One of the worlds truly great subway systems is the Singapore MRT and it is a solid innovator. Many of their systems are recognized and implemented worldwide. If you are lucky enough to get to Singapore for a visit you must use the MRT to get around the city. From the time you arrive at the airport you can take advantage of this remarkable transportation system.
The Marina Towers and the Omni at night.
First thing you need to know is one of the official languages of Singapore is English and virtually all signage here is in English. So not understanding the language is not an excuse. Second, the MRT is spotless as is all of Singapore. Saying a place is so clean you can eat off the floor is a common expression but it might actually be true in the MRT.
MRT Station
Click the map to download a printable pdf copy
The Singapore Tourist Pass is a special ez-link card that offers tourists unlimited travel on Singapore’s basic bus services, MRT and LRT trains for the duration of the days purchased. You can now take in the sights and sounds of Singapore in the comfort of the island’s extensive MRT system and public bus network. If you are going to be in Singapore for a day or three you need a Singapore Tourist Pass. You can purchase the Singapore Tourist Pass at “Changi Recommends” counters at all Changi Airport terminals, SMRT Passenger Service Counters, and TransitLink Ticket Offices at Changi Airport or HarbourFront and all 7-Eleven stores. Be sure and have your passport.
The pass also requires a $10 rental deposit that is refunded when you turn in the card. You can collect your deposit at the airport before flying out.
Gardens By The Bay
If you don’t have a chance to get your ez-Link card the system offers an all-day ticket from the vending outlets in the stations. They are easy to understand and accept major credit cards. Since we were in Singapore three different times in some cases we found it cheaper to purchase one-way or roundtrip fares to specific destinations but in any case the fare on the MRT is a truly great deal.
With the MRT, even if you haven’t planned where you are going it isn’t hard to figure out. The popular destinations are clearly named on the route map like Botanic Garden, Chinatown, Little India, Marina Bay, Bayfront, Promenade, HarbourFront and Downtown.
Chinatown
A final thought about the MRT and Singapore in general; the people are great. They are always trying to be helpful and friendly. While riding on the MRT young people kept insisting we take their seats (and I didn’t think I looked THAT old). Even the train kept telling us to “mind the gap and have a happy happy”…
Did you know you can buy a Skagen watch in Skagen, Denmark? Very fashionable and admired Skagen watches are sold the world over. Generally they are stylish, thin and not outrageously expensive. So if you find yourself visiting Denmark, maybe a stop at Skagen, Denmark would seem a natural thing to do. Skagen (pronounced as if the g wasn’t there), Denmark is a smallish port located on the Jutland peninsula and Denmark’s northernmost town. Besides having a watch company named after it, Skagen is also noted for its scenery. On the northeastern outskirts, Grenen Beach is at the convergence of the Skagerrak and Kattegat seas.
Watches in the Skagen Store
Walking through town keep your eye out for THE Skagen watch shop. We visited on a cruise and maybe the shop wasn’t accustomed to the number of people a cruise ship can deliver to their door, or at least that is how they acted. First you had to select a watch and get the help of a sales clerk to answer questions and write up your order. Not efficient, but so far so good.
Next you had to wait in line to pay at the counter and that is where things really broke down. Two or three hundred customers times ten to fifteen minutes divided by the two cashiers meant you are going to spend the day here.
Town Square
At the time of the visit we really didn’t know much about the watches other than we liked them. We should have done our research. The watches are made in China and use a Japanese Miyota quartz movement. They have never been made in Skagen. The company was founded in 1989, the company has always been based in the United States. Started by Henrik and Charlotte Jorst, who moved from Denmark to the US in 1986. According to Wikipedia , the company, Skagen Designs Ltd. was named for Skagen, Denmark , with the stated corporate aim to present honest, simple, purposeful designs and thus share Danish ideals globally. After locating the Danish-owned clock and watch manufacturer, Comtech Watches, a supplier that could manufacture watches at a lower price through its Hong Kong factory, the Jorsts began designing their own watches.
Welcome to Skagen
Today Skagen is a subsidiary of Fossil, which agreed to buy Skagen Designs and its international affiliates for about $236.9 million in cash and stock in 2012. While you can claim that we bought your Skagen watch in Skagen you may discover that you paid manufacturers list price. The truth is you could save considerable time and money buying the same watch at a duty free shop or a discount store anywhere, even in Skagen.
Before leaving Skagen do some shopping. Look for Glaspusterblaeser, a great glass blowing shop in an old post office building located at Sct. Laurentii Vej 13. They offer number of hand blown Christmas ornaments that make great gifts along with some interesting glassware.
It’s been forty years since I earned my first airline “mile”. These industry programs became almost universal over a few years and were pretty simple to understand. Fly a mile and earn a mile and after accumulating a specific number of miles get a free ticket. There were a number of subtle variations like if you didn’t earn any miles over two years your mileage would be forfeit. Some allowed you to use small amounts to upgrade to first class on a paid ticket and many started programs with affiliated airlines.
Some added shopping and restaurant programs to encourage you to accumulate more miles and most started awarding bonus miles for getting and using their branded credit cards. Years ago business travelers like me benefitted the most because we were logging constant miles and while our employers paid for the tickets we got to use the free ticket awards.
Well things always change. Our first realization came about six years ago when a roundtrip flight to Australia only earned 5,000 miles instead of the 20,000 that we flew. It seemed we had bought a discount ticket and the seat code had a Z in it (American Airlines).
Isn’t it surprising how one company makes a change and all the rest follow. Between one and two years ago miles stopped being miles traveled but became a calculation based on the price of the ticket (that partial award based on the seat code also can still apply, please refer to the fine print).
Today we find it very difficult to calculate the actual miles we will be awarded with the award being fare based with additional reductions at times based on the ticket class or the writing agency.
Because most of these frequent flyer programs have evolved into complex constructs bringing together a number of businesses, the airlines have to be very specific regarding the rules of their award programs. Now the fine print covering the earning of miles looks more like an insurance policy than a marketing promotion.
Still if we are going to fly and regardless if you’re a frequent flier or even a not-so-frequent flier, not signing up for airline award programs is like leaving money on the tray table.
To provide information on some of these programs the following descriptions have been copied from the program web sites of each airline:
Delta
For Delta-marketed (flight numbers that include the “DL” airline code) or Delta-ticketed (featuring a ticket number beginning with “006”) flights, SkyMiles Members will earn miles based on ticket price, at the rate of 5 miles per U.S. Dollar (USD) spent, including base fare and carrier-imposed surcharges, but excluding government-imposed taxes and fees.
Earn miles in the air with 20+ partner airlines including Virgin Atlantic, Air France, KLM and Aeromexico. Earn miles on the ground with hotel, accommodation, car, ride sharing, shopping and dining partners.
With the Delta SkyMiles Credit Card from American Express, you earn miles on every eligible purchase on the Card.
United
MileagePlus is much more than a frequent flyer program — you can earn miles with your daily activities and use them on trips, experiences, dining and more. Even better? Now those miles you earned will never expire. Download United MileagePlus X our new app that allows you to earn miles on the go. After you log in with your MileagePlus account. Your account information, including any payment cards stored in your profile, will sync up and be ready to go for purchases to get you on your way to earning more award miles.
United MileagePlus members will earn MileagePlus award miles based on the fare at 5 miles per dollar value. Flights operated by United and United Express, and Flights operated by a Star AllianceTM or MileagePlus partner airline for tickets issued by United (ticket number starting with “016”)
Tickets containing Basic Economy (N) fares are eligible to receive award miles based on fare at 5 miles per fare dollar and MileagePlus status, but will not receive any Premier qualifying credit.
American
As a member of the AAdvantage® program, you’ll earn miles when you fly on American, oneworld® and other participating airlines, as well as our partners. There are over 1,000 ways to earn miles with our partners – from car rentals and hotel stays, to dining out and using credit cards. Then, you can use your miles for:
Flights to nearly 1,000 destinations worldwide
Upgrades
Vacations, car rentals and hotels
Other retail products
American Award miles are awarded based on ticket price (includes base fare plus carrier-imposed fees, but excludes government-imposed taxes and fees). The more you spend, and the higher your elite status level, the more you earn.
AAdvantage® member – 5 miles/U.S. dollar
Gold member – 7 miles/U.S. dollar (40% bonus)
Platinum member – 8 miles/U.S. dollar (60% bonus)
Platinum Pro member – 9 miles/U.S. dollar (80% bonus)
Executive Platinum member – 11 miles/U.S. dollar (120% bonus)
Southwest
As a Rapid Rewards® Member, you earn points by flying or spending with our partners and can use them how and when you want. Plus, if you’re short on points, you can always purchase more to get that reward you’ve been eyeing. Booking a vacation without worrying about blackout dates. That’s Transfarency.®
Southwest Earn When You Fly The amount and type of fare you choose determines how many points you earn. Now you have another reason to go for that Business Select® Fare.
Business Select® 12 Points Earned per dollar
Anytime 10 Pts Per Dollar
Wanna Get Away® 6 Pts Per Dollar
JetBlue
JetBlue TrueBlue Program. No blackout dates on JetBlue operated flights. Use points for any seat, any time. Earn at least 6 points per eligible dollar when you book on jetblue.com. Points don’t expire. Earn and share points together with Family Pooling.
There was a time we made choices to stay with the major airlines based on what the points were worth to us and what we would save in dollars flying with a discount airline. Because now they’ve heavily discounted the number of award points we get, we find we are flying discount airlines much more often. Cash in pocket beats points almost every the time
Still we keep up with our memberships in those frequent flyer programs because there is no reason to not earn points when our only option is to fly those majors.
It’s been forty years since I earned my first airline “mile”. These industry programs became almost universal over a few years and were pretty simple to understand. Fly a mile and earn a mile and after accumulating a spefic number of miles get a free ticket. There were a number of subtle variations like if you didn’t earn any miles over two years your mileage would be forfeit. Some allowed you to use small amounts to upgrade to first class on a paid ticket and many started programs with affiliated airlines.
Some added shopping and restaurant programs to encourage you to accumulate more miles and most started awarding bonus miles for getting and using their branded credit cards. Years ago business travelers like me benefitted the most because we were logging constant miles and while our employers paid for the tickets we got to use the free ticket awards.
Well things always change. Our first realization came about six years ago when a roundtrip flight to Australia only earned 5,000 miles instead of the 20,000 that we flew. It seemed we had bought a discount ticket and the seat code had a Z in it (American Airlines).
Isn’t it surprising how one company makes a change and all the rest follow. Between one and two years ago miles stopped being miles traveled but became a calculation based on the price of the ticket (that partial award based on the seat code also can still apply, please refer to the fine print).
Today we find it very difficult to calculate the actual miles we will be awarded with the award being fare based with additional reductions at times based on the ticket class or the writing agency.
Because most of these frequent flyer programs have evolved into complex constructs bringing together a number of businesses, the airlines have to be very specific regarding the rules of their award programs. Now the fine print covering the earning of miles looks more like an insurance policy than a marketing promotion.
Still if we are going to fly and regardless if you’re a frequent flier or even a not-so-frequent flier, not signing up for airline award programs is like leaving money on the tray table.
To provide information on some of these programs the following descriptions have been copied from the program web sites of each airline:
Delta For Delta-marketed (flight numbers that include the “DL” airline code) or Delta-ticketed (featuring a ticket number beginning with “006”) flights, SkyMiles Members will earn miles based on ticket price, at the rate of 5 miles per U.S. Dollar (USD) spent, including base fare and carrier-imposed surcharges, but excluding government-imposed taxes and fees.
Earn miles in the air with 20+ partner airlines including Virgin Atlantic, Air France, KLM and Aeromexico. Earn miles on the ground with hotel, accommodation, car, ride sharing, shopping and dining partners. With the Delta SkyMiles Credit Card from American Express, you earn miles on every eligible purchase on the Card. Miles you can use to go see the world. With each Card, you enjoy distinct benefits.
United MileagePlus is much more than a frequent flyer program — you can earn miles with your daily activities and use them on trips, experiences, dining and more. Even better? Now those miles you earned will never expire. Download United MileagePlus X our new app that allows you to earn miles on the go. After you log in with your MileagePlus account. Your account information, including any payment cards stored in your profile, will sync up and be ready to go for purchases to get you on your way to earning more award miles. United MileagePlus members will earn MileagePlus award miles based on the fare at 5 miles per dollar value and MileagePlus status for the following flights, with some exclusions as listed at the bottom of this page. Flights operated by United and United Express, and Flights operated by a Star AllianceTM or MileagePlus partner airline for tickets issued by United (ticket number starting with “016”). Tickets containing Basic Economy (N) fares are eligible to receive award miles based on fare at 5 miles per fare dollar and MileagePlus status, but will not receive any Premier qualifying credit
American As a member of the AAdvantage® program, you’ll earn miles when you fly on American, oneworld® and other participating airlines, as well as our partners. There are over 1,000 ways to earn miles with our partners – from car rentals and hotel stays, to dining out and using credit cards. Then, you can use your miles for
American Award miles are awarded based on ticket price (includes base fare plus carrier-imposed fees, but excludes government-imposed taxes and fees). The more you spend, and the higher your elite status level, the more you earn.
Southwest As a Rapid Rewards® Member, you earn points by flying or spending with our partners and can use them how and when you want. Plus, if you’re short on points, you can always purchase more to get that reward you’ve been eyeing. Booking a vacation without worrying about blackout dates. That’s Transfarency.® Southwest Earn When You Fly. The amount and type of fare you choose determines how many points you earn. Now you have another reason to go for that Business Select® Fare.
JetBlue JetBlue TrueBlue Program. No blackout dates on JetBlue operated flights. Use points for any seat, any time. Earn at least 6 points per eligible dollar when you book on jetblue.com. Points don’t expire. Earn and share points together with Family Pooling.
Mallorca is the largest of Spains Balearic Islands and a major vacation destination for many western and northern Europeans attracted to its beautiful beaches, sunny climate and crystal clear waters.
Cathedral of St. Mary
Palma is an ancient port with architecture showing the influence of both Christians and Moors in its castles, fortifications, cathedrals and in the winding streets of the old town. If you like to walk this is a great place to spend time exploring. The city is also famous for its many excellent tapas bars and restaurants.
Where Your Ship Dock – Palma de Mallorca has two areas where cruise ships dock. Most cruise ships will dock at Estacio Maritime which has a modern terminal and is about four miles from the old historic district. If that port is full your ship will dock in the industrial area at Porto Pi which is six miles from the old city. While the Porto pi facility doesn’t have the modern terminal it does have a major shopping mall just a short walk outside the port entrance. Both ports will allow passengers to walk out but in either case it is a good hike into town.
Palma Marina and waterfront
Transportation – Most ships provide shuttle service into the town center averaging about $15 round trip.
Public transportation – provided by a number of private bus lines that cover the island. Information about schedules and routes can be found at the TIB website . One popular destination is the beach resort area of Palmanova with regular bus service provided from the port areas on bus numbers 105 and 106 for about three Euros each way.
Taxis – In the city and around the port taxis are readily available. A taxi out to Palmanova or the airport would cost about twenty five Euros.
Money – The Euro is the local currency and credit cards are generally accepted and there are ATM machines available.
Attractions
Castell de Bellver is a fourteenth century circular castle set on a wooded hilltop overlooking Palma, it is home to the city’s history museum.
Cathedral of St. Mary of Palma is a Gothic cathedral overlooking the sea. It features a vast rose window and a wrought-iron canopy by Gaudí. It was built on the site of a Moorish Mosque and was begun by King James I of Aragon in 1229 and is one of the tallest cathedrals in Europe.
Castell de Bellver
Miro Museum and Workshops where Miro painted and sculpted from the 1950s to the 1980s and houses a number of permanent and visiting exhibits.
The Royal Palace of La Almudaina is the fortified palace of Palma where the Spanish Royal Family often stays in Summer and at Easter.
Beaches – Cala des Grells, Dic de l’Oest is a beach within a 30 min walk from the center of town and 5 minutes walking from Porto Pi port and shopping center and its neighbour. It’s possible to get there by bus (line 1) and by car (maximum 15 min from everywhere). There is a free parking for cars. However, the beach doesn’t have more than 50 people in summer and the water is clean. Excellent open sea views.
Beach Resort Area – Six to eight miles down the coast from the port are the beach resorts of Palmanova. The resorts are located around three beautiful bays, Playa Son Matias, Playa de Palmanova and Playa Es Carregador.
Visiting the Acropolis from the port of Piraeus Greece
The View From The Filopappou Hill
An easy trip from the port of Piraeus into Athens for a visit to the Acropolis is inexpensive and takes about forty minutes each way. The main Piraeus Metro station is located at the back of the port itself and is a fifteen to twenty minute walk from where most cruise ships dock. If you are walking from the pier there is a sky walk over traffic at the subway station location. The Metro (subway) system in Athens offers various kinds of electronic tickets but for a single day trip the best option for a trip into Athens and back is the 90-minute ticket at € 1.90 each way.
There are also:
A 24-hour ticket at € 4.50 that allows 24 hours to travel any number of times in and out of the various public transportation systems. It does not however include the airport as a destination)
A 3-day ticket at € 22 (Includes transport to the airport)
5-day tourist ticket at € 10 (It does not include the airport destination)
Piraeus Harbor
There are easy to use vending machines at all stations that accept credit cards and provide instruction in a number of languages. You can also purchase any number of tickets at one time and use them as needed. A discount of 25% is also available for seniors over 65, teenagers under 18 years old and university students under 25. Children under seven ride free. In order to get the discount you will need to purchase tickets from a ticket window.
To enter the metro system tap your ticket at the entry post. From that point the ticket is valid for 90 minutes (with the 90 minute ticket) in the system or until you leave by taping out to exit.
Getting on the train going in the right direction is easy. Each platform is named for the last station on the route. So in order to get the train back to Piraeus follow the arrows showing Piraeus which is the last station on the green line.
CLICK THIS MAP TO DOWNLOAD A PRINTABLE PDF COPY
Note – If you are flying in or out of Athens there’s an airport metro stop. The Athens airport subway offers reliable and fast transportation services from and to Athens airport. The Blue Line connects Athens International Airport to Syntagma Square in the center of the city, in only 40 minutes. A one-way Metro ticket from Athens airport to Syntagma Square costs € 10 for adult passengers and € 5 for children, students and elders. The price for a round trip ticket is € 18. Cruising out of the Port of Piraeus? Take the Blue Line to Monastiraki station, switch to the Green Metro Line to get to Piraeus. Furthermore, the subway Blue Line also serves many other areas of Athens. A 3-day tourist ticket includes a return ticket to Athens airport and costs € 22.
A Walking Tour Of The Acropolis Area
The Acropolis Museum
The Acropolis Museum
For a much more in-depth understanding of the history of Athen’s Acropolis a visit to the museum is strongly recommended (admission € 20). Inside are a number of artifacts from excavations along with many of the damaged statuary saved from the Parthenon itself.
The Agora and Roman Forum – ruins of the Forum with remains of the agora built by the Romans from 19-11 B.C. include columns & an octagonal tower.
Roman Ruins – walking around the base of the Acropolis are a number of archeological sites to explore that include Roman houses and the ancient cisterns.
Areopagus Hill (Λόφος Αρείου Πάγου) Historic site sitting high up on another hill it once served as the high court of appeal for judicial cases in ancient Greece.
While the highlight of the trip is ascending the Acropolis itself there is much to see around the area. One recommendation is to walk through theFilopappou Hill Park. Admission is free and there are a number of archeological sites to explore. Walking to the top of the hill offers one of the best views of the Acropolis itself.
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