Airport Security

Unless you have never been to airport, you probably have seen a sign like the one above. If you are a regular traveller you don't really think much of it anymore, you just know that if you want a drink you will by it after security and it's for every ones safety/ security that some things are not allowed to be carried on a plane.



The amount of products in 'travel size' (i.e. under 100ml) is amazing and the profit margin must be through the roof as they dont cost much less than the full size versions. I don't have problem with the 100ml rule if it makes air travel safer as you need larger volumes of liquid to make a bomb or whatever was the plan with the liquids/ gels over 100ml.



But what really started the whole need for this rant is some of the other things they sell past security in airports - like razor blades! Correct me if I am wrong, but a razor blade is a razor blade whether its before or after security (I highly doubt it was dulled down for security reasons).

Where did everything go wrong?

Europe Trip '08

I know I technically live in the EU, but Jess and I just got back from our trip to the 'continent' as the Brits say. All said and done we had a great time visiting Spain, Germany, Austria, and the Czech Republic. You can read all about our time and places visited on Jess's blog and see all the pictures we have posted on smugmug, but I just wanted give you a few of my thoughts while I look back over the trip.



First off, when traveling around Europe in the summer, air conditioning is a non-negotiable for wherever you are staying (hotel, hostel, car....). Jess and I stayed in 2 'budget' hotels (excluding the car) when we were traveling. Both had pro's and con's as you would expect, but the lack of air conditioning was the worst part. When its hot outside, but hotter in your hotel room try getting a good night sleep - its not going to happen! I say this as a person who does not have air conditioning at home (in Scotland) , but if its hot inside I open the windows and the problem is solved. All of the old building around Europe are great, but central AC would make them amazing. Next time I stay at a budget hotel I am going to make sure it has AC, even if its just a small window unit.




Secondly, continuing on the topic of accommodation, there is no need to always stay in a hotel or hostel - try renting/ sleeping in a car! I don't know exactly how Jess and I came up with this idea, maybe the idea of an adventure and saving money, but it achieved both! Driving around Germany trying to figure out where we were going to sleep that night was hilarious. Even though we stayed at camp sites (more like mobile home parks than big sur), we could have just as easily stayed at a rest stop along the autobahn as most are super clean, open 24 hours a day with showers, Internet, food, etc. I actually would recommend the rest stops over the camp sites because it doesn't matter when you come and go and they have everything you could want - I guess this is something to look forward to next time we are there.



Third and final point for today, pack light (and in a backpack)! The main to reasons I can think of for this is related to money and general ease of getting around. In regards to money, airlines are getting more strict on weight, especially the budget carriers in Europe - some of which even weigh your hand baggage (if the total weight of your checked and carry-on luggage is over then expect a massive charge). Even though a backpack may not sound appealing, it really makes things easy as you don't have to worry about many things you encounter travelling in Europe like flights of stairs or crowds of people which can be difficult with a suitcase.

All said and done, I can't wait until our next trip whether that's around Scotland, back to Europe, or somewhere new!

Highland Adventure

I am sure many of you were wondering why I hadn't posted anything in a while... well I was on a 6 month sabbatical from blogging. Those first three months were tough, so I needed some time off to ponder everything that is life in Scotland. Now that we are heading out of winter, the sun is up for more than 5 hours a day and it hasn't been raining everyday. Jess and I pretty much just hang out in Edinburgh, but we decided we needed to explore Scotland more. Before yesterday, the only places I had really been in Scotland (outside of Edinburgh) were Glasgow, lived there for 2 weeks, and Aberdeen, which I have taken a few trip to due to work. All travel between these cities has been via rail.

Yesterday (4 Apr 08), Jess and I went on a day trip to the highlands with one of the local tour bus companies (Rabbie's Loch Ness, Glencoe, and the Highlands tour). Although there were some slow points, which is expected when driving 350 miles in one day, it was great fun. All the pictures have been posted on smugmug, but I thought I would share my experience with 'Hamish the highland cow'














I was enjoying an apple near Hamish and he started to get very excited and kept reaching his head out toward me. Then Jess remembered hearing someone say he liked apples, so I thought I would share mine (Jess was going to but she was scared she might lose her hand - I think she just didn't want to share her apple!).




Hamish happily took the apple slice, but left me a little something as well (see hand below, which is also proof that I didn't lose it in Hamish's mouth);



After this we saw other people feeding him apples, but they just gave him the whole apple, which I am sure he appreciated more, but they weren't left with the parting gift that I was!

Christmas in October!

After almost 3 months our stuff we shipped from Pasadena has finally arrived! I have to say that I was a little worried given what the stuff was picked up in (see pics below), for all I know that van could have been heading straight to Mexico with our stuff, but then again everything was insured so I didn't really care!

It is funny to think about branding, 'Beverly Hills Transfer and Storage' was the local agent that boxed and shipped our stuff out of Los Angeles and all I have to say is that if anyone in Beverly Hills saw that van pull up at their mansion they would not have let them in the gate. If anything didnt survive the trip, don't worry, you'll be the first to know.

Hot or Cold

This is the sink in our bathroom in our flat. It looks like a normal facet, even by American standards, but looks can be very deceiving. Here in the UK, plumbing standards as a whole are not quite what we have come to enjoy in the states (this might be because the cities and water systems are so old). For example, showers have an electronic pumping system to maintain water flow (are the systems not already pressurized in the delivery?) and sinks normally have hot and cold water in completely different facets (no mixing like in the states). I think the reason for the separate hot and cold is because it was normal UK culture to just plug a sink and use the water that has/ is accumulating in the basin (like a bath tub). This procedure is fine if you want to soak dishes or hand wash clothing, but wastes water and takes too much time for simple hand washing so most people do not do this anymore. So my question is this, if culture has changed and plumbing fixtures have been updated (to American standards), why does my modern (~5 years old) sink not mix hot and cold water!

Carbon Neutral

One of the biggest things that you begin to notice when living in the UK, is that they actually care about the environment and making a difference. There are some good projects/ initiatives in the US, but it is not as pervasive to all aspects of life.

For example, some grocery stores charge for plastic bags and since most people walk to and from stores, even if they don’t charge, it’s common for people to bring their own bags with them to the stores (Jess and I always bring an large Ikea shopping bag and try to reuse a few normal plastic bags).

Also, most people either walk or take the bus to get around. This is encouraged since gas, parking, and in general operating a car is not only more expensive here. You would expect gas and parking to carry natural taxes to improve road conditions, etc but they also impose taxes on individual cars based on the emissions. It’s hard to explain, but basically you are taxed higher if you have a higher polluting car (I think only electric cars, like smart cards, could be tax free in this regard).

Lastly, as I work for a big corporation, the first thing I noticed was that my work just became 'carbon neutral,' which is a big deal. One way or another it takes a lot of time, effort, and money to do so. Basically the concept is that your net impact on the environment is zero. Obviously just by conducting business you have an impact on fossil fuels, trees, etc. so they start by using 100% recycled paper, encouraging people to travel on trains (vs. flying as flights impact on the environment by approximately 0.2 tonnes of CO2 per 1,000 miles). Then at the end of the day, they have to buy offsets (normally through environmental projects, such as planting trees) to become carbon neutral.

Food for thought.

A/V Connections

In connection with getting the TV up and going, I was checking out the connections. We have a standard TV in our flat, a dvd player, and a Sky digital satellite box. All these devices are hooked up through SCART cables (see picture). Its a huge old school looking cable (picture the old printer connections that were used before USB became the standard) that has been around since the 70's and is the standard in Europe. They have upgraded it over the years to get better picture and sound quality out of it, but I think its days are numbered. Currently, it video quality is the same as analog RGB cables or S-video, but it is destroyed by new technology such as component video or HD technology.

I can see why it has been around so long, because it does make A/V connections very simple as it is bi-directional, but it's time for this beast to retire.