Holiday Inn Strasbourg City Center

... up. I had a computer in front of me while we were chatting so I looked up train schedules from to Strasbourg for him and for me, and we agreed to meet in the station around the time his train arrives.<br><br>On the train from Basel, I learned the hard way that dogs do not travel for free on TV trains. I was charged a large fine on top of the fare for a small dog. His one-way fare was more than half my round trip fare! Luckily I had found a good seat sale for ...

... s not that easy. After looking up train options, researching towns and hotels, and too much deliberation (mostly between Challi), we decided on Strasbourg. <br><br>Although Chad reported it an "industrial city", it turned out to be quite the opposite, with charming (yes, I said charming) half-timbered architecture, great food, and canals running throughout the town. The cathedral, (because there is one in every city and you&#8217;ve got to see each ...

... the front canal. It was all very nice until we attempted to reserve a spot for dinner at the restaurant so we could eat on the terrace. It was really the sole reason we chose this place because we figured we would spend a romantic evening at the hotel and really use all their facilities and forego checking out the town until the next day. We were told by the front desk that the restaurant, bar and terrace were off limits due to a wedding party ...

... and got lost trying to find others. Our feet were tired and our minds were overflowing with information. The Zevisit audiotours were interesting and informative, but we all agreed two in one day was too many. We decided to take a tram back to the centre and browsed in a few shops on our way back to the car. Then we spotted an ice cream cafe and decided it would be nice to sit and relax with a deliciously decadent ice cream dessert.

We caught the wrong train and wound up in Gengenbach. While we were waiting for a train back we met a lady who told us the town had a beautiful old-town section. So we went discovering again. After a good look around we stopped at a pub while we were waiting for the next train and got talking to the owner. Turns out he'd been to Australia on holiday, so we had a good time talking to him until it was time to go.

Day trip from Villingen. Wolfach has a factory cum tourist attraction where they blow the glass manually. It was good to watch them making vases etc. in the traditional way. The highlight for me was dobbing Roz in to get up on the stage and blow her own vase. She did a good job, and we bought the vase and brought it home. A very special souvenir.

... I retired to a better life outside of banking. We caught up and then I headed to the World Club to await my flight to Frankfurt. The flight to Frankfurt was uneventful, a very light load so everyone spread out and got comfortable. Sitting in the first row in coach certainly has its advantages. The flight attendants get to know you, I even was recognized by one of the FA's having been on one of her flights previously. That set off ...

... it to see this small little church. We then visited the rest of the town to check out some of the wines. The wine tasting here is not that easy, but what we did was look for signs that said degustation vente - which meant they sold samplings of wine. You can taste the wines that you want, and buy what you want. We left with Rieslings, Gerwertzraminers and Pinot Blancs - it was a successful walk through the town. We then made our ...

... that keep Prince Charles up at night. They are that ugly. Generally, it provides all the things that you would imagine in a picturesque European town, but throbs with energy and possesses an active life beyond its history. I took the Cisalpino from Basel to Milan, watching the Alps fly by until signs of heavy industrialization heralded the end of the trip. It was alternatively pretty and impressive. I spent a significant portion ...