A bientôt EU

[El Greco]

Actually i do not know where they have used it. But here is one similar we made about Portwine. I will post a link if I find it. I fly the drone and Iben does the other shooting.

Many thanks Henrik. I just wish I could understand the language but a great example of your work with Iben

 

[Kmann]

TIP: If you ever go to Portugal, the Duoro Walley is very picturesque – and rosé Port with tonic, ice and a slice of orange is wonderful (half-half) …

 

[Amarillo]

Looks un-real on Google Maps, the entire area is covered in poly-tunnel!!

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[andyinluton]

SClare joined us later with Meg, who found a feral cat to chase and disappeared for ages and ages in and around a particularly vicious cluster of thorn bushs and trees, under which was a well-stocked tray of cat food and fresh water. Meg simply wouldn't recall. I gave up trying



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And this is the same dog thats so well behaved that the Scandinavian laws re keeping dogs on leads are unreasonable & shouldn't apply?

 

[Jonathan Duke]

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[WelshGas]

Obviously someone was looking out for the " Feral " cat and I hope it wasn't injured.

 

[Amarillo]

And this is the same dog thats so well behaved that the Scandinavian laws re keeping dogs on leads are unreasonable & shouldn't apply?

What was so unusual was that Meg wouldn't recall. When she sees a fox, cat or squirrel her first instinct is to freeze - at that point she will sit on command. If a chase begins she will chase until the animal escapes or is cornered. If the animal is cornered she will guard it until I arrive.

On this occasion I couldn't see Meg, and she wouldn't recall. She may have had her leg trapped, hence the more serious leg injury, or possibly the animal was cornered and she was guarding for me to arrive which I couldn't.

I have to admit that I treated Norway's leash laws a little like others treat speed restrictions. I disregarded them at times.


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[Amarillo]

Obviously someone was looking out for the " Feral " cat and I hope it wasn't injured.

Almost certainly not. Meg once killed a squirrel which she caught as it fell from a tree, but her instinct is to herd and guard, not to kill.

The vet told me that the mayor is a good catholic and opposes a sterilisation program for feral cats which would cure the problem within a generation.


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[Amarillo]

Day 120 to 122 - El Ejido

This really must be the vegetable powerhouse of Europe. Seemingly every available square metre of land is covered with polytunnels. A sneak peek inside suggests peppers, tomatoes and courgettes, and guess what portion of vegetables came with our meal in the campsite's cafe tonight? Yes - roasted peppers (green and red), roasted tomatoes, roasted courgettes and roasted onion, all presumably scrumped from the local poly tunnel, and all absolutely delicious. Far better than the same vegetables you can buy in Asda.

Apart from a brief excursion to Gibraltar, this is our first time on the Mediterranean coast, a continuous coastline we will be broadly following all the way to the toe of Italy. The air seems stiller and moister than that of the Atlantic, but perhaps that, just a change in the weather. And we have certainly been spoiled with fantastic weather these last few weeks. Clear skies and daytime temperatures of low to high twenties - and late October. We know this won't last as we move into southern France then northern Italy, but we will enjoy it while we can.

Meg has made a swift recovery. She has just finished her course of antibiotics (which I now think were unnecessary as the thorn injuries were superficial) and the anti-inflammatory medicine is working a treat on her sprained or twisted wrist, She is back to herself, and day by day the limp has gone. I don't think that she limped once today, and we had a lovely walk along the coast, where Ben spotted a pirate ship.

It was easy to get the boys back from the beach - I just said "a pirate is coming", and away they came. Mean me.


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[Jabberwocky]

Just to dream of those temperatures this time of year in the UK! First frost for us on Sunday night! Ugh!!

 

[Amarillo]

Day 123 – El Ejido to Benicassim

We were packed and ready to go in record time. It certainly helps when the weather is fine. It also helps when we are organised and do everything in the right order.

It was a long drive, perhaps the longest of our four months away, and we've exchanged the poly tunnels of El Ejido for mandarine groves of Castellon.

It was a surprise to me to learn that Wednesday was a public holiday in Spain, All Saints' Day. Shops were closed, so we couldn't buy provisions for the next few days. We also need an exchange bottle of campingaz, a new peg mallet and screenwash. Amarillo currently has three warning lights: oil change due, top up screen wash and refuel pinged just as we entered the campsite.

Clare took the boys and Meg to explore the town while I pitched. Due to not being able to restock, we had limited food options - pasta and baked beans being about it. I suggested Clare look for a pizza.

I finished pitching just as the sun set, and went off to find Clare and the boys. They were just returning to the campsite as I left - great timing.

Clare had found a bar serving food until 8.30, so we grabbed the boys' sweaters, and off we went. "That's odd!" Remarked I, "At 8.30 most bars are just beginning to serve food in Spain." Sure enough, at 6.45 when we sat down at a table, we were told that food is served from 8.30, not until 8.30. After some argument, including the idea of pasta and baked beans resurfacing, we phoned a restaurant by the beach which definitely was serving food before 8.30. We went there and had a lovely meal which included an enormous portion of chips. Better than beans and pasta.

The bill came, which Clare put on her credit card, and for some obscure reason, the waitress decided to ignore the Euro bill and charge us in pounds at a very unfavourable rate. We then had to wait 20 minutes while the error was corrected and we could pay the bill properly in Euros. Why restaurants feel they can disregard their own bills and charge customers in an entirely different currency is something I find totally perplexing. But it happens with frightening regularity.


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[Amarillo]

Just to dream of those temperatures this time of year in the UK! First frost for us on Sunday night! Ugh!!

We've now left southern Spain and had some rain. Maximum daytime temperatures for the next few days are forecast to be low twenties.


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[mccp]

The bill came, which Clare put on her credit card, and for some obscure reason, the waitress decided to ignore the Euro bill and charge us in pounds at a very unfavourable rate.

Depressingly commonplace in Spain, and Decathlon in France tried this on me in the Summer. I’ve even seen this on an ATM in France that offered me less than 1 Euro to the £.

 

[Jabberwocky]

[QUOTE="........... Why restaurants feel they can disregard their own bills and charge customers in an entirely different currency is something I find totally perplexing. But it happens with frightening regularity.


Follow my blog: www.au-revoir.eu[/QUOTE]
Not just restaurants as we found out on our way back from Vandieres in September. Normally I only use a Euro credit card (Bank of Ireland) to avoid this problem but on the way back I offered the "wrong" credit card to pay for fuel and the cashier tried to charge me in pounds. Like you had to sort it out before leaving. Leaves a nasty taste in the mouth for me! We should all be on our guard!

 

[Jabberwocky]

We've now left southern Spain and had some rain. Maximum daytime temperatures for the next few days are forecast to be low twenties.


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I can cope with that!!

 

[Jay586]

www.moneysavingexpert.com/news/travel/2017/07/Asked-to-pay-in-euros-abroad-but-charged-in-pounds-You're-not-alone-in-being-ripped-off

I googled as I expected it might be to do with getting a markup & this popped up...quite an interesting read, as I assumed if you specified euros, you'd be ok but apparently not.

 

[Jabberwocky]

This is precisely why I have Euro credit card. The exchange rate is made by my bank not the suppliers and there are no surcharges.
Easiest way to get a Euro credit card? Apply for a Platinum Post Office card. https://www.postoffice.co.uk/credit-card/platinum

 

[mccp]

Apply for a Platinum Post Office card. https://www.postoffice.co.uk/credit-card/platinum

That card appears to be no different to the Halifax Clarity card that I have, no charges from Halifax on foreign currency transactions, but the card is a Sterling card.

Presumably you get a statement and pay your card off in Sterling? If so, it's not a Euro currency card and you would have the same issue as @Amarillo

 

[Jabberwocky]

That card appears to be no different to the Halifax Clarity card that I have, no charges from Halifax on foreign currency transactions, but the card is a Sterling card.

Presumably you get a statement and pay your card off in Sterling? If so, it's not a Euro currency card and you would have the same issue as @Amarillo

Statement is in Euro's with each transaction being converted to Sterling at the Banks rate on a transaction by transaction basis. Importantly, and this is the real issue, neither the supplier nor the suppliers bank can influence that rate.

 

[Kmann]

Every time I use my credit cards (Visa or Mastercard) outside DK, I am given the opportunity to pay in Danish Kroner (DKK) or in local currency.

That is a service so that I can choose the best possible rate. It is not an attempt to steal my money.

From experience, it as almost always cheaper to pay in the local currency. But the "exchange rate" is always about 1-1.5% lower than the one rate you get in the bank, if you go with cash. If I choose to pay in DKK then the seller is entitled to collect a fee for the service.

 

[mccp]

Statement is in Euro's with each transaction being converted to Sterling at the Banks rate on a transaction by transaction basis. Importantly, and this is the real issue, neither the supplier nor the suppliers bank can influence that rate.

I maintain that the card you sent the link to is a Sterling card. On my card, Euro transactions are converted by MasterCard to Sterling, I pay the card off in Sterling. You should be aware that you might be offered the 'opportunity' to pay in Pounds rather than Euros, and if you accept then you will most certainly be getting a worse exchange rate than the MasterCard rate you would get if you paid your bill in Euros.

 

[bvddobb]

This is nicely off-topic, but as a rule, with credit and bank cards, abroad we always get the opportunity to pay either in local or our home currency, even at ATM's. Also as a rule, it is nearly almost cheaper to pay in local currency, and have your home card supplier do the exchange on your card bill afterwards, than to have it exchanged by the local payment system operator to your home currency at the moment of payment. The local payment system operator can surcharge whatever they like, roughly, and they do...

 

[Jabberwocky]

I maintain that the card you sent the link to is a Sterling card. On my card, Euro transactions are converted by MasterCard to Sterling, I pay the card off in Sterling. You should be aware that you might be offered the 'opportunity' to pay in Pounds rather than Euros, and if you accept then you will most certainly be getting a worse exchange rate than the MasterCard rate you would get if you paid your bill in Euros.

I have had the PO Card for about five years now. I only ever use it outside the UK and never have I been given the "opportunity" to pay for a Euro Transaction in Pounds. Works for me .

 

[Jabberwocky]

Every time I use my credit cards (Visa or Mastercard) outside DK, I am given the opportunity to pay in Danish Kroner (DKK) or in local currency.

That is a service so that I can choose the best possible rate. It is not an attempt to steal my money.

From experience, it as almost always cheaper to pay in the local currency. But the "exchange rate" is always about 1-1.5% lower than the one rate you get in the bank, if you go with cash. If I choose to pay in DKK then the seller is entitled to collect a fee for the service.

I agree completely with your last sentence, but I do worry that if you choose to pay in your own currency you could be taken advantage of by the supplier. Not everyone is as savvy as the next person.........

 

[Jabberwocky]

Sorry Tom! I just realised I am clogging up your "Au revoir EU" blog with stuff that almost certainly should be in another thread. Ooop's!