Misc. Things to Keep in Mind

I keep forgetting to post about this...chalk it up to my preoccupation with our move.

I'm sure most of you here in Germany know about the Happy Weekend tickets offered on the Deutsche Bahn. If you don't, I'll just briefly summarize: a Happy Weekend ticket allows 5 people to travel for one low price (I think about 32 euros) all over one German state between Friday and Sunday. So since we live in North Rhine-Westphalia, you can get a ticket at the GK train station that is good anywhere in North Rhine-Westphalia for the weekend. If you're vacationing at Garmisch, you can get a Happy Weekend ticket for Bavaria, so you can take the train to some of the other wonderful places there. (I can't say for sure, however, if it works for unlimited travel throughout the weekend, so you better ask a DB agent when you purchase your ticket.)

The Netherlands rail also has a similar plan. Three people can travel FIRST CLASS on the weekend to anywhere in the Netherlands for 35 euros. Lance and I didn't know about this until we took the train from Sittard to Amsterdam Schiphol on a Saturday. Normally, tickets between Sittard and Amsterdam Schiphol are about 25 euros each way on a weekday.

So...there's some information, if you didn't already know this.

Also, if you are flying into the United Kingdom, you should be aware that you are now only allowed ONE carry-on...you cannot take a purse and a carry-on. You cannot take a briefcase and a laptop bag. EVERY ITEM YOU HAVE ON YOUR PERSON NEEDS TO FIT IN ONE BAG ONLY. I don't recall ever coming across this policy on all my previous and many trips to England, but we were made aware of it when we had a layover at Gatwick on the way back from Seattle. Luckily, I could squeeze my purse into my carry-on bag. So please be aware of that, and plan accordingly when you travel through the UK.

Now, if you'll excuse me, Tiffany, of Living in GK fame, is coming to pick me up shortly so we can try out a new coffee shop in Gangelt. I'm sure she'll be posting about this shortly afterwards.

ETA: Well, the new coffee shop in Gangelt is apparently closed on Mondays (although it's open every other day of the week until 10 pm). So we went with the old standby in GK - Cafe Schluypen. Good macchiatos and tasty cheese brotchen (as well as beautiful handmade chocolates, pastries and marzipan). What more could you want?