TravelStream™ news feed for member trockie on TravelPod's free travel blogs service http://www.travelpod.com/syndication/rss/trockie en-us Copyright ©2009 TravelPod.com Sun, 15 Nov 2009 15:07:26 -0500 http://www.travelpod.com http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/trockie/8/1258315360/tpod.html http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/trockie/8/1258315360/tpod.html#comments Travel Blogs http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/trockie/8/1258315360/tpod.html Sun, 15 Nov 2009 15:07:26 -0500 The Best Business Trip Ever - Part 1

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Bad Kissingen, Bavaria, Germany

While going from case to case at the various German hospitals, I had the opportunity to finally see what the Autobahn was all about. Yes, there is no speed limit, but it has plenty of traffic, so it didn't prove to be the speed thrill I had imagined. We did get some RPM's revving every once-in-awhile however.

One thing I did notice were the German "rest stops". Unlike those we know in the US, these are simply pullovers and nothing else. Nothing else except men peeing along the side of the road, in broad daylight. Come on Germany- Let's invest in some restrooms! At least one of those McClean pay ones would be an improvement.
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Avignon, Provence, France

We got to sleep in today and after breakfast headed to the train station to catch a train to Avignon where we were going to meet up with some other friends. Enroute to the train station I realized I had left my sunglasses at the hotel (hence why I purchase cheap ones and thankfully have numerous pairs back home). There was no time to turn around so we continued on in spite of this revelation. When we arrived at the train station we looked at the departure list and were unable to find a train listed for Avignon. We then learned that there were FIVE train stations in NIce! We then made the wise decision to get into the somewhat lengthy ticket line (we already had tickets via the web) to try and ascertain where our train was departing.

Thankfully we learned that our train was one of the ones listed under Paris at this train station. Avignon was a stop along the way. So we headed to our track. However, the signage was confusing and we ended up going downstairs only to learn we had gone right by our track, which was upstairs. We scurried onto the correct track and hopped on our train with only a couple of minutes to spare.

When we went to our reserved seats, a man was sitting in one of them. It turns out that we were on the wrong car and we had to go upstairs and then down again to get to our car. This was going to be cumbersome given all our luggage, so we opted to hang out until the next stop, where we got off the train and on again into our correct car. Finally we arrived at our seats and settled in.

We played a card game called "Knock", which was a lot of fun and I'll teach it to you family members over Thanksgiving! Yes Doug and Aunt Virginia, there is money to be wagered. Anyway, behind us was a French man who emitted a loud sigh every time my friend shuffled the cards, as it seems the shuffling was making too much noise. So, we shuffled them a new way to lessen having to listen to his loud sighs.

Our train finally arrived in Avignon, albeit 30 minutes late, which seems to be unusual over here. We hauled our bags out the station and waited in a line with several other people for a cab. And waited. And waited. Finally, we got sick of waiting and I took the hotel directions over to a bus driver and via a short game of charades, got him to determine if his bus would get us to our destination. He indicated it would with a short walk, so we hopped on the bus and rode it into town. Our hótel was about a 7 minute walk from the bus stop and we entered to check in. We introduced ourselves to the proprietor and my friend misunderstood what he said about our reservations. She corrected him and he got all snooty on her and told her something like, "Well if that´s the way you want to talk then we can do it that way" and proceeded to give her some attitude. We finally went to our room and I did my best to control my laughing at him. It was pretty ridiculous for a mere misunderstanding.

After getting our things to our room, we took off in search of some wine and snacks as we needed something to calm us after all the trials of arriving in Avignon. After our 1st glass, we saw our fellow taxicab line patrons file in for a drink as well. We then walked around the small city and took in the sights. It was nice, but it wasn´t Nice.

Later that evening we met up with our friends and enjoyed plenty of wine and a relaxing dinner.
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Orlando, Florida, United States

Today I went to see my doctor as I was not only not feeling better after following the regimine of my French MD, but my eyes were now also oozing gunk. He took a quick look in my ears, eyes, throat and listened to my "raily" lungs, It took him about 5 minutes to prescribe the long-overdue antibiotic. Oh, and by the way... the visit was $56 and the drugs were free. Go figure!
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Interlaken, Swiss Alps, Switzerland

This morning we set out for the famous Swiss Alps. Think Sound of Music. Yes, I know that was set in Austria, but think of the setting nonetheless. We took a morning train from Zurich to Interlaken, where we would spend the night. The approach into the Alps was breathtaking. Technically it's breathtaking in more ways than one, because at the higher altitudes it does become a little more difficult to breath, but not as noticable as I've experienced on some prior ski trips to similar altitutdes. Perhaps it's due to the gradual acclimation via the trains, etc. However, back to the view... it was spectacular. If you enjoy mountains, it doesn't likely get much better than this. Our day was a fairly clear one as well.

When we arrived at Interlaken we then had to take an extended series of trains, lifts, buses, etc. to get to our eventual destination which was Schilthorn, Schiltohorn is a mountain that rises 9,748' above sea level. At it's peak sits a restaurant called "Piz Gloria"'. Now a restaurant at the top of this dramatic overlook, which gives you a view to the Eiger, Monch and Jungfrau peaks (all in excess of 13,000' and snow-covered, would be spectacular enough. However evidently the Swiss wanted more drama, so they also made it revolve. For those of you who are 007 fans, the restaurant was "blown up" in the "Her Majesty's Secret Service" movie in the late 60's.
In case you weren't a fan, they had plenty of notifications of this fact to let you know.

In spite of it being from a package mix, I can tell you that it will likely go down as being the most memorable hot chocolate I ever had at Piz Gloria. Actually make that hot chocolate mixed with Grand Marnier. Hey, the Swiss felt the restaurant needed revolving and I felt the packaged mix need reviving. The weather was clear on the main view side and overcast on another. Evidently God didn't feel that the view and revolveing restaurant was good enough for us, so he threw in a couple of snow falls for good measure. Gotta love the guy!

We made a couple/few revolutions, took a few dozen pictures, and started our descent. We decided, at the encouraging of Rick Steves, to stop off at the tiny, and I mean TINY, town of Gimmelwald. An excerpt from his travel book:

"The traffic-free village of Gimmelwald hangs nonchalangly on the edge of a cliff high above Lauterbrunnen Valley. This sleepy village has more cow troughs than mailboxes. Many travelers say, 'If Heaven isn't what it's cracked up to be, send me back to Gimmelwald.' Gimmelwald is a community in the rough. Take a walk- you can tour it in 15 minutes. Its two streets are a 700 year old zig-zag. Stones called schindles sit like heavy checkers on old rooftops, awaiting nature's next move. These stones protect the slate from the violent winter winds. Gimmelwald's biggest building is the school in which 2 teachers share one job. There's nothing but air between Gimmelwald and the rock face of the Jungfrau a mile or two across. Kick a soccer ball wrong and it ends up a mile below on the Lauterbrunnen Valley floor. Gimmelwald has 3 families: von Allmen, Brunner and Feuz. With 130 townsfolk sharing hte 3 surnames. To keep prescriptions and medical records straight, the doctor in nearby Lauterbrunnen goes by birth date first, then the patient's name."

It is definitely one of those places where if you were able to located some brocade curtains and stich yourself a pinafore, you could twirl around, channel Maria von Trapp, and belt our a rousing rendition of "The Hills Are Alive". You wouldn't fret looking like an idiot, because only the cows would be watching. That's the main industry at Gimmelwald, farming cows. The town is VERY tiny. Their park was about 10'x8' with 2 opposing benches. I agree with Steve that it's worth a quick visit, but don't know about that whole "If Heaven Isn't What It's Cracked Up To Be..." thing. I can think of other places I'd prefer to spend eternity as about one night spent in Gimmelwald would likely seem like an eternity. Unless those Gimmelwaldians are loose with the alcohol and their money in a card game.

We passed a barn and my friend ducked her head in to get a whiff and notified me that she loved the smell of barns. Now there's a little fact I wished I'd known in advance. The reason? Well, it just so happens that in many of the small Alpian villages you can actually pay to sleep in the hayloft of a barn. I would have given anything to have set that up for her in advance (notice I said 'for her') and seen the look on her face. Something tells me that might dim her ardor for barns from then on.

We toured/'walked around Gimmelwald for the requisite 15-20 minutes, took in all its sights, and continued our descent into Interlaken, where we had dinner, took in some Cow Zen, had a nightcap and hit the hay- although not literally.
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Lausanne, Vaud, Switzerland

Yesterday I felt myself becoming sick as my throat became tighter and tighter. By tonight it was really sore and I was worried I might be coming down with Strep or a sinus infection at the least. Wanting to make sure that I would be able to fly home for the weekend, I inquired at the hotel if there was a walk-in type of clinic anywhere. They directed me to one and I went there tonight.

Upon arrival I checked in at the reception desk where the receptionist spoke a little English and handed me a registration that, thankfully, was in English. It was very brief and mainly focused upon payment. No health info. was asked. I returned it to her and she informed me that my wait would be around 1 hr. I then proceeded to sit in a chair that afforded me the greatest amount of personal space available, as I didn't want to catch anything from the other patients. I noticed that the receptionist was coughing a fair amount. That was so reassuring! Speaking of reassuring, the Urgent Care center was located on a street called "Maladiere" in a suburb called "Ouchy". Is it me, or is that a little unsettling?

Let me offer you a suggestion before I go any further... If you ever find yourself going to a foreign medical clinic, be sure, BE ABSOLUTELY SURE, to take along some reading material. The reason is that, based upon my experience, they will NOT have any for you. I found myself sitting on a metal, fold-out chair, with nothing but a French TV (which was in the next room where the other patients were sitting) and French newspapers. This waiting room made the MD offices in the USA, with their 5 yr.-old Ladies Home Journal and Popular Mechanics magazines look appealing. And of course, there was a kid howling in the background. Once again living up to my reputation for being an obnoxious kid magnet. What were they doing to that kid? Couldn't they inject him with a sedative?

So, I sat and sat and sat and stared at an orthopedic surgical wrap poster. The company offered 22 various wraps/bandages, which were to aid various parts of the body from literally the neck to the toe.

Normally I would have pulled out my Blackberry and entertained myself, but of course as luck would have it, it was just about out of power and I wanted to save the little I had left in case I need to make any emergency calls or emails. Again, come prepared to foreign emergency centers/rooms.

I did have a chronometer on my watch, so I decided to time how long it took them to call my name. After filing through my purse in search of other forms of entertainment (reading the Zurich train schedule proved a total bore), I realized I did have my Franklin Language Translator with me. So I grabbed a piece of paper and started translating a little of my medical history- drug allergies, symptoms, etc. That took up about 15 minutes or so.

While I was waiting, I tried to guess as to what the other patient's ailments were. One guy had done something to his finger. I don't know what. He came in after me and was wincing but not crying or bleeding. I decided he could therefore wait his turn behind me. There were a couple of business men in suits and ties pacing around. Here to get a refill on their Viagra prescription prior to going home??? Then a girl came in limping, with her friends helping her to hop in. Her ankle was swollen so she had probably injured it in some sort of sport event. They had her sit down and prop up her foot. Consistent with what I've experienced in Europe thus far, they did not offer her any ice. What is the deal with rationing the ice in this country? You would think it was gold bullion or something.

It took 1.35.42 hours for them to take me back to an exam room. There I met the RN who did not speak any English, but did speak Spanish, so we were able to communicate, but just barely. She was from Columbia, the country, not S.C.

So now at least I had been given a soft seat and a new poster to stare at. This one was of L'Orielle Humaine, the human ear. I believe I can now draw an anatomically-detailed perspective of the human ear that would be worthy of entrance into Grey's Anatomy book, down to the microscopic level, which was also included. I was left to stare at that poster for quite some time. Aprroximately :34:06 passage of time later, the French MD finally entered the room. He read my translated paper and decided to do a Fast Strep test. I explained to him that I commonly got sinus infections, reiterated those were my symptoms and asked for an antibiotic to clear it. He indicated he'd see what the Strep test showed. Another 20:49 minutes later he returned to share that the Strep test was negative and proceeded to write me not one but 5 scripts for my congested ears and throat. I noted that none were antibiotics and again inquired about obtaining a prescription for one. He said no, I didn't need that. So off I went to pay my bill. Yes, that's right.. my bill. Seems socialized medicine is not free as Michael Moore would have you all believe. My visit cost $200. From there I called a cab and off I went to the 24 hr. pharmacy and was separated from another $100.


]]> http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/trockie/8/1256155388/tpod.html http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/trockie/8/1256155388/tpod.html#comments Travel Blogs http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/trockie/8/1256155388/tpod.html Thu, 12 Nov 2009 13:26:25 -0500 The Best Business Trip Ever - Part 1

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Würzburg, Bavaria, Germany

Today I toured the town of Wurzburg, which is where the often traveled by tourists "Romantic Road" begins. Along with taking an English tour of the city, which ended up being a private tour as I was the only one who signed-up, I took a tour of the Wurzburg Residence, a UNESCO heritage site, which is a baroque palace of prince-bishops.

The Residence took 60 years to build and at one time there were 400 people lliving in it with 4 kitchens but no bathroom! Evidently people only washed about once a year, including their clothes and instead wore a lot of perfume. I think unfortunately some Europeans still cling to this tradition. Thankfully I am not here in the summer!

It has the largest fresco in the world, painted by Tiepolo, which depicts the four continents. America was shown riding an alligator and had no culture, no buildings, an Indian, people wearing little clothes, and was shown grilling people's decapitated heads. Of course Europe had plenty of buildings, finely clad people, culture, etc...

During WW II, on March 16, 1945, Wurzburg was heavily bombed and it pretty much devastated the city. In order to reconstruct the Residence, photos taken by a Nazi officer were used.

Along with the Residence and a large fortress, Wurzburg also has several beautiful Baroque churches.

I had my first bratwurst at a stand that has sold them for 30+ years. Cheap and good. I also had some Gluchwein, or something like that, which is hot spiced wine. It was great on a cold day like today.

I left Wurzburg and headed to Rothenburg. When I arrived there were once again, no taxis. So I to lug my luggage, in the cold, drizzling rain, about a mile to my hotel. Now I know why they call it LUGgage. After settling into my room, I headed out to take the "Night Watchman Tour". The tour was only an hour, but it was informative and the Watchman was humorous as well. After the tour, I went To Hell, yes that is the restaurant's name, for dinner. FYI, they serve good food in Hell. So the next time someone tells you to "go to Hell", it may very well be a good suggestion!
]]> http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/trockie/8/1256155516/tpod.html http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/trockie/8/1256155516/tpod.html#comments Travel Blogs http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/trockie/8/1256155516/tpod.html Thu, 12 Nov 2009 13:25:11 -0500 The Best Business Trip Ever - Part 1

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Rothenburg ob der Tauber, Bavaria, Germany

I spent today touring Rottenburg et Tauber. This is your quientessential, medieval, German town. Cobblestone and Tudor architecture everywhere. Plenty of pretzels and sausage to be had by all. Boy do the Germans love their bread!

I went on a guided tour of the city which lasted about 2-2.5 hrs. It was fairly encompassing of the town and gave you a lot of the area's history. I also took some time to walk the ancient walls of the town, which afforded it protection at one time.

The guide told us that the town was saved from a bombing by a US military man. Evidently in his boyhood home, his mother had hung a picture of Rottenburg and he had always wanted to visit the town as he was particularly fond of the picture. Years later, when the US troops had planned on bombing the area, he sought to save it. He said, "Let's ask the German's if they'll surrender the area before we bomb it." Evidently the head German Captain was away, the 3rd Reicht was slowly falling, and the person left in command retreated from Rottenburg. So the city was spared from the bombing and occupied by the US troops. Good thing for all the people who, like me, enjoy visiting the area.
]]> http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/trockie/8/1255815032/tpod.html http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/trockie/8/1255815032/tpod.html#comments Travel Blogs http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/trockie/8/1255815032/tpod.html Wed, 21 Oct 2009 15:42:19 -0400 The Best Business Trip Ever - Part 1

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Nice, Provence, France

Whenever someone says something was "nice" it typically means it was merely OK. Where Nice, France is concerned, "nice" is not an appropriate description. I had a really good time here. Part of it was no doubt due to the fact that I was traveling with a good friend and part of it was also due to the charm of this fine city.

Nice is of course on the South of France and lies on the Mediterranian Sea. It is surrounded by small mountains, and if you are high and enough and the day is clear, you can also see the snow-covered Alps in the background. Where else can you be seaside and view snow-covered mountains?

We departed Lausanne, Switzerland via train, very early in the a.m. for Geneva, and caught our flight to Nice. We flew via "Baboo Air", which was a little disconcerting initially due to its cartoon-like name. The kid behind me chanted "Baboo, Baboo" for most of the 1 hr. flight. The plane and service were great however. Leather seats, juice, pastries, cool towel and mints. Delta, are you reading??? Everything went like clockwork and we arrived to a beautiful, sunny day in Nice.

We spent the first part of the day walking through the town which was really charming. It was just like those pictures you see of the narrow alleyways, with old buildings and their outstreched awnings nearly touching the buildings across the street. Rows and rows of stores, restaurants and pastry shops. We also happened along an open air market. One part was farmer´s market, another area focused on prints and books and finally there was a antique/flea market area.

We went to the Contemporary Art Museum and were both glad we didn´t have to pay an entry fee as it was terrible.

We took a break for awhile and sat and drank beers at a little cafe on the beach. The rest of the day we just walked around and took in the sights. All in all a great day.
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Tolochenaz, Vaud, Switzerland

The past few days have been pretty much all work. The training is going well but it's far from entertaining. Our teacher is this woman from Germany who I have nicknamed "Das Furher". She is very serious. She has this "You vill lissen to vaht I teach and you vill learn it." type of personality. Actually she's OK once you come to the realization that it's just a cultural thing. I made it a point to sit next to her at dinner tonight and had her laughing uncontrollably a few times. I think she doesn't know what to think of me. She wants to like me, she's just having a hard time convincing herself that it's OK. She'll come around- they all do eventually.

Here's something I find ironic in Switzerland: This is basically the land of chocolate. I mean there's so much chocolate over here, I'm suprised it's not on their flag. (Perhaps they were afraid someone might mistake it for a turd.) Anyway, as I've mentioned they are all about the chocolate and cheese here. However, I've yet to stay in a hotel here that puts a piece of chocolate on your bed at night! Personally I could care less as I rarely even eat it when they do, but I find that ironic. Geez, I mean it's not like they don't have enough of it to go around. You would think one of the chocolatiers would use that opportunity to market their brand. Oh well.

Another way in which Switzerland varies from the US is that they let their dogs go virtually EVERYWHERE. I've seen them in hotels, restaurants, bars, buses and trains. I haven't seen any hotdogs however, but they are fond of sausages like their German neighbors.
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Tolochenaz, Vaud, Switzerland

The air may be thinner here, but the breathing is definitely easier. By this I mean that the Europeans appear to live a far less hurried and less stressed life than we do in America. They seem to take things in stride and even the stores close around 6 or 7.

One little thing I've taken particular enjoyment in every morning is a soft-boiled egg. I don't know about you, but I haven't come across a soft-boiled egg since I was a young child. I mean like back in elementary school. You know, the ones that came in those special little cups? I've given why it is that you never see soft-boiled eggs some introspection while here and I have come to the conclusion it is because we are in too much of a hurry for such things in America. I mean the proper preparation and maintenance of a soft-boiled egg takes time. First you have to take the time to cook it just right. Too much and it is hard boiled, too little and it's a runny mess that you have on your hands. Then you need the special tools: an egg cup and a small (elf-like) spoon in which to eventually dig out the egg from its shell. Then there's the whole unshelling process. In fact, I had to watch someone else in the restaurant free their egg from its shell before I could even recall how it all worked. For those others of you who have forgotten, here's how it goes... you place the egg in the egg cup, big end down. Then you take the elf-spoon and gently tap on the top of the egg, just barely breaking the shell. Then, ever-so-gently, you peel off the top 1/3 of the shell. Once the top part of the shell is removed, you can take the spoon and begin to eat the egg, by continuing to dig it out of the shell.

It's not a process to be rushed, particularly by those in the early a.m. who are barely conscious to begin with. Rushing results in yolk spilling everywhere.

In America we are in too much of a hurry to beat rush-hour traffic and get to work. We are lucky if we have time for a cup of joe and a breakfast bar. If we eat eggs it's likely fried or scrambled. Something you can turn up the heat on and get it over in a hurry. I will miss my "Egg Zen" but know all too well it would drive me crazy attempting it on a daily basis back home. Perhaps on Sundays though...
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