Reflections from 40,000 ft

We are winging our way home. We just took off from Paris and are heading to Toronto via Montreal. The weather in Paris is warm bordering on hot and I understand that we are heading home in the midst of a heat wave. I am typing on my iPad. It is a great travel companion. More on that later.
We learn after each trip about what we like and more importantly what we do not like. Over the years my and Deb's taste have grown together. On this trip this was no different. We both liked London and loved Scotland and in particular Edinburgh. We were surprised by Liverpool- far nicer that we ever thought.
We also learned that is best to go straight home after a cruise. You are in a cruise with unlimited food and amenities and then you are plunked back on land having to buy everything. Add to that the fact that you are pooped we think it is best to just go straight home. Next time we only add the extra travel before the cruise.
Our favourite spots were Edinburgh, London and anywhere else in Scotland. The people were friendly, the places incredibly clean and graffiti free. The place we liked the least was Paris. The buildings, the gardens and the views are grand but quite frankly the people are not. The impression we got was that if you were on fire no one would even stop to pee on you to put it out.
We have examples of particularly rude and arrogant behaviour but best I leave the details until later as recollecting them still gets me pissed off. Our dislike for the place is reflected in our personal buying boycott. Other than items we had to consume like food and drink we did not buy one solitary item to bring back from France. Anyone who knows us would know how difficult that was....lol.
On a positive note the food is very good. Deb and I stopped at a cafe near St. Germaine and had a special of ravioli with pesto, a salad, bread and a carafe of red wine. It was excellent. Mind you nothing is cheap in Paris. On the first day we were walking and stopped at a cafe and ordered two beers, and four waters: 29 euros or close to $40. After that I always checked the menu before ordering.

A couple of other things. If you fly Air Transat and you are more than five foot ten, then spend the money and get the bulkhead seats otherwise you will go nuts in the cramped seating. I thought economy on Air Canada was cramped: Air Transat takes it to a new level. The Airbus 300 is not quite as bad as the Airbus 330 we flew to London on. The other thing make sure you watch the weight of your luggage. For some reason you are only allowed 40 pounds to go to the UK but to and from France it is 50 lbs. However, if you are over the premium rate is dear. For every kilo over the 50 lbs. you pay 13 euros and trust me they add up pretty darn fast, I know only too well.
Now for the iPad. It came through with flying colours. When in England I subscribed for a month with O2 a cellular company for 3G service. For £15 I got 3 gig for 30 days. I did not come close to using the available limit. The 3G service was available throughout the UK and accessible when the cruise ship was within a few miles of the coast. The carrier gave me the sim card so all I paid was the £15. Quite a bargain if you ask me. This allowed me to have full Internet etc while traveling anywhere in the UK.
France was another story. I signed up for a wifi service which for some reason only reliably connected with my iPod touch and there never seemed to be enough wifi spots in the city. I imagine one could sign up with a French cellular company but my limited comprehension of french and the fact that we were only there for three days gave me no incentive to seriously pursue this option.
Cordiali saluti - Sent from my iPad.