is on Virgin Atlantic. Then we settled in for the long (9+ hour) overnight flight. (I slept a bit, unusual for me. Elaine watched some TV series on the entertainment system.) We arrived at Gatwick Airport right on time..

Our purchased Renault automobile unfortunately has to be picked up at Heathrow Terminal 1. Last year we took the National Express bus from Gatwick to Heathrow. While it’s only a 50 minute ride, the bus stops at Terminal 5, then Terminal 4, then Terminal 3 before arriving at Terminal 1&2. That adds another 25 minutes since Heathrow is so huge.

So this year we reserved a car and driver to take us from Gatwick to Heathrow, using Heathrow Gatwick Transfers. The cost is £55 (roughly $90). That sounds expensive, but the National Express fare is £25 per person, so it really isn’t and you eliminate waiting for the bus and touring all the terminals at Heathrow. The driver was waiting for us and the transfer was uneventful.

At Heathrow Terminal One I picked up our TEP wireless device that we hopefully will use for wireless connections wherever we are in the UK and Ireland. Then we got our car, adjusted the navigation system on the French car to speak English, and set the home position so we can easily find the drop off spot a month ahead. And then we were off on the short drive to Windsor, stopping to fill it up with diesel fuel.

In Windsor we are staying at 76 Duke Street where we stayed for one night last year. This year we are staying for two nights. Julia, the owner, met us and got us settled. She only takes one guest per night. There are two rooms (if you need both), and the marvelously modern bathroom is not en-suite. Basically you have the whole second floor to yourself. More tomorrow with hopefully some pictures.

We’re Off (Thursday Afternoon)

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We’re off to Las Vegas. As mentioned numerous times, we drive to Las Vegas so we can fly non-stop on Virgin Atlantic to London. Renting a car to drop off in another city can be expensive (because of drop off charges), so it is important to shop around. The rule is to looking for a reservation early and keep checking back for cheaper alternatives. If the rental firms have excess cars on site because of other drop offs, then you can realize a significant savings. So it is very important to keep checking back as the date approaches. I have never had much luck with travel sites like Priceline, Expedia, or Kayak, so I prefer to either deal directly with car rental firms or book through AAA or Costco. Prices vary significantly. Very significantly

For the drive to Vegas, we pick up the car on day one (late afternoon), drive to Vegas on day two, and drop the car off on day three (late afternoon) at McCarron Airport in Vegas. That means it is a two day rental (two 24 hour periods) from the rental company’s perspective. The usual cost for a two-day rental from Scottsdale to Las Vegas is around $175. Shopping around early, the cheapest rate I found was through Costco for a Budget Car Rental car from Northsight Blvd in Scottsdale — $113 all inclusive including a navigation system. Good deal. I booked it, and I have found nothing cheaper since then. The next best rate was $269 from Hertz. No brainer.

In booking the return trip from Las Vegas to Scottsdale, the experience was quite different. For this trip we pick up the car mid afternoon, stay overnight in Henderson, and return the car the next day mid afternoon. So it’s a one day rental. The best rate I found early on was $149 all inclusive without navigation system from Hertz through AAA. I booked that. The rates are more since I am picking the car up at an airport which adds all sorts of fees and taxes. Going off airport would save money but is a hassle when you have all your luggage. To show how continual checking helps, a couple of weeks ago I found an SUV with a navigation system from Avis through Costco Travel for $53 all inclusive with the drop off again on Northsight Blvd in Scottsdale. I immediately booked that and cancelled the AAA Hertz reservation. All is good.

What happens in Vegas stays in Vegas, but we don’t stay in Vegas. The strip is a traffic nightmare, and we have no desire to be in a big resort with a casino close to all the fabulous Las Vegas dining options. Plenty of fine dining to come across the pond.  So we stay in Henderson at a Marriott Springhill Suites for free (using Marriott points). We have dinner at my favorite Italian chain – Carrabba’s, a short drive from the hotel.

We fly out tomorrow afternoon.  Next post will be from Windsor, UK, probably on Saturday night (GMT)

TEST

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So, you can post to a WordPress blog by sending an email to a special address specific to your blog. Usually I compose the mail on the WordPress site.
This is a test of posting by email.
Hope it worked.

PS:  I won’t give you the email address.

Check in tomorrow for the kickoff of the UK/Ireland adventure.

Count Down to UK and Ireland

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10 days until we leave for Las Vegas to get on the plane to London for our UK and Ireland adventure.  A map of the trip and the initial planning was discussed here.  Planning is now complete.  We have made the final payment on our Renault automobile; we have booked all our hotels and B&B’s; the ferries to and from Ireland are reserved and paid for; and we even have a couple of sight seeing stops and restaurants on reserve.

There will be some new gear and technology making the trip with us:

WEP Portable Wi-Fi

The cottages we are renting in Northern Ireland and South Wales do not have wi-fi.  It’s really a pain to have to run out to Internet Cafes or other connected commercial sites (like Starbucks, MacDonalds, and Tourist Offices) to check email and update the blog.  So we will be trying a new device on this trip: a TEP Pocket Wifi.  I have reserved one and will pick it up at London Heathrow (rather than have them FedEx it to me to arrive one day before we leave for Europe).  These devices get mixed reviews, but the bad reviews tend to be from people who are trying to max out the device’s capabilities.  I will be using it for fairly limited and very reasonable purposes.  Hopefully it will work as advertised and save annoying trips to the local internet cafe.

TEP Pocket Wi-Fi

Canon G16 Camera

Canon G16

I have abandoned my trusty old Canon Powershot A710 IS point-and-shoot camera.  I am not sure why as it was a reliable friend for a lot of years and took most of the photos you have seen on this blog, our old travel blog, and our (lately unused) photo repository.  I guess I just want to keep up with technology.  So I have a new Canon G16 camera.  (Actually it’s not entirely new as I used it for my photos on the Oregon trip in June.)  The G16 is still technically a point-and-shoot, but it’s a connoisseur point-and-shoot with added capabilities.  I was a long time SLR camera user back in my younger days and the new digital SLRs are remarkable, but they are just too big to make them convenient to tote along wherever you go.  Aside from a lovely case and an extra battery, there are no other accessories that I want or need.

If you’re interested, you can read a review of the camera here.  I love this camera!  And I love the case that I bought separately (described here) too!  One feature that I demand in a camera is a viewfinder, and they are increasingly difficult to find.  This camera has one.  It’s true that the view through the viewfinder is not through the lens like the view on the LCD screen that you usually use, but it is close enough (especially with editing software so readily available).  The problem with the LCD viewer, no matter how good and bright that it may be, is that it is difficult and sometimes impossible to see in bright sunlight.  That’s when the viewfinder becomes invaluable.  My new case is a SNAPR 20 from Black Rapid.  It’s wicked!

Black Rapid SNAPR 20

Moto G Phone

Many of you know that I have a new cell phone number.  I also have a new cell phone.  It’s the delightful and highly acclaimed Motorola Moto G.  With some trouble I managed to get an unlocked dual-sim card version from an Australian web site that shipped the phone to me from Hong Kong.  Remarkably, after ordering it on one Friday afternoon and immediately receiving a FedEx tracking number, I began to track the shipment.  On Saturday morning it was picked up from the warehouse by FedEx in Hong Kong.  On Sunday it arrived in the USA.  BY 2 PM on Monday it was in my hands.

If you’re interested, you can read a review of the camera here.  I love this camera!  And I love the case that I bought separately (described here) too!  One feature that I demand in a camera is a viewfinder, and they are increasingly difficult to find.  This camera has one.  It’s true that the view through the viewfinder is not through the lens like the view on the LCD screen that you usually use, but it is close enough (especially with editing software so readily available).  The problem with the LCD viewer, no matter how good and bright that it may be, is that it is difficult and sometimes impossible to see in bright sunlight.  That’s when the viewfinder becomes invaluable.

The phone has become my day-to-day US cell phone with a sim card from H2O Mobile (which uses the AT&T network).  I don’t use my cell phone a lot, and I refuse to pay $50 and up a month for service.  With H2O, I buy $25 worth of credit every four months, and that is plenty for my needs.  I am just using it for phone calls and texts.  I don’t use it for heavy data and internet usage unless it is connected through wi-fi.  I have a second sim card installed that has both a US and a UK phone number associated with it.  That will be what I use on our upcoming trip.  I put $25 worth of credit on it, and that will easily get us through the trip for the occasional calls for restaurant reservations and the very infrequent calls back to the USA.

New Suitcases

Elaine needed a new suitcase.  She decided to go first class and get one that will last (with a lifetime warranty).  She bought a Briggs and Riley Endeavor Series 24″ bag and a matching B&R carry on.  My Kirkland (Costco) suitcase has been a workhorse and probably would have lasted through this year’s trips.  But I liked what Elaine got, so I got one too.  (I got just the suitcase, not the carry-on as I am happy with my Tumi carry-on for the time being.  The Endeavor Series has been discontinued by B&R, so we got about 20% off the price.  One reason it is being discontinued is a major plus in our minds:  it is the old two-wheel drag-along type, not the new in-vogue twister type.  The four-wheel twisters seems much more likely to break.  Even with free repairs under the lifetime guarantee, it would still be a major inconvenience it the wheels broke mid-trip.

Briggs and Riley Endeavor Series