A day at the airport

I'm typing this in a hurry... Rui, Ed and I are in Charlotte， North Carolina。。。 possibly the whitest place in America.

This is suppose to be a major international airport yet we are the only asians here. We first noticed this when the country folk started giving us dirty looks. Laterwe ate at the airport Chili's restaurant our table was dirty, food was horrible, food expensive and service was terrible.

More updates to come... we're about to board our flight to Germany.

Weather for our trip

This is the up to date weather for our trip...

Only ten day weather is available so I'll update this as the weather channel updates their website.


Saturday March 29th -Frankfurt - Light Rain- 49 high 39 low 60% chance rain

Sunday March 30th -Amsterdam -Light Rain 50 high 42 low 60% chance rain

Monday March 31st -Paris - Partly Cloudy 62 high 46 low 10% chance rain

Tuesday April 1st -Paris - Partly Cloudy 65 high 45 low 10% chance rain

Wednesday April 2nd -Paris - Partly Cloudy 59 high 45 low 20% chance rain

Thursday April 3rd -Rome - Partly Cloudy 63 high 47 low 20% chance rain

Friday April 4th - Rome - Partly Cloudy 65 high 45 low 10% chance rain

(source: weather.com)

Tourist Scams

Europe is famous for their pick pockets and scams against tourists.

Besides the obvious wearing money belts and neck wallets...

The Rick Steves Website has a great forum post outlining common scams against tourists....
http://www.ricksteves.com/graffiti/graffiti11.html

Some Useful Phrases

While most of the younger generation in Europe do speak basic English, here are some phrases that may come in handy during our trip, Ed and I took Spanish in high school so I skipped it on the list:

Also despite what Rui adamently claims.... Chinese (particularly mandarin) is not a global universal language that will get us around Europe (outside of European Chinatowns).

German
Es tut mir Leid= I am sorry
HALLO= hello
AOF VEE-DER-ZAYN = goodbye
BIT-TE =please
Danke= thank you
NET SEE KEN-NEN ZU LER-NEN= it is nice to meet you
BRING-EN SEE MICH ZU MY-NEM HO-TEL = take me to my hotel
Wo ist die Toilette? = where is the bathroom
VY-VEAL KOS-TET DAS =how much does this cost
Sprechen Sie Englisch? = Do you speak English?
Entschuldigung-Excuse me
Wieviel kostet das?-How much does that cost
Ich heiße... - I am called...
Es tut mir Leid- I Am Sorry
Ich spreche kein Deutsch- I don't speak German
nein- No
Wiederholen Sie bitte - Please repeat
wann-When?
Ja- yes

Dutch
Hallo - Hello
Tot ziens - Good bye
Ja- yes
Nee- No
Alstublieft - Please
Dankuwel - Thanks
Ik heet .. - My name is...
Hoeveel kost het? - How much is it?
Pardon - Excuse Me
Spreekt u Engels?- Do you speak English?
Ik spreek geen Nederlands - I don't speak Dutch
Spreekt er iemand Engels? - Does anyone speak english?
Ik begrijp het niet - I don't understand
Ik kom uit .. - I'm from...

French
Je regrette- I am sorry
bonjour = Hello
s'il vous pla - please
merci - thank you
Parlez-vous anglais? - Do you speak English?
Je ne parle pas français- I don't speak French
Répétez, s'il vous plait- Please Repeat
Mon nom est...- My name is
non- no
Où est la salle de bain?-Where is the bathroom
oui-yes
C'est combien?- How much does it cost
Au revoir- Good bye

Italian
Ciao- hello
Buongiorno - Good day
Buonasera - Good evening/afternoon - it is customary to use one of these greetings when entering small shops
Arrivederci - Goodbye
Per favore - Please
Grazie - Thank you
Mi Scusi - Excuse me
Parla inglese? - Do you speak English?
Non parlo italiano - I don't speak Italian
Dov'è il bagno? - Where's the bathroom
Quanto costa? - How much does it cost?
Mi chiamo... -I am called Non parlo l'italiano- I don't speak Italian
No-no
Mi dispiace- I am sorry

Packing List

Below Is Ed's Packing List..

Museum Passes

Paris Museum Pass

So we have options here based on our attraction itinerary we don't visit that many museums to save money on a pass in Paris.... So we can individually purchase advance online tickets (If available) for each museum or buy a 2 day museum pass.

http://www.parismuseumpass.com/en/home.php (see Site for full list of museums and attractions)

Price for Pass
2-day 30 Euros
4-day 45 euros


The only attractions covered that are included on our itinerary
are the
Louvre, 9 euros (Tickets available online)
Arc de Triomphe, 8 euros (Tickets not available online)
Musee d Orsay, 7.50 euros (Can’t tell if tickets are available online can’t speak French)
Notre Dame, 7.50 euros (Can’t tell if tickets are available online can’t speak French)


Eiffel Tower Tickets CAN NOT BE BOUGHT AHEAD OF TIME!

I'm leaning towards we should get it to save time....


Amsterdam Pass
Includes free use of public transportation system

From our itinerary admission to Van Gogh Museum, Oude Kerk, Rijksmuseum (not on our itinerary but we may want to add.

http://www.iamsterdamcard.com/


I amsterdam Card for 24 hours - €33
I amsterdam Card for 48 hours - €43
I amsterdam Card for 72 hours - €53


Rome
Received this tip
Colosseum: GET YOUR COLISEUM TICKETS AT PALATINE HILL! Apparently the same ticket gets you into both places... but theres no line at Palatine Hill for tickets.

March 1st Meeting Minutees

Ed’s sister to take us to airport
Who will pick us up?

March 28th Friday 5:30-6am leaving from Ed’s house

Once we get to Europe reserve other trains….

Plan Possible Practice Trip (Next Weekend March 8th)

City Itinerary (Subject to change)

Frankfurt
Some local Cafe
City Hall (Romer)
Open time

Amsterdam
Dam Square (5min Central Station)
Van Gogh Museum *10 euros can be purchase online *4 euros audio tour
Anne Frank House
Westerkerk
Oude Kerk
Red Light District


Paris
Eiffel Tower (Up the Eiffel Tower )
*Alternative Rather than go up http://www.tripadvisor.com/Attraction_Review-g187147-d314450-Reviews-Tour_Montparnasse-Paris_Ile_de_France.html)

Louvre - Venus de milo, Mona Lisa, Egyptian Mummies- The museum is open every day, except on Tuesdays, from 9:00 AM to 18:00 PM. There are also evening openings until 9:45 PM, on Wednesdays and Fridays. Entrance is the pyramid.

Moulin Rouge (See outside only) too expensive to see show
Luxembourg Gardens
Notre Dame
Arc de Triomphe
Champs Elysees
Musee d'Orsay
*RESEARCH MUSEUM Pass

Rome
Vatican – Sistine Chapel, Piazza San Pietro, Basilica di San Pietro
Colliseum
Pantheon
The Forum
Trevi Fountain (Night)

Florence
Piazza del Duomo
Accademia and David statue
Uffizi Museum
Giardino di Boboli

Venice
Basilica di San Marco and Piazza di San Marco
Murano

Milan
Open Day * Only Partial day

Barcelona
Get Tapas
Gothic Quarter
Las Ramblas
Plaça Reial
Ed to follow up with Additional Locations.

Madrid
Plaza Mayor
Royal Palace of Madrid (Palacio Real)


Each person to prepare Assigned City Dossier

For each city:
Includes information on how to get to the city and out of the city
To/From Hotels
To estimate Checkin time and notify hostels
Look up cost of local passes
Order of all attractions
How to get to Attractions
Purchase tickets a head of time if possible
To/From Attraction to Hotel
Attraction summary.

Ed
Frankfurt
Paris
Florence

Poon
Amsterdam
Venice
Madrid

Rui
Rome
Barcelona

Awesome! STRIKES in Germany

Public Workers including Airport Workers and Bus Drivers are on strike.

Hope these subside before our trip!

http://www.bloomberg.com/apps/news?pid=20601100&sid=aB4zvdHTrCGQ&refer=germany

http://www.ft.com/cms/s/0/764ca70c-ead9-11dc-a5f4-0000779fd2ac.html

Practice Trip

Saturday, March 8th.

Hiking Trip in San Luis Obispo... FULL EUROPE GEAR REQUIRED... If your not bringing it to Europe, you can't take it and If your bringing it to Europe you better bring it on this trip.

Montana del Oro or Bishops Peak.


To celebrate our triumphant return, Smash Bros Midnight Launch at Gamestop... Followed by Smash Marathon at Van's house!!!

I Found the Perfect Way to keep us from losing Rui

I was looking for a harness for my dog... when I stumbled upon this stylish thing. Now Ed and I
can feel safe knowing Rui will always be secured to us...

Believe or not the Ad says its great for kids too.... Interesting target demographic... china men and kids... they're geniuses!

Meeting Schedule Till our Trip

Proposed schedule is below... Please confirm attendance...
March 22nd meeting and/or March 26th meetings based on necessity.

March 17th, 6:30pm- longer meeting to review our city summaries.

March 20th 6:30pm (really 7pm) - Meeting to discuss Poon's itinerary.

March 22nd, 10:00am Follow up on any items from City Summary.

March 26th, 7:30pm Short Meeting make sure everything is in order...******Canceled******


March 27th, Thursday Arrive at Ed's house (Online Check In, Check Flight Status, Documentation Check, items Check, Notify Credit/Debit/ATM Companies, ).

March 28th, 6am arrival at LAX.

To Do List

List of items that must be done prior to trip.
Please add to list.

1) Consolidate Hotel/Flight/Train Confirmations ****Complete****
2) Pre-Enter Addresses of hotels/attractions into GPS
3) Contact Credit/Debit Card Companies of intent to travel overseas ****Complete****
4) Arrange Travel to/from LAX ***Complete***
5) Research Travel to/from airports ***Complete****
7) Reserve trains (if necessary) ***Complete****
8) Confirm Flights are on time
9) Online Check In
10) Full City Itinerary ****Complete****
11) Documentation Check (Day before Flight)
12) Notify Hostels of time of arrival. *****Complete****
13) Attraction Backgrounds
14) Food Guide ***Complete***

Stuff to Pack

Seeing as how we are coming close to packing for europe, we should all start to make lists of what we need to bring. I would suggest that you start making a list of everything you use in the next week or two. Every time you use an item, add it to your list so that you will not forget it. It worked well for me when I moved to college. It'll probably work well for Europe so that we do not forget everyday items.

Meeting March 1st

March 1st, 10:30am, Saturday Meeting.
We missed about 3/4 of the meeting agenda from last time. Let us use that agenda as a springboard for this meeting.

Let us prepare for this meeting under the assumption that we will only have time for one more meeting till we arrive in LA for the trip.

Ed and Poon,
To test "Walkie Talkie" interoperablity in Las Vegas Trip.

****UPDATE FEB 28 Walkie Talkie interoperability confirmed. Must take encryption off Ed's and set correct channel/sub channel****

Please add topics to agenda.

1. Specific Attractions/Days to attend (Remember that museums in certain cities closed during some weekedays)
2. Reservations/prepurchase of tickets to museums
3. Student/Youth Discount Card (See comments area)
4. Review of all pending Action items/Blog notes from previous meetings and posts.
5. Plan "practice" trip / In Person Meeting.
6. Open Topic Discussion

All,
My parents are coming in this weekend so I don't know if I can make this exact time. I will call them to confirm the exact day/time they will be coming.

***UPDATE FEB 28th Meeting Confirmed March 1st*****

-Ed

Dollar to Euro

Since we frequently post prices/costs in both Dollars and Euros, the current exchange rate should be mentioned.

Currently on February 14th, 2008 the exchange rate is
1 Dollar to .69 Euros
or
1 Euro to 1.46 Dollars


*** Update March 6th, 2008***
1 dollar to .66 Euros
1 Euro to 1.52 U.S. dollars
This sucks About a 4% decrease in value of dollar in just under 1 month.

*** Update March 19th, 2008***
1 dollar to .63 Euros
1 Euro = 1.5787 U.S. dollars


***Update March 26th, 2008***
1 dollar to .6496 Euros
1 Euro = 1.5393 U.S. dollars

Via Google search of Euro to Dollar

Since the US is on the verge of recession and an ongoing subprime mortgage meltdown. US interest rates are very low... so it feels like everyday the Dollar is dropping compared to the Euro. For us this means Europe gets more and more expensive.

Wednesday February 13th, Meeting Minutes

This was a particularly frustrating meeting....

First we booked an overnight train from Paris to Milan via Rail Europe . The ticket costs 165 total for all 3 of us (This includes a 30 dollar lost train ticket insurance, 18 dollar shipping and includes the rail pass holder discount). From Milan we will take day trains arriving in Rome around 11am.

Train Information
April 2nd
From Paris to Milan
2nd Class; 3 youth
Paris Bercy to Milano Centrale, Couchette T6

Next we found we found out that trains only run from Milan to Barcelona on Monday, Wednesday, and Friday. Our original plan was to leave Venice to Milan on Tuesday, April 8th around 12pm and catch the overnight train that night to Barcelona (We had already booked hotels for this itinerary).

Luckily for us Ryan Air has a "Pay Only Taxes" special.

While flying directly from Venice was an option, the "Pay Only Taxes'" special only applied to a 9pm flight arriving in Girona (80km from Barcelona) at 11pm. Since we would still be an hour away from Barcelona we decided not to chance this trip so late in the night. (We know that people in Spain eat dinner and go out much later... but we still felt uncomfortable with this time table)

So instead we will fly from Milan. Our flight costs 75 Euros total for all 3 of us including the checked bag costs for three people and a fee for using a credit card to pay. Ryan air requires you to pay 4.5 Euros (4.5 Euros if checked in baggage reserved on line, 6.50 Euros if done at airport) for first three bags checked (combined weight of 15Kg or 33lbs)... unfortunately it costs 7.50 Euros for each additional kg over that 15kg.... so we have to be careful not to check in more than 15kg.

Flight Itinerary

From Milan Bergamo (BGY) to Girona(GRO)
Tuesday April 8th, 2008 Flight
Depart: 4:25pm
Arrive: 5:50

Girona airport is about 80km (50 miles) from Barcelona... theres a Barcelona bus (Website in Spanish) that we'll take to the estacion de Nord in Barcelona (costs about 12 Euros).


Since we are no longer taking an overnight train from Venice to Barcelona (via Milan) we have to book another nights hotel. The hotel we already booked for Barcelona did not have room for this night so we had to book a room at another hotel.

Hotel
Medium Abalon Hotel Barcelona

Tuesday April 8th

Travesera de Gracia 380-384,
Barcelona, 08025
Phone: 34934500460

Tuesday April 8th Price: 99 Eur

Triple room for 3 people. Each room of the hotel is equipped with air conditioning, a private bath with shower, TV with cable/satellite, internet access, a safety deposit box and more.





From our earlier agenda its clear that we only accomplished two of our topics and will need another meeting in the near future to cover the other topics.


-Poon

Space Saver Bags♦

Linen's N Things Space Saver Bags

I just bought these space saver bags. You put your clothes in them, roll them up, and the air gets pushed out. So far, I've tested some tshirts and a sweatshirt. Works pretty good for the sweatshirt but not so much for the tshirts. It works well for anything that has lots of air. If you buy from lnt.com use coupon code 26620000008 for another 20% off. I picked mine up in store because they are back-ordered for delivery.

Rui got his visa!

Watch out Europe....Rui got his visa !!!


-Poon

Meeting

Meeting
Wednesday, February 13, 2008
7:00pm

1. Whether to modify schedule in light of ryan air's "pay only taxes" special
2. Plan/make reservations on trains/airplanes.
3. Specific Attractions
4. Reservations/prepurchase of tickets to museums
5. Student/Youth Discount Card
6. Review of all pending Action items from previous meetings.
7. Plan "practice" trip.
8. Open Topic Discussion

-Poon

Flight Changes

I checked the online status itinerary and it seems to differ from our original ones we purchased.

Rui,
Please check your latest flight online itinerary to make sure they didn't just move us and not you! (Use the confirmation code you received from US Airways) and compare it to ours (pull up ours and yours and compare)

**Update Feb 5th they moved Rui's seating away from Ed and I. Rui changed it to match us... He will continue to monitor the online reservation for changes.***

**Update Feb 14th we received an email from US Airways they changed flight reservation again...I moved my seat for the flight from Madrid to Philadelphia back to its place next to Ed. Rui will change his to match ours***

http://www.usairways.com/awa/manageReservation/findReservation.aspx?redir=Email&c=eml_sys_travelConf_00000000_manageRes

Use Confirmation Code: in email I sent to you for Ed and myself.
Departure Date: March 28th

No major impact I can see but flight numbers have changed and flight times by an hour or so!
Particularly the return interconnecting flight is now an hour earlier and different flight number, luckily we have a large enough gap in between flights.

So this is a reminder for us to continually check our online itinerary !

-Poon

Hotels/Hostels for the Rest of Europe

Hotel Reservations for rest of Europe
( In addition to our Lodging in Italy )

****This resulted from January 28th Emergency Meeting. (Decisions made without Ed) ****
April 2nd (Paris to Rome) and April 8th (Venice to Barcelona) Nights are spent on the Train.

Amsterdam, Netherlands (Hostel)
March 30th
St. Christopher's at The Winston
Warmoesstraat 129
Amsterdam

p. +31 (0)20 623 1380
f. +31 (0)20 639 2308
e. winston@st-christophers.co.uk

3 Bed, Private Room (Private Bathroom) 93 Euro per night




Paris, France (Hostel)
March 31st and April 1st 08
Hotel De La Comete

196 boulevard de la
villette
Paris

p. +33 6 24 88 88 78
or +33 6 50 99 95 91
e. doxa248@yahoo.com

3 Bed, Private Room (Private Bathroom) 75 Euro Per night

Supposedly the people who run this hotel speak very little English.




Barcelona, Spain (Hotel/Pension)
April 9th and 10th

Miami Pensión (Hotel/Pension)

Passatge Sant Bernat 2-4
Barcelona 08001
Phone: 34933017393

Standard Triple Room 84 Euros per night



April 11th
Madrid, Spain (Hostel)

Hostal Luis XV
Montera 47 - 8º
Madrid

p. +34 91 5221350
f. +34 91 5221021
reservas@hrluisxv.net

3 Bed, Private Room (Private Bathroom) 84 Euro per night






-Poon

Asking if Someone Speaks English

Considering none of us bothered to learn our assigned foreign language, (See December 1st meeting minutes and I never distributed Rosetta Stone as planned). It is probably too late to start learning for it to be of use on the trip.

So... I've been reading from my guidebooks that people in Europe prefer to be asked if they speak English in there native tongue before speaking to them in English.

I guess its considered rude to just walk up to them and start automatically speaking English.

So below is the phrase "Do you speak English?" translated in our itinerary relevant languages:

German: Sprechen Sie Englisch?

Dutch: Spreekt u Engels?

French: Parlez-vous anglais?

Italian: Parla inglese?

Spanish: ¿Habla usted inglés?

(Source: http://www.elite.net/~runner/jennifers/english.htm)

-Poon

Emergency Meeting

Emergency Meeting
****MONDAY, January 28th, 2008 7pm *****
Rescheduled from 6:30pm per Rui's Request

Rui and I decided to make a decision without Ed for hotels (confirmed ok with Ed)

(Received Email from Ed... he is stuck in NY for business till Tuesday Night... suggest either we reschedule or perform the research/selection with just Rui and myself.)


Ed and Rui,
Please confirm you are able to make it!

Agenda

Rui's Visa has bee rejected by Italian Consulate.

Must Book all Hotels throughout trip for Rui's Visa....

Rui please confirm that you have all necessary paperwork... We're cutting it close to departure day! This may be the LAST chance to try for Visa considering it is by mail!

Since Ed is out on business... Rui or I will take over his hotel search! Unless we hear from Ed by Saturday night that he is able to accomplish it on his own.

Rui,
do you have time to do it? I'm already doing two cities... if not thats OK I take care of it.
What about the nights we're on the train, Do we need to show proof for those nights?


Same Procedure as last time.

Rui- Amsterdam
Ed- Paris
Poon- Madrid (should it be near the airport or not, Our flight is at 1pm?), and Barcelona.

-Poon

Guidebook Tips

Per my guidebook
Most Museums in Paris are Closed on Tuesday!

Most places in Florence closed on monday!

"At Florence's famous galleries — the Accademia (Michelangelo's David) and the Uffizi (the showcase for Italian Renaissance art) — it's smart to book ahead. While hundreds of tourists are sweating in the long lines, you can just show up at your reserved entry time and spend your time in the museums instead of the lines."

"Museum passes (such as the Paris Museum Pass) and combo-tickets allow you to bypass the long admission lines and walk right in."

"Arrive early (or late) at popular sights. If you show up by 8:30 in the morning at Neuschwanstein, Bavaria's famous fairy-tale castle, you'll get a ticket. Come an hour later and you'll either wait a long time or find that tickets are sold out — or worse, both."
- http://www.ricksteves.com/plan/tips/museum.htm

Free Audio Tours for France
http://www.ricksteves.com/news/travelnews/0602/audiotour.htm


-Poon

Suggestions from my Co-Worker

So one of my co-workers is from France (born and raised, and visits every year).

He said in Florence, the one thing we could not miss "The Fortress" and to be there at sunset.

In Venice he said don't miss "Moreno" a glass making island.

Hotels/Hostels in Italy

Hotels/Hostels in Italy ROME
Resulted from Second Emergency meeting held at 8pm Thursday January, 17th (Delayed one hour from original 7pm)

We only considered places with triple private rooms (shared bathroom not a concern).

SEE COMMENTS AREA FOR POON and ED's LISTS OF CANDIDATES

Papa Germano - HOSTEL- First Choice from Poon's List
Via Calatafimi 14/a00185 Rome
Rome

p. +3906486919
f. +390647825202
info@hotelpapagermano.com

-Near Termini Rome main station
Booked 3 Bed Private Room (Shared Bathroom)

Price April 3rd 33 EURO per person
Price April 4th 35 EURO per person





FLORENCE
Hotel Sampaoli - HOSTEL- 2nd Choice from Ed's List (Ed's First Choice no availability for April 5th)
Via San Gallo 14 Florence

p. 39 055 284834
f. 39 055 282448
e. hotelinflorence@gmail.com

-Near Florence Main Train Station

Booked 3 Bedroom, Private Room (Shared Bathroom)
Price April 5th, 33 EURO per person
Price April 6th, 35 EURO per person





VENICE
Alloggi Agli Artisti -HOTEL- 2nd Choice from Rui's List (First Choice had no triples)
CALLE PRIULI CAVALLETTI 99
Venice

-Near Venice Main Train Station

1-888-872-8356 (for questions about this reservation)
39041716270 (for other questions about the property)

Booked Basic (with shared facilities) triple. Breakfast included
Price April 7th, $176.09 for entire room







-Poon

Emergency Meeting Minutes

Here is the official Itinerary (Click to Zoom In)... Not shown above is our arrival to Frankfurt on the 29th of March and departure for Germany from LAX on the 28th.

******Itinerary UPDATE Feb 19th, No trains run from Milan to Barcelona on April 8t. Itinerary modified to spend April 8th day in Milan, then fly to Barcelona that night. So arrival in Barcelona at night of April 8th. This update is not reflected on the calendar above!**************


Next meeting Thursday 7pm.

*For future planning look at arrival times and departure times as trains that depart later may arrive earlier.

Itinerary

Research hotels/hostels for the following nights, within Italy:
Each person is to present top 3 hotels/hostels on Thursday at 7pm.
Since Rome is several days possibility of selecting multiple lodgings (one near train station night before departure, others near tourist attractions).

When booking hostels check for curfews.

Poon- Rome April 3rd , and April 4th night
Ed- Florence April 5th and 6th night
Rui-Venice April 7th night

April 2nd and 8th are overnight on train.

Possible trains
Depart Frankfurt to Amsterdam 7:29am or 11:29am
Amsterdam to Paris 6:56 am
Venice to milan 13:51
Milan to Barcelona 19:10
-Poon

The pic for the schedule

This is the image I took. In case you guys can not read the words: it is "B: 135(daily 19.VI--2.1X)"

Emergecy Meeting Agenda

Emergency Meeting Agenda via Skype

Due to misunderstanding of legal interpretation of "main destination", Rui now has to apply for visa in Italy.

Following decisions must be made ASAP
- How many days in each city? (whole trip)
- Booking of Hotels and hostels for all time spent in Italy (specific dates)

Rui,
When are you coming down to apply for visa? (I'm assuming a friday or monday?) We should hang out!

On the note of visa photos... what did you mean "cut down" size?
I worry because I had passport photos previously rejected because of proportion (not size)
-Poon

Ok I can edit now. Meeting time, Tuesday 1/15/07 7pm PST. -Ed

Europe Trip December 1st Meeting

Europe Trip Meeting December 1st Minutes

Next meeting in January
Please see comments area for skype chat transcripts and transcript from conversation with Gerald.


**Selection of EuroPass and first night in Frankfurt are critical for Rui's Visa (since his Visa was initially rejected( for lack of documentation))**** Resolved in Meeting

1) Any necessary Documentation (status of pending documentation)
None except those noted already (Hotel Reservations and Eurorail pass)

2) Cities/Countries/attractions to Visit, Alternate cities as well (in case of problems)

*****FINAL LIST
Frankfurt
Amsterdam
Paris
Rome
Florence
Venice
Barcelona
Madrid

Action: Ed, Rui, Poon to research specific attractions ***Complete****

3) EuroPass (which one?) (What is the earliest they can be purchased?)

Youth 2nd Class, 5 Countries Select, 8 days
Total Cost $471. (Rui already purchase)

Action: Poon and Ed to purchase rail passes ****Complete****

Gerald Suggested make sure which train station it departs from since paris has for 3 for example.

4) Intra europe flights (if any?)

None

5) Hotels (specifically at least one night in Frankfurt/Germany) (plan as many as possible?)
Rui booked City-Hotel-West in Frankfurt Germany, Cost: 105 for one night for one room with three beds.

March 29th

http://www.hostelworld.com/hosteldetails.php/CityHotelWest-Frankfurt-17077



Action: Ed, Rui and Poon to research rest of nights hostels. ****Complete****

6) Transportation to/from LAX
Per Ed at worst we can take shuttle from his work. Most likely sister can take us.

Action: Ed to find out for sure whether sister will drive ****Complete****

7) Necessary travel gear (ie laptop, usb bridge)
-Rui will bring laptop
-Poon to bring two usb to mini cable
-hostel sheets
-compression bags
-money belt- rui already has one
-toiletry kit
-Toilet paper
-Photocopy of documents
-Earplugs (Poon and Ed)
-Soap
-Towels
-Flash light
- Pillow/ Pillow Case
More at
http://www.ricksteves.com/plan/tips/packlist.htm


Action: Ed, Rui and Poon to continue to think about what to bring and buy. ****Complete****

8) Necessary medicine
First aid kit
-Aspirin
-Pepto bismul
-Immodium AD
-Pepcid AC
-Dramamine
-Jet Lag pills
-Allergy Medicine(Poon)
-Chewing Gum
-Cold Medicine
-Inhaler (ED)
-bandaids

Recommend Flu Shots (Flu season in Europe)
Action: Rui and Ed to get flu shots (Too Late Now- Update March 26)

9) Maps for each city we go.

Rui has maps of Paris, Rome, Athens, and Napoli, but we’re only going to paris and rome.

Decent map included with rail pass purchase

Ed and Poon have gps maps.
To discuss at next meeting....

10) Communication Methods
Action: Ed and Poon will bring walkie talkies after Christmas. ****Complete****

Ed has the RAZR Unlocked and can borrow prepaid simcard/buy.
Action: Poon to get pda phone unlocked. ****Complete****

11) Voltage Converters
Poon has one plug adapter

Action: Ed please check to see if voltage converters necessary for his stuff. ****Complete****


12) Clothes
(It will be cold in Germany and other part of Europe) - Rui
40 degree weather in Germany
50 degree in Italy
Pack in compression bags
To discuss in next meeting…


13) Credit Cards/ATM cards/how to get money/buy things in europe
Poon suggested Capital One since they eat Visa/Mastercard fee and don’t charge any fees for purchasing worldwide.

Washington mutual new account has no fee for withdrawing worldwide, but the bank you withdraw from may.
Ed’s bank has parnership with Europe local branches so he may withdraw from there later.

Action: Ed and Rui to get appropriate credit cards ****Complete****
(Remember to call Credit Card/Bank to notify of travel)-Poon

14) Transportation between cities and within (plan as much as possible)

Specific routes wait till we receive rail pass maps.
Action: Poon, Ed, and Rui to Research ****Complete****
Discuss next meeting….

15) Student Travel Cards, Hostel Memberships
(necessary?)
Discuss next meeting...

16) Learning Foreign Language

(Update March 28th.... we were all too lazy to learn a language)
Action: Each person to learn language for their assigned country
Rui-German
Poon- Italian
Ed-French



-Poon

Items we need

For Our trip to Europe.
Please add in the comments section all items suggested to bring.

I will consolidate this into a final list in a later post.

some possible items-
http://www.ricksteves.com/plan/tips/packlist.htm

-Poon

Flight Info

For completeness I'm adding our Flight info.

Flying Via US Airways. Theres a huge gap in between connecting flights since the other flights had less than an hour in between. So it was either a huge gap in between or very little.

Tickets were $905 for each person. We are flying "Open Jaw" into one city and out another city that the same Airline flies out/into. It cost less to just fly round trip to Frankfurt. "Open Jaw" flights must be booked from US Airways site. Select the multiple Cities option and just enter two different cities.

Strangely "Open Jaw" is not the same as buying two one way tickets... Buying two one way tickets would of cost us about 50% more.

For Round Trip/one way flights I found that Farechase on Yahoo worked best.

***Update Feb 14 Ticket prices are even cheaper now about $800 for our Open Jaw itinerary... too bad we can't change now, Also Updated the Flight Times Below***

Flying into Europe from LAX to Frankfurt Germany
Leaving Europe from Madrid Spain to LAX.

Flying into Europe March 28th, arrive next day:

9:05 AM 28 Mar 2008 Depart Los Angeles, CA
4:33 PM 28 Mar 2008 Arrive Charlotte, NC
Airbus A321 Travel Time: 4 h 28 m
On-Time: 90-100%

9:00 PM 28 Mar 2008 Depart Charlotte, NC
10:35 AM 29 Mar 2008 Arrive Frankfurt, Germany
Airbus A333 Time: 8 h 35 m

Leaving Europe on April 12th:

1:05 PM 12 Apr 2008 Depart Madrid, Spain
3:45 PM 12 Apr 2008 Arrive Philadelphia, PA
Boeing 767 Travel Time: 8 h 40m

6:15 PM 12 Apr 2008 Depart Philadelphia, PA
9:20 PM 12 Apr 2008 Arrive Los Angeles, CA
Airbus A321 Travel Time: 6 h 5 m
On-Time: 40-50%

-Poon

Meeting Agenda for Dec 1, Meeting

This is the agenda for our First Euorpe Meeting. Rui will be teleconferencing in via skype.
The meeting minutes will be posted following the meeting.

Selection of EuroPass and first night in Frankfurt are critical for Rui's Visa (since his Visa was initially rejected( for lack of documentation))

1) Any necessary Documentation (status of pending documentation)

2) Cities/Countries/attractions to Visit, Alternate cities as well (in case of problems)

3) EuroPass (which one?) (What is the earliest they can be purchased?)

4) Intra europe flights (if any?)

5) Hotels (specifically at least one night in Frankfurt/Germany) (plan as many as possible?)

6) Transportation to/from LAX

7) Necessary travel gear (ie laptop, usb bridge)

8) Necessary medicine
(I heard going to see doctor is kind of difficult in Europe, and you need prescription to buy Medicine) - Rui

Recommend Flu Shots (Flu season in Europe) -Poon

9) Maps for each city we go.
(This suggestion is from my landlord, she suggest to buy a detail map for each city and it will save us a lot of time to travel inside of the city) - Rui

(You'll get a decent Europe rail map with your rail pass purchase.)- about.com europe article

(Do we need to buy? Ed and I have GPS. Should we buy in US or Europe?)-Poon

10) Communication Methods
(I hope we never get lost with each other, but if we do, we need a way communicate to regroup)- Rui

(If we lose Rui we will probably never see him again... No big loss though!)-Poon

11) Voltage Converters
(Most of Europe countries will use 220V except Spain 110V, so prepare voltage converter for your electronic) -Rui

(Voltage Converters or Just plug adapters, Please check the electronics you intend to bring ahead of time?)-Poon


12) Clothes
(It will be cold in Germany and other part of Europe) - Rui

13) Credit Cards/ATM cards/how to get money/buy things in europe
(Remember to call Credit Card/Bank to notify of travel)-Poon

14) Transportation between cities and within (plan as much as possible)

15) Student Travel Cards
(necessary?)

16) Learning Foreign Lanugauge
Rui-German, Poon- Italian, Ed-French? Good Idea?
-Poon

First Trip Map Draft

(Sample Map View for the trip)

K, this is about 3 am at morning and I just finished the trip planning through yahoo travel. This is a draft, which means anything could be changed, however, I do want to mention that I put a lot of time on researching different cities and places. The things I list there is based on multiple travel sites suggestions, so it is trust worth. The schedule I put for each city is totally subjective, but we can discuss that later on. The travel method between each city is still left out, but we can discuss this later on as well. I can add you two if you have yahoo ID, then you will be able to edit the trip as your will. (Sorry it has to be yahoo ID)

Here is the URL that you can view the trip:
http://travel.yahoo.com/trip-view-1396789-europe_trip;_ylt=AmWxDAfj47vwJEjEXOuBiTWbItAF

-Rui

It was decided that this schedule is unrealistic
-Poon

Europe Trip March 28-April 12

This blog will be used to document in detail our Europe Planning and Trip!

Hints, Suggestions, and our Mistakes will be carefully recorded so others can learn.

How did this trip come to be?
Following graduation from Cal Poly not one of us had the time to take a final graduation trip. Unlike our friends who took off to Europe immediately following graduation (for a month living very cheaply)... each one of us had jobs lined up. So even though Ed and Rui will have been out of school for almost 2 years and Tom for almost 1 year this is in a way our final college graduation trip!

A little bit about us...

How do we know each other?
From the short biographies below it is obvious that we all met in college at Cal Poly(Rui and Ed met in the Summer of 2002, Tom met both in Fall of 2002). We all lived in the dorms together (Tower 5, Sierra Madre, Third Floor). Rui lived next door to Tom and Ed lived across the hall. Tom and Rui ended up roommates at Kris Kar apartments and Grand Terrace apartments for two years while attending Cal Poly. All three of us are Engineers.

Rui (Pronounced Ray ) was Born In China. He lived in China until the end of his Sophmore year in High School.
From there he moved to Santa Maria, CA (Central Coast), where he attended his junior and senior year of high school. In the Summer of 2002, he went to California Polytechnic State University (Cal Poly) in San Luis Obispo. Graduated in 2006 (B.S. Computer Science) and currently works as a Quality Software Engineer at Sonic Solutions (Not the Fast Food Joint) in San Luis Obispo, where he lives .

Ed is born/raised in Modesto, California (North California), Following high school attended California Polytechnic State University (Cal Poly) in San Luis Obispo in the Summer of 2002. He graduated in 2006 with B.S. Electrical Engineering and currently works as an Engineer (Rotational Program) at Raytheon in El Segundo, California. He resides in Redondo Beach and is concurrently earning his Master's in Systems Engineering at USC.

Tom (Will be referred to as Poon) was born in Long Island, New York. He moved to Camarillo, CA (Near Ventura) at age one. He then moved to Pleasanton, Ca (Bay Area) at the end of middle school. Upon completion of high school in Pleasanton, attended California Polytechnic State University (Cal Poly) in San Luis Obispo, CA. He graduated in Spring 2007 with B.S. Electrical Engineering and currently works as a Regulatory Affairs Electronics Engineer at Alcon Laboratories in Irvine, CA, where he resides.


Our Limited International Traveling Experience:
This is the first time any of us will have visited Europe.

Rui: China
Ed: None
Poon: Mexico, Canada, Hong Kong/China

Very Limited Foreign Language Experience

Rui: Mandarin
Ed: Limited Spanish
Poon: Limited Cantonese, Limited Spanish

The Flaking Fourth Member

Our very early planning included Van. Ed has known Van most of his life, while Rui and Tom met him freshman year in college. Unfortunately Van's work/financial schedule would not allow him to attend this trip... however he has assured us that he will attend the next great adventure!


-Poon