TravelStream™ news feed for member lafalot on TravelPod's free travel blogs service http://www.travelpod.com/syndication/rss/lafalot en-us Copyright ©2009 TravelPod.com Sat, 27 Jun 2009 22:05:09 -0400 http://www.travelpod.com http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/lafalot/travelisfun/1245805779/tpod.html http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/lafalot/travelisfun/1245805779/tpod.html#comments Travel Blogs http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/lafalot/travelisfun/1245805779/tpod.html Sat, 27 Jun 2009 22:05:09 -0400 Look at things with a different perspective, and even the every day can be amazing and fun.

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Geneva, Geneva, Switzerland

We came, we saw, we explored, we left and nothing blew up!I am not a scientific person, and would never even come close to understanding what goes on at CERN.  However, even on a very superficial level, this was an amazing visit and completely engrossing.  Welcome to Microcosm, CERN's interactive science centre Cosmic rays, antiprotons, quarks and gluons... some of the particles you'll discover in Microcosm! With hands-on experiments, models, videos and computer interactives, experience the CERN adventure in science: How are accelerators used to recreate the conditions at the beginning of the universe? Why are such enormous detectors needed to study the tiniest constituents of matter? And how are thousands of scientists from around the world collaborating to understand the basic building blocks of matter? The really smart people that work here tried their best to make complex scientific theries and workings of our world somewhat understandable. There is a really nice exhibit that takes you from the very basics of what atoms are, to protons and neutrons, and then quarks, and even more things which by this time I was completely lost.  However, when I was talking to my son he knew the names of all this stuff and then some.  (I think he got all the brains in the family, even taking away some of mine because he never ceases to amaze me).Anyway, there are multiple hands on exhibits and movies and models leading up to the big stuff.  I didn't realize this place was started in the early 1970's and major experiments have been conducted here since then.  It is just with the hadron collider coming to completion that it is getting more press as it tries to recreate the Big Bang theory.  It was build way back then to provide an enticement to scientists to stay and work in Europe rather than emmigrate to the United States.  Now it is a, or the, leading center of this type of work.It was also a bit spooky knowing all the stuff that was going on 100 meters below our feet, but we never felt anything so it is apparently all under control.Contrary to what Al Gore states (frequently) the world wide web was actually born at CERN.» visit the www@20 site Twenty years ago, something happened at CERN that would change the world forever: Tim Berners-Lee handed a document to his supervisor Mike Sendall entitled "Information Management : a Proposal". "Vague, but exciting" is how Mike described it, and he gave Tim the nod to take his proposal forward. The following year, the World Wide Web was born.There is a great CERN website I suggest you visit to learn more.  http://www.cern.ch/   This place really is amazing.
]]> http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/lafalot/travelisfun/1246136310/tpod.html http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/lafalot/travelisfun/1246136310/tpod.html#comments Travel Blogs http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/lafalot/travelisfun/1246136310/tpod.html Sat, 27 Jun 2009 17:03:29 -0400 Look at things with a different perspective, and even the every day can be amazing and fun.

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Berlin, Germany

 Berlin - Saturday, May 14 Our escape from Dresden wasn't nearly as painful as the arrival. We figured we might have missed a turn or two coming in. You think!?? We found ourselves on the Autobahn and on our way. We encountered construction and congestion about 50 kilometres into the trip. We came to a complete stop on a bridge. Oh happy day for me! Judy was calm and collected as usual. We continued on in stop and go traffic for quite a while. It did give me time to take pictures of the landscape though. Travelling at 140 KM an hour doesn't make good pictures, and that was our usual speed. So I took advantage of the slower travel. Anyway, when we could finally get back up to speed our grand Mercedes didn't want to comply. It stayed in first gear! The tachometer would nearly approach the red zone, so Judy would back off the accelerator. I think we were both near a state of panic! We drove very slowly until we came to an exit. We got off, found a parking lot, parked and turned the car off. We kind of looked at each other and shrugged our shoulders. We waited about 5 minutes, turned it back on and everything was fine! Sometimes the girl way works! Another interesting thing you don't see in the US. There was a sign along side the road that had something to do with Polieze. Cars slowed down and there was a policeman standing in the middle of the Autobahn selecting cars and sending them to a roadside stop. Apparently there was a camera several miles back that was taking pictures. Fortunately we didn't look like criminals or whatever and didn't get stopped. It could have been for speeding also. Contrary to popular belief, there is a speed limit on the Autobahn! We just don't know what it is. Sometimes cars would make us look like we were standing still and we were moving along pretty good! We made it to Berlin, except for the last couple of miles. Once again, we took a scenic route. This time, a real scenic route, about 40 miles out of our way. We nearly ended up back in Nurenberg! Not really, but we were pretty far off course. We did finally find ourselves back on the map and made it to Tegel to turn the car in. The taxi driver nearly fainted when we started unloading the Mercedes. We had stuff crammed in everywhere. It was like a black hole with things just continuing to come out. He had a Mercedes too, but not everything fit in the trunk, so we had stuff on our laps, and a suitcase in the passenger seat! The drive to our hotel was short, and the fellow told us about things along the way. Our hotel is grand. Right along the Gendarmarkt, a famous square and a block from la Gallerie LaFayette! We are two blocks from Unter Den Linden, the street on which the Brandenberg Tor is located. We are going to have some wonderful and busy days ahead!
]]> http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/lafalot/travelisfun/1243195740/tpod.html http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/lafalot/travelisfun/1243195740/tpod.html#comments Travel Blogs http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/lafalot/travelisfun/1243195740/tpod.html Tue, 23 Jun 2009 21:19:35 -0400 Look at things with a different perspective, and even the every day can be amazing and fun.

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Prague, Bohemia, Czech Republic

Day two.  I woke up after sleeping like never before.  I don't think I moved.  It was 10 am Prague time.  We don't make it out of the hotel until around noon, but have tram tickets in hand and are walking to the tram stop by then. I still find it amazing... but then maybe only for me... that I can get a transportation ticket, find the boarding station, get on the correct tram, find the machine to punch the ticket and get to the correct destination WITHOUT A CLUE as to what is on the signs, or understand what the driver is saying.  Kind of gives everyone some hope, doesn't it!  I mean, if Dianne can do it, anyone can! We did overshoot our stop by a bit, but - Janice and Kim, you will like this - my "Dumber than Dirt" look was working in overdrive.  After we got off our tram, I stood there for a minute and someone came up to me - actually walked across the street - to ask me if I needed directions to somewhere.  Maybe I  should give classes in this in the Extended Learning Center.  How to travel like a Dummy, not Travel for Dummies! Anyway, we started walking towards Old Town and found our way... not sure how for we took detours to take pictures.  But, find it we managed to get really close.  So close actually, that when I finally conveyed my question to the man, he pointed around the corner... we were literally 300 yards away.  Actually, getting accross my question to him was a rather funny pantomine routine.  I found a postcard with a picture of our destination, then pretended like I was walking and drew a questionmark in the air.  I know, laugh if you must when you imagine this sight, but I got the answer I needed! We followed the path as instructed and came upon the old town square.  It was just as cute as in the travel books.  The day was gloriously sunny and a lot of people were enjoying outdoor cafes or walking around taking in the sights.  We did both.  We walked around the entire area.  Taking hundreds of pictures and stopping in the shops lining the square. We found the astronimical clock and took the required picture, found the Hard Rock Cafe and took advantage of the ladies room.  One big lesson to learn, is that you need to use the facilities when you find them! We made the round trip and went into St. Nikolas church.  We then picked a place to eat and collapsed.  We enjoyed our dinner/lunch or whatever it was and sat and enjoyed the atmospher even more for nearly an hour.  It was nearly 6 pm so we decided to try and find the tram #22 again.  Well, this time it wasn't so easy.  There were lots of options for streets and directions to turn.  We checked in every other shop to make sure we were on the correct path.  I finally spied overhead electric lines used for the trams and we headed in that direction.  I sort of felt like Daniel Boone or something.  I had become a master tracker, well sort of.  I found the lines and followed them.. kind of like me see tracks, two horses, two men, one with a beard went this way.  Once we made it to the road with the electric lines, I followed the tram tracks to the stop.  Me see two big metal lines in ground, one goes east, one goes west to castle.  However, I was so busy looking at the ground I nearly missed the tram.  Judy brought me out of my trance and we got on the tram and headed back up castle hill to our hotel.
]]> http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/lafalot/travelisfun/1245805999/tpod.html http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/lafalot/travelisfun/1245805999/tpod.html#comments Travel Blogs http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/lafalot/travelisfun/1245805999/tpod.html Tue, 23 Jun 2009 21:16:31 -0400 Look at things with a different perspective, and even the every day can be amazing and fun.

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Orlando, Florida, United States

Well, we made it home.  The flight was great.  A bit trepidation, flying on an Airbus 330, just two days after the tragedy off the coast of Brazil with the same type plane.  However, our flight was perfect and we had the new seats that lie flat.  I had so much fun playing with it I didn't even nap!
]]> http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/lafalot/travelisfun/1245805881/tpod.html http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/lafalot/travelisfun/1245805881/tpod.html#comments Travel Blogs http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/lafalot/travelisfun/1245805881/tpod.html Tue, 23 Jun 2009 21:13:14 -0400 Look at things with a different perspective, and even the every day can be amazing and fun.

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Amsterdam, Noord-Holland, Netherlands

Back to the US. Always hard to leave but great to return home. 
]]> http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/lafalot/travelisfun/1245805589/tpod.html http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/lafalot/travelisfun/1245805589/tpod.html#comments Travel Blogs http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/lafalot/travelisfun/1245805589/tpod.html Tue, 23 Jun 2009 21:09:33 -0400 Look at things with a different perspective, and even the every day can be amazing and fun.

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Geneva, Geneva, Switzerland

This day is our very first failed attempt to get from one place to another.  We tried to go to Annecy France, but found out you really can't get there from here....at least at a convenient time, if you don't have a car, and don't  mind a 30 km trip taking 2 hours!More on this later!
]]> http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/lafalot/travelisfun/1243884488/tpod.html http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/lafalot/travelisfun/1243884488/tpod.html#comments Travel Blogs http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/lafalot/travelisfun/1243884488/tpod.html Sat, 06 Jun 2009 15:50:22 -0400 Look at things with a different perspective, and even the every day can be amazing and fun.

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Geneva, Geneva, Switzerland

Monday, June 1st GenevaToday we are actually up fairly early. We have some tentative items on our agenda we want to cover, but are not sure of what to do first.   The Chateau du Chillon is one place that rates high in all the travel books, so we want to see that.  However, it is at the very opposite end of Lake Geneva and the instructions about getting there seem a bit daunting.  However, we research a little more and decide to venture out.We need to get back to the train station and then head to Lausanne and change trains to one going to Veuteaux Chillon - just after Montreaux. The town of Montreaux is the place that has the big annual music festival with all the famous people.  It turns out it is the week after next.  I am glad we missed that.We change trains correctly and count the stops until we are to get off.  We walk through the tunnel under the tracks and are immediately greeted with a view of the Chateaux. It is literally built out in the water and looks like it is floating.  This big castle is just gliding on the blue green waters of Lac Leman. (That's what the locals call Lake Geneva)We walk about 10 minutes on the quai and we are there. This is a fantastically restored castle except they are called chateaux in France.  I know, we are in Switzerland but it is really, really close to France. Upon closer look we see it is actually built on a big rock: a really big rock.  This is the first real moat with actual water in it that I have seen.  We get to cross a drawbridge to get in.  The castle looks like it may have looked back in the 1500's when it was first constructed.  There are courtyards and turrets, castle lookout walks and a tall keep in the center.  We get an audio guide and begin our journey.  The guide is really good.  There is of course narration that explains what we are viewing, but there is also music and sound effects which provide atmosphere.  Our first stop is the dungeon.  We go down narrow stairs and see barrel vaulted ceilings and rooms running the length of the castle on the side facing the lake.  It is neat because you can see the rocks on which the rooms were built for they are actually part of the walls. We get to wander all around.  Through little doors and hallways and into what used to be a crypt and small chapel underground.  We climb back up to courtyard level and move further into the castle.  We enter several grand halls, each with massive fireplaces.  The audio guide describes what we see and tells us stories about the events that took place in the rooms we view. We climb stairs and see the residence area of the royals who lived here. There was a furnished bedroom and it was funny to see how small the beds were.  Some of the paintings on the walls were restored, and some were barely visible.  There must have been 2 dozen rooms open to the tour.  There were narrow hallways, spiral staircases, and even secret passageways which were really fun to explore. We climbed up to the tops of those circular turrets you always see on castles and walked around the night watch walkways on top of the castle walls.  There were canons and armor of knights from the medieval days on display in a couple of areas.  One grand hallway also had multiple pieces of furniture from those days also.  Most everything was a trunk.  They had multiple duties - transport the kings' possessions and serve as furniture in the castle.  Kind of like the concept I use - never buy any furniture you can't store something in also. See, they were practical even then!  Or, maybe I am a descendent from royalty and the concept is genetic?We spent nearly 3 hours exploring and wandering every inch of the castle we could.  It was a beautiful day and a grand adventure.
]]> http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/lafalot/travelisfun/1243797248/tpod.html http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/lafalot/travelisfun/1243797248/tpod.html#comments Travel Blogs http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/lafalot/travelisfun/1243797248/tpod.html Sat, 06 Jun 2009 15:27:31 -0400 Look at things with a different perspective, and even the every day can be amazing and fun.

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Zermatt, Swiss Alps, Switzerland

Sunday, May 31st trip from Zermatt to GenevaAround 5 am the sun started to rise and so did we. I was like a kid on Christmas morning, hardly being able to sleep waiting to see what Santa brought - except this time the big present was a view of the Matterhorn.  As night progressed, stars came out which meant the clouds were leaving. As the first peek of the sun starting breaking over the Alps the outline of the Matterhorn began to reveal itself. Soon there was a silver shimmer of snow.  Finally the peak was revealed in all its glory, and what a fantastic sight it was.  Our balcony had a direct look right at the Matterhorn.  It was fantastic. The best part was that the day was going to be crystal clear.  As the sun rose the snow almost seemed illuminated.  We watched it rise and took picture after picture during the process.We had breakfast and went back into town.  We wandered the streets trying to find a better vantage point for pictures, but soon realized our balcony was the best.  We returned to our room and took more pictures and gather up our growing mountain of stuff and check out.  We had plenty of options for the return trip down the mountain, about every half hour.  We waited about 10 minutes until we boarded the next train to Visp, where we would change trains and head to Geneva.  It was nice that it was sunny today so we could see the things we missed yesterday in the rain.The trip back down was great, for the segment from Visp to Zermatt is the one that had rain yesterday. Going downhill was a little bit more nerve wracking for me, but I hung on tightly to the seat handle and fortunately that kept the train on the tracks!  We had a window seat this time, and it was probably a good thing we didn't for the entire trip yesterday.  There are some might far down places on that trip!We arrive at Visp and need to change to the train to Geneva.  Not a problem at all.  We are so darn good at reading railroad schedules now it is amazing.  I can find a train to just about anywhere, at any time, hop on and actually get to the correct place.  I think I am so used to the regimen of planes - go hear at this time, stand here, get on now, sit here, and get off now that it took a while to relax about train travel.  With trains you can take this one or the next one.  You find an open seat and claim it. It is really fun.We arrive in Geneva and did not repeat the "Zurich Effect".  There is a story about the train, airport and Zurich that is somewhere else in this blog, but to review it, here goes.We took a train into Zurich a couple of years ago.  We are all proud and pay attention to the announcement for Zurich and get off.  The station sign says Zurich.  Something catches my attention immediately, and this is the fact that train stations usually are above ground, and we were not.  Oh well, there is an escalator so we go up.  Well, in the short span of time it takes an escalator to go up about 100 feet, my IQ went from that of a fairly intelligent person to one with an IQ of about ZERO.  When I got off the escalator I noticed schedules for departures and arrivals.  Ok, nothing too strange here.  But then, as I read more closely, I saw that the cities involved in these arrivals and departures had names such as New York, Atlanta and Denver.  I immediately thought to myself - and this is indicative of my now Zero IQ "How can a train get to New York?" I actually thought this!  Then I looked around some more and saw the word Flughafen which I recognized as airport.  For the life of me, I couldn't figure out how I got into an airport when I got off at a train station.  I felt like taking the escalator back down and riding back up to see if I ended up in the same place.  Well, I was so completely befuddled I actually asked someone where I was.  They looked at me like I would look at someone in the Orlando airport who asked that question.  So, we went to the car rental counter and I asked them.  The nice lady sort of backed away from the counter as I spoke; all the while I think she was looking for the panic button to press to call the police.Next I asked someone how to get out of the airport, and they said "use the door".  Oh, my IQ was now at about 10, for I knew I was in an airport.   Next, we saw a Bankomat and decided as long as we were there we would get some Swiss Francs.  Well, at this point, with an IQ of 10, I couldn't figure it out!  I have used these darn Bankomat machines all over Europe but I couldn't even come close to using this one.  Soon a very nice young lady responds to my "Dumber than Dirt" look and asks if we need help.  YES!  She reminds us of how to use the money machine and the fog starts lifting. My IQ is now up to about 60... maybe. I ask how we ended up in an airport when we got off in a train station.  She explained that Zurich has two stops.  The first one is for the Airport and the next is for the city.  Oh, wow, my brain starts to function a bit better now and my IQ is approaching about 80 to 90.  She asks if we need help getting back on the train and I just had to look at her.  She took me by the hand and led us down the escalator.  She pointed to the sign that said Zurich.  She said "just stand here and do not move until you are getting on the train".   The train came, we got on.  The train stopped at Zurich (again) and we got off.  We were in the city and no longer in the airport!  Those of you who know me probably think I never fully recovered.Anyway, when we heard the announcement for Geneva, I was skeptical.  I asked someone if there were two train stops for Geneva.  And guess what, by golly there was!  We needed to go to the airport this time.  So, we were not fooled again.  We stayed on the train until we arrived at the Airport and then got off.  We once again had to ascend by an escalator, but my IQ didn't disappear this time!We found our way to the hotel shuttle stop and parked ourselves.  Within 15 minutes the car came and picked us up.  The hotel was only about 3 minutes from the airport and before we knew it we were all checked in. The hotel issued us a bus/train pass good for our entire stay.  This meant free travel on the train and busses within the city.  We had it made.  The hotel shuttle takes us to the airport and the busses and trains leave from there.  It is our gateway to the Geneva explorations to commence.The train didn't have a dining car, so we were ready for dinner. Someone in the lobby suggested a walk up the street to a couple of restaurants.  However, it was only 5:00 and European restaurants aren't always ready to serve dinner at that time. So, the two local restaurants were not an option so we headed back to the hotel.  We should have gone back to the airport/train station for we had the most expensive hamburger and French fries I ever had in my life!  30 francs!  Oh my gosh!  We soon learn that everything is expensive here, except for the free bus pass!After dinner we went to the room to unpack a bit and plan the next day.  What a relief!
]]> http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/lafalot/travelisfun/1243709820/tpod.html http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/lafalot/travelisfun/1243709820/tpod.html#comments Travel Blogs http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/lafalot/travelisfun/1243709820/tpod.html Sat, 06 Jun 2009 15:13:50 -0400 Look at things with a different perspective, and even the every day can be amazing and fun.

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Chur, Swiss Alps, Switzerland

Saturday, May 30th, 2009 - Glacier ExpressWell, today is the day. We are off on the Glacier Express.  We are going all the way to Zermatt so we can see the Matterhorn.  This train advertises itself as the slowest express train in the world.  We were to soon realize that sometimes there is truth in advertising.We have breakfast at the hotel, included with the room.  Breakfast in Europe is quite different than in the US.  It is sort of a combination breakfast and lunch.  I think when I get back home I will throw a "European Breakfast" one weekend to share with you all.  Anyone want to come?After breakfast Judy wanted to mail a package home, so we found the post office.  We had to walk there once to find it and get a shipping box.  Then we walked there again to take the package to actually mail it.  It ended up being over the standard shipping weight, so she had to fill out customs forms but found success in the end.  Now Judy had less stuff in her suitcase and more room for more purchases.We are all packed up and leave the room and Judy goes first in the elevator.  First Judy, then the suitcase.  Next it is my turn, and the elevator goes up to floor 5, then down past me.  Then I hear it moving about a couple floors down.  Then it goes past me again.  Now about 10 minutes have passed and it finally stops for me.  We walk the 500 feet to the train station and are immediately confused.  The ticket agent told us platform 11 the night before, but we saw on the board it was now platform 10.  Well, after we check about 4 more boards and asked 2 people, we finally believed the location had really been changed. We drug our 50 pounds of stuff packed into 30 pound suitcases up the through the tunnel and up the ramp to platform 10.  We were really early and the train that needed to pull out so ours could come in was having difficulty.  They kept checking the wheels with really high tech tools - a stick that they would beat on the wheels with. They kept beating on the wheels for about 20 minutes.  I was thinking I was glad not to be on that train, and also hoping they could find the real set of tools if something was wrong on ours. Finally the train pulled out allowing ours to pull in.  Yes, I guess the 4 signs and 2 people were correct after all, we were in the right place.  We were traveling in the first class cabin which we later found out was really not needed.  The entire train goes the same route!  Can you believe it?  How amazing!  More importantly, the train cars are fairly similar.  So, what does the extra buy?   There are just fewer people in the car, which actually is nice.  The bottom line though is don't bother to reserve first class.We head out from Chur at 12:13.  The schedule has us arriving in Zermatt at 6:00 pm.  The time goes by quickly because there is so much to look at, or in my case... not look at.  Being afraid of heights, I tried to never look down.  It wasn't difficult because the mountains and villages were fantastic.  As we traveled the villages and town became more quaint and typical Swiss with chalets and small churches and fields of grazing cows and sheep.  I expected Heidi or the Sound of Music family to come running down a steep slope at any moment.  There was still a lot of snow on the mountains, but hundreds of waterfalls were everywhere due to melting snow.  We were fed dinner on the train and it was pretty good and of course the atmosphere could not be beat!  We had to change engines in Disantis to switch to a cog wheel train.  Of course, I got out so I could watch and take a movie.  Pictures will follow.Back on the train we continue.  The Alps are absolutely grand.  As we continued up in altitude, we actually got very close, about a dozen yards to the snow line.  However, the snow was melting and made hundreds of waterfalls that fed into a small river the length of the mountain range.  It rained the last hour or so.  When we got to Zermatt it was very cloudy and rainy and there was no Matterhorn to be seen!  Drat.The station has this really, really neat electric map.  You find your hotel on the list and enter its number on the keypad.  The board which is a map lights up and highlights and enlarges the path to your hotel.  So, we see the hotel is only about 2 blocks away and we walked.  Umbrellas, hats, suitcases and backpacks...what a sorry sight we were.  We find the hotel, register and get to our room.  It had an elevator a bit bigger than the one at the prior hotel.  The building is old and traditional Swiss.  It has beams and wood paneling and slate floors.  Our room is great with antique furnishings and a balcony.  The balcony faces the Matterhorn, but it is so dark and cloudy you couldn't see a trace of it.We walked back into town but turned back when it was raining too hard and besides that, the stores were closed.  We did see a train arrive and it was just sort of like in the old movies.  The train pulls in and dozens of people get off.  Each person has a look of amazement in their eyes.  Carriages and itty bitty taxis are waiting to take people to their hotels.  There is even music playing.  We needed to turn in early so we could get up early so we could leave early to get to Geneva early.  This is entirely too many uses of the word early for someone on vacation!
]]> http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/lafalot/travelisfun/1243621818/tpod.html http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/lafalot/travelisfun/1243621818/tpod.html#comments Travel Blogs http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/lafalot/travelisfun/1243621818/tpod.html Sat, 06 Jun 2009 14:56:34 -0400 Look at things with a different perspective, and even the every day can be amazing and fun.

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Vienna, Vienna, Austria

Friday, May 29th Train trip from Vienna Austria to Chur, SwitzerlandToday we are traveling from Vienna, Austria to Chur, Switzerland. It is a journey that takes us the entire length of Austria.  You know, to me these countries look pretty small on a map of Europe, but let me tell you, when you are traveling by train from the northeastern most part to the southwestern most part, it is really far and takes a really long time.  Last year we went from Brussels to Paris in no time flat.  It was about 400 kilometers, and it looked a similar distance between Vienna and Switzerland - well, maybe a little further - and that is what we used for our travel time guesstimate.   Soon we were to learn a very important lesson about the difference in TGV high speed trains and intercity trains going through the Alps.  One travels about 300 km per hour, the other about 30.  So, a 1 ½ hour trip last year turned into a 9 hour trip this year!We took a taxi to Westbahnhof to catch our train.  We left the hotel fairly early for we didn't know how traffic would be.  Fortunately it wasn't too bad and we got to the airport in about ½ hour.  Judy wanted to mail some postcards, so we found the post office.  It wasn't too busy, so I mailed home some of the souvenirs I had collected. It was a couple of things I was able to remove from my backpack, so it was well worth it.  However, I am certain that everything else left in the backpack expanded to take up the newly vacated space.  I don't know how that works.  One of those mysteries of life - I take things out and it is just as full and weighs even more!We already had our seat reservations so after our mailing chores were complete, we just needed to find our platform and wait. Fortunately, the wait wasn't long for the train was already there and we could go ahead and board since this was the origination of the train.  We had window seats in a compartment in first class, just like Harry Potter has in the movies.  We were all excited and hoped no one else would join us and we could pretend we had a private stateroom.  No such luck, one lady joined us in Vienna.  Well, that was ok; we figured she could join us.  However, at the next stop nearly one thousand - or more - people got on the train.  This train was going to Salzburg then Innsbruck, so it is a popular one.  It also continues on to Zurich.  So, we had three more people move into our compartment.  We encountered some delays early on.  One delay occurred for seemingly no apparent reason.  The other was because someone was ill and an ambulance had to be summoned to take them to a hospital. So, both delays put us more than one hour behind schedule.  It would normally be no concern, but we had to connect to a Swiss train in Sargans Switzerland to continue our journey to Chur.  I think Judy was a bit more concerned about this than I was.  I felt fairly confident there would be other connecting trains for us.  If not, I have an American express card and a passport so all will be fine!After Innsbruck the train cleared out.  We once again pretend we were rich and famous and had a private stateroom.  We had been traveling since 9:30 am and it was now 3:00 pm.  Looking on the map showed us we were just 2/3 through our journey.  By the time we decided to use the dining car, it was filled, so back to our seats.  We got to Sargans over an hour late, but there was a train to Chur every 15 minutes, so we had no problem at all!The terrain got much more mountainous, no surprise there.  We were heading further into the Austrian Alps.  No snow on the mountains, but the train route was less straight and we were going even slower, which I was finding difficult to believe.  It was really beautify though.  Even though it was after 6:00, it was still broad daylight.  Apparently it stays light really late because it takes so long to travel in this region.  I am sure that is not the case, but it seems good.  It actually stays light to just before 10:00 and gets light around 5:00 am.  Needless to say, when we got to Chur we were dragging a bit.  It was 7:00 pm.  We made reservations at a hotel solely on the proximity to the bahnhof.  After a day on the train we didn't want to walk far.  So, we get off the train and survey the situation.  We need to make reservations on the Glacier Express and find our hotel.   We think we can do two things at once.   Ask the ticket agent where our hotel was while getting the tickets.  We got some of the last seats on the train, which really surprised us.  I guess the only thing that matters is that we had seats.  Most people start the Glacier Express in St. Moritz which is the starting point of the trip.  That would have added about 3 more hours travel time, so we picked it up along the way in Chur.  That is why there was close to a problem with seat availability.  Everyone else was already on board.Anyway, it turned out our hotel was only about a football field length away from the train stations.  Yippie!!!!  We checked into the hotel fine.  It was cute and the service great.  The only small issue was the elevator.  There was only room for a person or a suitcase, but not both.  Well, not comfortably anyway.  So, we took turns - well everyone did.  I went up first and found the room.  Judy followed close behind.  The room was great - really huge not only by European standards, but by American as well.  Usually the hotels don't have much space, but this one even had a sitting area with a couch and 3 chairs!Speaking of small hotels, the tiniest one I have stayed at was an Intercontinental in Zurich.  Now, the Intercontinental is the high end of Holiday Inn.  When I arrived there it looked great.  The lobby was all marble and brass and crystal chandeliers.  It was very nice.  There was a very nicely dressed staff, very professional.  The elevators were of normal size and all seemed very grand indeed.  Then, when the door to the elevator opens, you get out, and the door slams shut you have ventured into the twilight zone or alternate universe!  The hallway was dark, except for the neon room number signs!  It looked like the red light district in Amsterdam.  We walked down the hallway to the room, opened the door and immediately thought we had opened the housekeeping closet.  This room was the smallest hotel room I have ever seen.  It contained two small twin beds, with about 8 inches between them.  One bed was against the wall and the other about 8 inches from a built in desk and bench.  The food of the bed was about 8 inches from the dresser.  There was only enough room to push one suitcase under the bench and place one at the foot of a bed.  We literally had to walk on the beds to move about the room.  The bathroom was the originator of the joke "it was so small you had to go outside to change your mind".  Anyway, I digress.We walked to an Italian restaurant and had a great meal.  It was really chilly when we walked back, and it felt good to be in our room.  We only had time to find clothes for tomorrow and repack and get some sleep.
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