I’m swearing off single use plastic Diet Coke.
Drinking sparkling water from a machine instead.
Like Greta on Facebook.
Disclaimer – my boycott ends next international flight
Category: travel
too much SMOKING in Europe
One thing North America has done right is to reduce smoking.
I hate visiting Europe for this one reason.
According to the World Health Organization, 21.9 percent of Americans smoked tobacco in 2018. In comparison, the average smoking rate for Europe was 28.7 percent.
When you look at the approximate number of cigarettes smoked per person per year, the picture is even more striking. Out of the 20 countries that smoke the most cigarettes, 15 of them are entirely or partially in Europe. The United States is 68th on the list. …
From U.S. surgeon general warnings to campaigns by groups like the American Cancer Society, the messaging has been clear since the 1960s: smoking cigarettes is bad for you. And it’s worked. About 96 percent of Americans believe smoking cigarettes is at least somewhat harmful to your health. …
Obviously the EU has to educate, educate, educate … and legislate.
Here’s my nearest grocery store in Stuttgart. Nothing but nicotine products while waiting in line to check out.
drink beer all day then try this ride
I’m tenting right next door to second largest beer celebration in the world after the Munich Oktoberfest.
It’s called the Cannstatter Volksfest or Stuttgart Beer Festival.
Over 4 million visitors a year.
Everyone but me drinks big steins of beer then tries not to get sick on rides like this.
Instead I sipped some cheap wine. Ate pretzels and soft cheese for dinner at my tent. I was celebrating.
Bermuda Aquarium, Museum & Zoo
Quite good. And quite large for such a small island.
But quite a few of the displays were under construction while I was there.
Click PLAY or watch it on YouTube.
LONG flights with stopovers
Increasingly — in recent years — I’ve been looking for the cheapest long distance flights … with stopovers.
For example, my 6 hour break in Lisbon made the LONG Bermuda to Stuttgart flights much more enjoyable.
My first HURRICANE – Umberto
No problem for me.
But schools and Gymnastics clubs in Bermuda were closed for at least 2 days.
The Category 3 storm’s 120 mph winds left 80% of the island — more than 27,000 people — without power …
Our power went out for about 14 hours. During peak winds in our home bunker, we played Mexican Train dominos.
Next morning we surveyed the damage. Some gas leaks, nine medical incidents and three structural fires. One roof blew off.
Bermuda rarely sees storms as big and powerful as Humberto. Only 21 hurricanes have passed within 100 miles of the Atlantic Ocean paradise over the past century …
Click PLAY or watch it on YouTube.
The rail trail where I run is impassible due to fallen trees.
Portable SSD drives
Love ’em. 🙂
Currently I’m traveling with the Lexar® Professional SL100 Pro Portable SSD.
Don’t buy the Samsung version. One of mine was bricked, incompatible with the most recent Mac OS.
- 500GB
- USB 3.1 Type-C connects directly to my 2019 MacBook Pro
- 70.5g / 0.155lbs plus cable
It’s tiny. Light. Durable. Perfect.
And I paid only CAD $100 at BestBuy in August 2019.
It replaces my Samsung T5 Portable SSD 1TB USB 3.1 at CAD $239.99 from Amazon.
A Samsung software update bricked my drive. There’s been no help getting that fixed. #SamsungSUCKS
icebreaker Mereno clothing
Over the years I haven’t had much luck with wool clothing.
Very expensive. Yet not durable. I found holes in the garments after, perhaps, 10 wash cycles.
But last year I was convinced by an icebreaker salesman to try again. Some of their new products are mostly 87% Merino wool but with some nylon to improve durability.
It works. I’ll be traveling with 3 icebreaker tops on my next trip.
They dry more slowly than synthetic. But stink less. It’s worth it.
The one below costs US$90 or more. I got my most recent shirt for less than $40. You have to shop and wait. The icebreaker sale in my local shop only happens twice a year.
Anker PowerCore Fusion 5000
When you plug your phone into this you know it’s charging at the fastest possible rate.
If you have to pull it out of the wall before your phone is finished, it’s also a 5000 mAh powerbank.
It can recharge an iPhone about 1.1 times.
With two USB ports I typically charge my AirPods and Apple Watch at the same time as I’m charging my phone.
Click PLAY or watch it on YouTube.
