European Shaving Vacation!

[FL shaver]

Just waking Monday around noon. Hadn't slept from about 6am Saturday until 12:30am this morning except for a couple winks on the plane and at the Jeronimos Monastery in Lisbon. Long couple of days of travel from SW FL to Paris.


I've already picked up a puck of Cade in the airport in Lisbon for €11. Trouble finding it back home. Thought I would get it at a L'Occitane in Paris, but found it sooner.


We had 12 hours in Lisbon. Saw the sun rise before 6am. The clubs along the Tagus were just letting out. I won't describe the scent in this area. Suffice it to say that it was evident that large quantities of bottled beer were either being recycled or expelled. We walked up into a neighborhood to get some pasteis de nata and coffee with elderly locals rising with the sun. Those custard tarts are fantastic! I could find no open drogarias on Sunday. Bummed. The Lisbon airport had Confianca and Porto soaps, but no shaving products. The renovations since a trip 2 years ago made it more pleasant at the airport.


i shaved with O Melhor cream as I am taking advantage of this break from the 3017 thread and a Godrej puck. I love this cream. Fresh masculine marine scent. Very good performance. Too bad I won't be able to get any on the return through Portugal.


Off to Planet Rasoir. I've decided to only pick up a travel jar as a souvenir mostly. Too many other great products to spend that much on a soap, even with shipping eliminated. Picking up Monsavon, too, should I find it....

 

[FL shaver]

Didn't make it to Planet Rasoir yet. Had to see something called Notre Dame Cathedral. Found some Palmolive cream in a G20 for €1.58 and saw Monsavon Au Lait soap at FranPrix, but no Bol a Raser.

PS: Ile de la Cite is worth the almost 40 years I've dreamt of getting there!

 

[mistercitizen]

Sounds like a great trip so far. Enjoy yourself!!

Ben

 

[djh]

Greetings to the City of Light. I hope that you have a fantastic trip.

 

[FL shaver]

Merci! PIF and photos to follow. Tough getting a Wi-Fi connection here.

 

[jazzguy]

Sounds like a great trip so far. Do update us in the Speakeasy section.

 

[FL shaver]

Out for a run along the Seine at 7am. Squawking seagulls had me up at 6am!

Went to Monoprix on Rue de Rivoli and found Gillette Bleue Extras (€2.05), more Palmolive (€1.69), and plenty of Monsavon Bol a Raser (€1.55). I smell Lavender as well as a sweetness of almond in the Monsavon. I'll try it tomorrow.

Palmolive is a good cream. Fresh scent of the outdoors. Irish Spring like. Bringing a few tubes home.

Off to the Eiffel Tower...and The Speakeasy!

I'll have to add photos later. Can't upload photos with this connection.
Wait! Good spot here!

 

[mharris127]

Enjoy your trip. I wouldn't expect to find any WiFi connection that would be fast enough for multiple picture uploading in Europe outside of maybe Paris, Rome, Berlin, Bonn, the Netherlands or London. A prepaid cellular data stick purchased over there may work but the amount of data you would likely use uploading ten plus pictures isn't cheap and you would have to purchase a new SIM for each country you travel in if you wanted to use it at local prices. Please do upload some pictures once you get back home, however.

 

[ins0ma]

The only reason to go to McDonald's or Starbucks in Europe: free wifi.

 

[ins0ma]

Enjoy your trip. I wouldn't expect to find any WiFi connection that would be fast enough for multiple picture uploading in Europe outside of maybe Paris, Rome, Berlin, Bonn, the Netherlands or London.

Maybe it's been a while since you've been to Europe? I've routinely video-chatted on my phone's wifi connection all throughout Europe without issue in the last couple of years when I've been there. Most hotels have free wifi in the lobby, and you'll see networks everywhere you go. Their cell service is vastly superior to what we have in the US, and it's not even particularly expensive to use cellular data roaming on a US phone over there anymore.

 

[FL shaver]

The only reason to go to McDonald's or Starbucks in Europe: free wifi.

And there are plenty of both here!

 

[FL shaver]

Can't go to the top - social dispute!

 

[Riff Raff]

Very cool photo of the Eiffel Tower! Sounds like you are having a blast.

 

[FL shaver]

We are enjoying it! Thanks!

Had a go with Monsavon this morning. Call it the French Williams if you must, but this cheap product, found stacked in their thin, cream colored plastic, cellophane wrapped bowls in every little market, is a fine performer. The first scent is lavender followed by something sweet and almond like. May have a little rosemary like its much more expensive countrysoap, MdC (I won't continue with that comparison!).

The lather has good slickness and cushion. It isn't at the top of the heap, but it is certainly not mediocre. To compare it to another large nation's workhorse soap, it beats India's Godrej by quite a margin. One test of cushion is the feel when squeezing the remaining lather from the brush. This soap has a good deal more cushion than Godrej and the length of La Seine more than Williams (in Kilometers, of course!). I'll be sharing this soap with friends and family.

Off to Montmartre and the Basilica du Sacre Coeur. Will have the Holy Grail of soaps soon!

 

[mharris127]

Maybe it's been a while since you've been to Europe? I've routinely video-chatted on my phone's wifi connection all throughout Europe without issue in the last couple of years when I've been there. Most hotels have free wifi in the lobby, and you'll see networks everywhere you go. Their cell service is vastly superior to what we have in the US, and it's not even particularly expensive to use cellular data roaming on a US phone over there anymore.

Yes, it has been a while. I was aware that prepaid cellular is cheap over there as long as you use a local SIM card but it sounds like the OP isn't staying in any one country too long to get any use out of a local SIM.

I have learned in the US that although WiFi is common the speed of bandwidth many times leaves something to be desired especially if a bunch of people are attempting to use it at the same time.

 

[whereisandy]

It's been fun reading about your shaving adventure and vacationing vicariously. Hope you enjoy the rest of your trip!

 

[babydials]

It was even worth all of the stairs I climbed to get there. Word to future travelers, if you take the metro there, TAKE THE ELEVATOR. I had no idea how many stairs it was until there was no point in turning back. It is like climing up to a 6th floor office or so.

Looks like you got a gorgeous day for it!

 

[FL shaver]

Stairs?! Can't tell you how many we climbed to get to Sacre Coeur! And the bases of both staircases to the left and right were blocked by pickpockets. You really had to run the gauntlet. I've read of authorities looking the other way at tourist spots, but I've never seen such blatant attempts to victimize people go unchecked. Did not put a damper on seeing this magnificent site!

Bad dudes:

And several blocks down from Moulin Rouge we found a badger in a shop window!

Planete Rasoir! They have quite a collection of hardware and software. Merkur, Plisson, MWF, TOBS, C&E, T&H, Proraso, Omega, Valobra, MdC, donkey milk soap......

I left with a small bag...

€48 for the MdC here. I smelled it and thought that the scent is similar to Monsavon (€1.41 at Carrefour!) which has really been a very good soap. When I got back to the apartment, I found the difference to be clear. Monsavon has a distinct sweet almond base that MdC lacks. We'll see how the MdC performs demain!

 

[djh]

Nice work.

I was very disappointed to have missed Planete Rasoir upon my last visit.

 

[FL shaver]