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2010 EUROPE BY TRAIN
May 12th
Our flight from Vancouver (YVR) to Heathrow (LHR) was a smooth flight on a 747. It took about 9 hours.
The small spots of light in the darkness in Alberta made people and communities seem small and huddled against
the vastness of the prairies and the night. The biggest surprise to me was one that should have been expected.
Just after the sunset over Alberta, the sun rose again. North of Hudson Bay was a mosaic of ice islands all
jammed together in a patchwork. By the time we reached Greenland, it was bright sunshine. My excitement turned
to disappointment as crew and passenger’s complained about all the light streaming in my window as I was keeping
passengers from sleep.
Heathrow had no free wi fi, unlike Vancouver. Passengers are kept in central seating areas and then called
last minute to their boarding gate. Much more efficient than North American practices, but it creates a lot
of anxious passengers wondering if they’ve missed their boarding call.
The flight from Heathrow to Pisa was covered in cloud, so no views of the Alps. The country side
around Pisa was lush and verdant farm fields and vegetation. The plane landed right in the middle
of this farmland without any sign of a city, even though we were only a few miles away.
Pisa
 
Our experience in Pisa was wonderful, but our initial experience of finding our B&B was stressful. After
purchasing our inexpensive ticket for the 5 minute train ride from the airport to Pisa Centrale, we walked to
our B&B, Gli Arlecchini The Expedia map turned
out to not have enough detail to clarify our route. The GPS turned out not to know our B&B and I couldn’t
operate it properly to get a street address reading. Half a block away, the locales didn’t recognize the
destination or street we were hoping for. Finally Tracie looked across the street and saw what we were looking
for – a number 14 with small print underneath it that was readable only up to a distance of a few feet.
The door was solid with no other advertising. This is typical of B&Bs in Italy. Once inside, we were
rerouted to another building where we had shared accommodation. We thought there was no one else in the other
two rooms, so we weren’t overly quiet. In the morning, very quiet guests kept emerging from these rooms and
immediately left without even using the washroom. Very unusual for us.
Pisa had a great thunderstorm in the night from about 4am to 6am including pouring rain. I was triumphant over
my rain pant decision that had been scoffed at. In the morning it was pleasant with no rain and we headed back
to the main location for breakfast. Our host was extremely pleasant and we shared the breakfast table with a
family from Japan. There was a myriad of food and beverage choice. Again we got the feeling that there were
lots of other guests around who hadn’t shown up yet.
Campo dei Miracoli, singing in the Baptistry
Campo dei Miracoli, including the Leaning Tower
We were given walking instructions to the
Campo dei Miracoli and the
Leaning Tower along the Corso Italia. The route was an extremely pleasant stroll along
a pedestrian only avenue that also crossed the River Arno. We felt like locals as we all ambled with purpose to our
various destinations. About half way along the 15 minute walk the rain started, mainly to mock me for not bringing
along the rain pants. The rain was more of a blessing than a curse. Although we all got wet, the crowds at the Tower
were non-existent. We headed first to the baptistery, which was an amazing experience. We were the only ones in it.
The attendant came by and sang a complete harmonic echo song into the dome for us. Very special. I’m still blown away.
Next we visited the sculptures and crypts in the Campo Santo, which is a wall cemetery on the piazza. This too was
amazing, not only for the intricate carving, but because we again were the only ones there. Next we went to our
appointed 9am tour of the Leaning Tower. There were 8 of us who went up. The ascent is via a stairway within the
exterior wall, so no problem for those with height problems. It is disorienting to wind your way up the building.
When you reach the side that leans out the most, it makes your feet shift toward the outside and your head moves
toward the centre. The marble steps are worn and dug out from all the pilgrims who have made the climb through
the ages. The walls are worn smooth by the hands that have reached out to maintain balance. At the top, there is an
open area of bells and then one final small ascent to the very top, which was too much for my vertigo.
Campo Santo
Campo Santo
Our last visit was to the church. This was a more typical tourist visit of Italy. By the time the church opened,
the rain let up and the tour buses arrived. The church was full of large groups being led in a variety of languages.
The art on the walls is gigantic, but has a very dark wall paper appearance. The structure and alcoves are gigantic
and impressive. Couldn’t help thinking how lucky we were up until then to have had the place to ourselves.
Our trip to Pisa was fantastic.
Cinque Terre
Manarola
We picked up our bags at Gli Arlecchini and caught the reserved train to La Spetzia.
The next train was unreserved seating that stopped at all the
Cinque Terre towns. I thought this would be a slow train twisting along the mountainous coast,
but it was a fast train that spent most of its time in tunnels. So, there weren’t many views. Our stop at Vernazza
was a shock. The nearly full train emptied there and the people filled the one main street with little room to move.
Not what we expected at all from the quaint little town. It was over run, apparently by a holiday weekend. The
Vernazza accommodation was great, with a view of the town square, the bell tower and the bay. We immediately headed back
on the train to Riomaggiore and then took the lover’s walk to Manarola. This too was over run with people. There
was seldom a break in the continuous string of walkers. At Manarola we picked a restaurant to eat at. We chose
the one with Rick Steves pictured with the owner instead of the “recommended by Rick Steves” across the path. This
was a remarkable and inexpensive meal. We had tofu pesto, tuna capriccio and spaghetti with meat sauce. All three
of us raved at our meals. The waiter also scolded us that we should not tip for meals in Italy. There is separate
pricing seating and no tips. We then took the train back to Vernazza, hiked around town a bit and all fell asleep
early.
Vernazza
Lover's Walk
In the morning it was raining and Tracie determined that we needed to leave right away if we hoped to see
Monterosso al Mare. We retrieved my passport by paying the bill (cash only) and arrived in
Monterosso
with a 2 hour window. We found little to do in the rain. We spent our time at a quaint café with the balcony
right on the water. We listened to the rain drops, ate brioche crema and drank café latte. The lattes were amazing.
My addiction to European lattes and pastry was already well established. A thoroughly enjoyable morning in tune
with the Italian spirit that dictates you move slowly and only when completely ready.
Monterosso
The first train ride that day was to Genoa and we had an excellent time talking to a couple from San Diego.
The second section to Ventimiglia was shared with two women who spoke Swiss German and a Brazilian student
attending school on exchange in Kohn, Germany. The last section of open seating took us to the disaster in
Monte Carlo. This town too was over run, by the time trails for the Grand Prix. First it was difficult to
exit the train as there were throngs of people waiting to board the train. They rushed 5 deep from across
the entire platform. As I tried to step out onto the platform, the flood blasted me backward. Traice and
Viki shouted and pushed me out the door through the massive surge. When we tried to exit the station, the
exit was blocked with chain link fence. An attendant finally explained in French that we would need to go
to the end of the platform, turn left, take a tunnel that led to a side street and then climb the hill to
the aquarium at the Musee Oceanagraphique
, which Jacques Cousteau was once director
of. Basically, the cab or bus ride normally taken would need to be made on foot today. Tracie and Viki
obliged, but I don’t think I’ll ever be forgiven. We had to ask directions twice more along the way and
climbed a hill with numerous steps with our luggage. Along the way I got shots of the Palace, the statue
of Grimaldi, the Cathedrale de Monaco
and finally the aquarium.
Monaco with suitcases
Monaco Cathedral
The aquarium was a disappointment. It wasn’t nearly as nice as some other aquariums such as Maui.
It was a small aquarium that took up the lower two floors of the building. The third floor was a
strange museum with some old relics from diving, bones of whales structured to complete skeletons,
fossils, wooden boat models and various sea creatures preserved in formaldehyde. The top floor had
some views of the city and the ocean, which was probably the best part. All in all, a disappointment.
Not a great experience and two very unhappy ladies who were developing calluses from pulling their bags.
We found a free bus down the hill, but had to walk through town and then walked on the closed freeway that
led to the train station. We got seating on the section to Nice and when we got there our hotel was
visible from the station, so the angst over finding it disappeared immediately.
Grand Prix Seating
Disappointed travel companions
The Interlaken Hotel
in Nice was supposed to be our worst accommodation of the trip,
but it was extremely entertaining. The room was the only one we could find even months ahead, because
the next day was the Grand Prix and the Cannes Film Festival was about to start too. The inflated
prices brought a new clientele to this cheap hotel above a strip club and we felt right at home. The
pink rooms were exactly as pictured on the internet. We headed out for dinner but were asked to leave
our room key, which is common in Europe. On the street across from our hotel, a pizzeria had caught
fire in the few minutes since our arrival and there were police and firemen everywhere. We could see
firemen in the smoking building. As I took pictures, a woman with a young child tried to pick my empty
coat pocket. We ate an enjoyable meal of trout, hamburger and pizza, all of which were very good. For
$5 Euros they also had wi-fi that even worked in our room. We phoned home to the family by computer and
3 calls cost 27 cents on Skype. There were lots of noises in the night at the hotel, but this turned out
to be a pleasant and entertaining experience.
Nice, nice
Nice, our hotel on the right
Nice to Paris May 16th
This was supposed to be our day to visit Monte Carlo and we were glad to wander around Nice and its beaches
instead while the crowds at the train station tried to get to the Grand Prix. The beach at Nice was gravel,
but it had lovely patches of turquoise waters. Tops were optional on the beach, even though we were right
down town. We also wandered through the Marchee des Fleur and also past all the restaurants in a row on a
street nearby. In the late afternoon, we caught the TGV high speed train to Paris. We’d been told it was
sold out and that we couldn’t go any earlier in the day, so we were surprised when we boarded that we were
the only ones in our coach. The high speed stops at a number of towns along the Cote d’Azur including Cannes.
The farther south we got, the more beautiful the landscape. By the time we got to Toulon our coach was full
and from there, the train goes non-stop to Paris at a speed of about 300km per hour. I was totally disoriented
by the sun setting over England, as I realized that large sections of Europe were now to the west, which took
some adjusting on my part. With Tracie’s help, we found our way to the correct metro station and easily found
our hotel at the Mercure in Place d’Italie.
Paris
The Mercure was a pleasant hotel, similar to those in the United States and Canada. The location a half
block off the centre of Place d’Italie was perfect. There were excellent and inexpensive pain au chocolat
(soft bread filled with chocolat) and café au lait (a latte) at the
Amandine each morning. After 11 they also made crepe sale (savory) and
crepe sucre (sweet). We were frequent visitors. There were several restaurants nearby. The Café Margeride seemed
to be the most popular and offered free wi-fi. Meals in France seem to run around 8 – 12 Euros. The Place d’Italie
also has a large mall with a Carrefour grocery store, McDonalds, KFC etc. It’s amazing how much more you can buy
if you purchase sandwiches and beer at the large grocery chains. The best part of Place d’Italie is the easy
access to the rest of Paris on the metro.
Metro tickets can be purchased with credit cards at machines throughout the subway. If your card won’t work,
you’ll need to search for a location that will process it through an employee. You can buy single tickets,
packs in multiples of ten or tickets for full days. The kiosks allow you to select a variety of languages,
so it’s a straight forward process. We purchased a 2 day pass and put it to good use. It even worked on the
funicular to Sacre Coeur. There’s a routine to follow in using the subway. First proceed to the large map
and find your destination. Next slide your ticket into the machine and don’t forget to retrieve it if it’s
reusable. Electronics today recognize the ticket regardless of how you insert it. The lines have different
numbers and different colors. For each line you ride on note the name of the last stop at the end of the line.
You need to know that so you end up going the right direction when it comes time to decide which side of the
track you will be on – the signs for the two end lines cause you to end up on the proper side. The last step
is to wait about a minute and the train will be there. Some of the doors will only open if you pull a lever
or push a button. Once you are on, keep watching for your exit. Most lines don’t do an announcement, but the
stations are all clearly labeled. Getting around Paris is very simple, fast and inexpensive.
The Louvre
We didn’t reserve tickets at the Louvre and it wasn’t a problem. We spent 3 hours at the Louvre rushing past
exhibits. We started in the Denon section with the Italian painters and covered off the Mona Lisa early on. I
had heard the actual picture was very small, so I was over prepared for the size. The strange thing for me is
the throngs of people who have all chosen this as the most important painting to see in the world. Very strange
people watching. Next we covered off the Greek section, which was quite small, but is very popular for the
Venus de Milo, a sculpture discovered by a farmer on the Greek isle of Milo. Next we breezed through the
Egyptian antiquities. The number of sarcophagi ranging from wood, to various types of stone and then to large
boxes was interesting. There were lots of large carvings, such as Ramses and small trinkets too. Well worthwhile.
Next we covered the Dutch painters and by then we were exhausted and proceeded to other sights in Paris.
The Louvre
Arc de Triumphe
The arc is easily accessible by subway. The lower sections were being restored, but with the painted sheet
covering, you couldn’t tell in pictures that it wasn’t real. There is underground access to the base of the
Arc, where you can see the eternal flame for the unknown soldier. You can also pay to climb to the top of
the arc.
Arc de Triumphe & Tour Effel
The Tour Eiffel
It took nearly an hour of line ups for tickets and two elevator rides to get to the top of the Eiffel Tour.
You can climb for free to the first of the 3 stages. Can’t image at busier times of year what it’s like.
The ground level elevator ride starts at an angle, pauses to change angle and then goes straight up to the
second stage. I found this the most difficult portion for fear of heights. You seem skyward bound and yet
you know you aren’t 1/3 of the way yet. At the second stage stop you have open views, as you are back about
10 feet from the edge with others below you up against the screens at the edge. I was panicky. A long wait
facing inward to the crowds calmed me. The final ascent, though lengthy, was easier for me. At the top,
it’s screened in and I had less difficulty than at the stage below. I was thrilled that I made it.
Notre Dame
We started our second day by heading to Notre Dame. There is no charge to enter the church. Pictures are
allowed, but flash is not supposed to be used. The stained glass was gorgeous. Patrons are seated in prayer,
as tourists wander around them in a great circle. The cubicles around the edges had ornate carvings and
places for confessional. One confessional was glassed in and a priest that looked like the pope was facing
us as he talked to a woman across a desk. At various times priests spoke to the congregation from the alter
area. I lit a candle in honor of my mother. The strangest aspect was that you could buy coins commemorating
Notre Dame. The click of the secular coin purchases dropping contrasted with the silence of religion.
We chose not to pay to climb up for a closer view of the gargoyles. The gargoyles seemed to be inconsistent
with the religious atmosphere – more like a Dracula thriller than piety.
Notre Dame
Seine River Cruise
This wasn’t on our to do list, but for $11 Euro each, we decided to see the sights by river. The location
at Pont Neuf was within easy walking distance from Notre Dame. The number of sites along the river were
numerous and some of the sculptures on the bridges were impressive too. The cruise passes Notre Dame, the
Legislative Assembly, the Louvre, the Orsay Museum, the Eiffel Tower and a number of other sites. Very
pleasant spending time on the Seine.
Sacre Coeur
The subway easily takes you to Sacre Coeur. If you have a day pass on the subway, it also is good for the
funicular to Sacre Couer, saving you quite a climb for the final ascent. This church parallels Notre Dame
for beauty inside and out. The contrast of the loud clicking of tourist coin dispenser against the solemnity
of the church was an even greater here. We also strolled the streets of Montmarte beside the church and viewed
the many displays by local artist who were all available to sell their works or create portraits on demand.
Sacre Coeur
At the end of the day, we headed back to our favorite Amandine café for crepes, an appropriate conclusion to
our visit to Paris.
Amandine café
Chamonix
Our trip to Chamonix was in 3 sections. The first two hours was a TGV high speed train to Lyon. I was
surprised that the country side was all agricultural with lots of yellow fields of mustard. The two hour
trip covered over half the distance that day, but it took more than three hours for the remaining two sections.
The French trains have plug ins, so I was able to use my computer for several hours. The second section
covered to St Germain les Bains. It was very busy at first and quickly got in to mountainous territory.
At one of the stops, the train changed direction and we had to change seats to remain facing forward. As
we approached St Germain large white peaks loomed in the distance which we eventually realized was our
destination in Chamonix. From St Germain the train was a cute small bright red coach with extra large glass
areas for viewing. The train was truly a local run, with stop buttons to push if you wanted to get off along
the way. We watched a young woman get off at one stop and kiss her waiting boyfriend as tears streamed down
her eyes. At the next stop, a school boy got off and disappeared down a path into the woods. The mountains
of Chamonix revealed a large glacier streaming into the valley and a sparkling range of white.
Aiguille du Midi summit view
Our accommodation at the
MGM Ginabelle residences was great. It was facing the train station. The top floor unit
had a separate bedroom and a pull out couch. There were two large sky lights that filled the rooms with light.
The living room sky light and the kitchen sliding door both looked out at the Chamonix range. When the clouds
cleared in the evening, you could see the
Aiguille du Midi
and a faint light shining from the station at the top of the lift. The town was small and full of climbers even
though it was the off season. We wandered the quaint shops and streets, taking pictures of the excellent views of
the mountains, the glacial river flowing through the middle of town and the alpine shops. There were a couple
unusual practices at the lodging. One roll of toilet paper regardless of how many in your party or how long your
stay – if you need more, go to town and buy it yourself. Secondly, when you check out, make sure to take your
garbage with you to deposit in the outside garbage bins.
view up from Chamonix to the Aiguille at the top left
view down to Chamonix where the gondola starts
We were up early the next morning and it was clear. There was no line up at the gondola and we purchased a day
pass good for all the trams in the valley, which was a discount of about 25% over the two individual prices we
were considering, plus another 10% discount for having a Eurail pass. Our gondola had two other pairs of tourists
and there were about 15 – 20 climbers with full winter gear and pick axes. The trip to the first station, half
way up, involved 3 towers. There was very little sway passing the towers. The second half had no towers. As
you approached the top, the rock face kept getting closer and the wind howled, but again there was very little
sway. The Aiguille is actually in two sections. When you step off the gondola, you walk over a bridge to the
higher section. There you enter tunnels and you can see the climbers exiting the tunnels to begin their descent.
The elevator whisks you to the highest platform. When the doors open, the wind at 25 mph and cold at -15 C blast
you. I said, “Oh, no.” and the elevator attendant said “Oh, ya”. We laughed and entered the frigid world at 12,600 feet. We brought extra clothing and light gloves, but we began to get cold right away. Our thinking slowed and we started to be unable to distinguish whether we’d clicked the camera button and whether we were shooting pics or movies. After a very few minutes we retreated to the elevator. I noticed that I had no feeling in my index finger. Viki was suffering her worst case ever of raynauds and wanted to return to the valley floor. We made our way back to the lower tower section and just missed the gondola, which was a good thing. We discovered a heated café and several levels of observation decks where Tracie and I took a few more pics. Then we made our hasty retreat. Back in Chamonix it was 30 degrees warmer and even though it was toasty we took quite a while before we were ready to shed our winter clothes.
Aiguille du Midi
After lunch we took the short walk to the
Montenvers cog wheel train. The cogs are used to raise trains up and down steep inclines.
It went up about 4,000 feet to the back side of the Chamonix range where we reached the end of the Mer de Glace
which is a 6 mile glacier that is rapidly receding. We took a gondola down to the glacier and then walked on
stairs bolted to the mountain side for the final descent to man-made ice caves at the base. An amazing day in
the Alps.
Montenvers, Mer de Glace
Interlaken
We had 4 trains the next day to Interlaken and an unexpected short bus ride. The first train was the Chamonix
line we had arrived on. At Vallorcine we were surprised to be on a bus that visited 3 train stations, then we
switched back on to the train. This is a common approach when they do maintenance on railway. The next train
had small coaches with windows you could roll down. I stopped to take a picture and staff urged me to get on
board as they were 2 minutes behind schedule – European trains run on time. We were way up high on a steep
mountain side, passing little alpine villages clinging to the cliffs. We were thrilled to the point I could
barely look out. Next the train slowed and engaged its cogs so that it could descend into the valley at Martigny.
From there we caught a fast train to Visp. As we stepped out of the train our connection arrived on the adjoining
platform. I actually understood from the directions in German that it was arriving. We went straight on. It took
us to Spiez by going directly through a mountain – the longest land tunnel in the world. It took about 16 minutes
at high speed. From Spiez we wandered slowly down Lake Thundersee to Interlaken West and then walked 4 blocks to
our B&B at the
Hotel Rundgenpark.
Gimmelwald
The Hotel Rugenpark B&B was a very pleasant B&B
thanks to Ursula. The building itself is old and patched together with creaky uneven floors and low ceilings.
Ursula on the other hand is vibrant and full of life. She gave us tea on arrival, planned a walk around town for
us, gave directions to the best restaurants, helped us run the laundry, exchanged Euros for Swiss francs, gave us
passes for free transportation in town and carried some of our bags up to the third floor. She also made
recommendations that we try the Schilthorn instead of the Jungfraujoch and even sold us tickets by credit card.
When we departed at 6:30 on the second morning, she packed a lunch for us and left it at our door that morning.
I highly recommend the
Rugenpark for it’s exceptional dedication to its clients.
Gimmelwald
Gimmelwald
We were thrilled with the recommendation to head to the
Schilthorn. After many weeks of cloud and rain at Interlaken, the weather cleared for our
arrival. We took the local train for a few minutes from Interlaken West to Interlaken Ost. Next we took a
train into the Jungfrau Valley to Lauterbrunnen. Then on to a cable car to Grutschalp. Next we took very
small train that climbed high up on the steep edges of the Valley to Murren. From there we took a short
stroll through Murren to the gondola to Birg and the final tram to the Schilthorn. This was a marked
contrast to the Aiguille du Midi. It was calm with temperatures above freezing. We took lots of pictures
and ate cheese and apples in the souvenir shop. When we headed back to the observation deck the second time,
the view was completely obscured in cloud and we headed back to Murren. From there we walked down to
Gimmelwald, which was the best part of the day. The weather was calm, warm and sunny. We were the only
tourists around. Dandelions covered the hillsides and the cows each had a bell that clanged as they
wandered the slopes. There were picturesque small houses and people were gardening, cutting fire word
and harvesting grass for the cows. This was exactly the Alps that’s promoted in tourist materials. A
highlight of our trip.
Schilthorn
Fussen
The train trip to Fussen was long and uneventful. The pastoral views to Bern were nice. From Bern to
Zurich was tunnels and manufacturing. From there to Lake Constance there was little to see. By the time
we finished our third train ride to Buchloe, we were in farms and woods. The small train to
Marktoberdorf
was packed and then for repair reasons we had to take a bus the final 30k to Fussen. The landscaped was
lovely, but hard to see from the bus, especially with our suitcases on our laps. We then took a cab to the
Pension Waldmann.
This spot was great. Friendly German service and a spacious room with no low ceilings. The restaurant
smelled wonderful, so we headed straight for late lunch. The pork dumplings (schweinebraten) were very
good, but the meatloaf, spatzli and mushroom sauce was the winning dish. We then walked to the ticket
centre for the castles and found that they wouldn’t sell use tickets in advance. The place was swamped
with tourists, so we anticipated a challenging day the next morning. We walked through the fields at the
base of the mountains that mark the border between Germany and Austria.
Neuschwanstein
The line ups at
Neuschwanstein can be crazy, but May was a good time of year. Staying nearby was also
a benefit, as many tours come from Munich and return the same day, making noon hour particularly busy.
Tickets can’t be purchased in advance. Once you buy tickets, you also need to decide how to get up to
the castle from the ticket booth. It’s a strenuous climb, an inexpensive bus ride or a reasonable horse
drawn wagon ride. The bus takes you higher than the wagons, to the bridge with an excellent view of the
castle and the valley below it.
Austrian Alps
The castle of Neushwanstein (new swan stone) was interesting but King Ludwig was definitely crazy. His
bedroom had wood carvings everywhere which took 14 wood carvers 4 years just to complete this room. There
were hundreds of crests carved above his bed alone. The room was dark, with stained glass windows and
no views. The paintings throughout and indeed the castle itself are a tribute to Richard Wagner and his
operatic works. Only 6 of the other 120 bedrooms were completed before his death, when construction
stopped and the site opened to the public. I found it bizarre and hardly worthwhile.
German homemade fare at our B&B
After the castle we headed back to the Pension Waldmann for some more German cooking at lunch. The owning
family were all at the tables eating, but invited us in for early lunch. Pork in mushroom soup and spatzli
hit the spot. Next figuring out transportation to Garmisch Partenkirchen on the Monday holiday was a
challenge. We took a cab to Fussen, stored our bags at the unattended bus station and wandered the main
street and then through the lovely church beside the monastery. Next we caught a city bus to Reutte in
Tirol. It had only 3 other passengers. We had two stops along the way, way off the main route.
At Pachswang, we turned off the road on to a narrow paved bike path. Women with children in buggies had
to move off the path so the bus could go through. Our 15 minute side trip there yielded no passengers.
Eventually we got to Ruette and purchased a Bayern ticket on the train. We went through Erhwald so we got
to see the Zugspitze.
Garmisch/Partenkirchen
This town was very quaint. The buildings from prior Olympics are visible around the
town and they will be the site of the Olympics again in 2018. We stayed at the
Quality Konigshoff
and it was great. It’s located right across from the train station and they gave us a quiet room on the
back side with a view of the mountains. The rushing glacial river at the end of the property was a bit
noisy but great to look at. The room was more upscale than most we’d seen and included a full bath with
hair dryer. That evening we noticed a popular spot that only served fancy ice cream. After scouting
out the rest of the town, we each had a McDonalds hamburger and then went straight to the fancy desserts.
The next morning, the B&B’s included breakfast was fabulous, with scrambled eggs, smoked bacon,
cereals, juices, coffee and of course the option for cheese and sliced meat. I was too tired of ascending
mountains to try the Zugspitze, to the pleasure of Viki and Tracie. We wandered the streets and bought a
few souvenirs. Then we caught the train to Munich. Unfortunately they were working on one section of the
line, so we had an unpleasant 20 minutes on a bus along the route.
Austrian Alps
The Zugspitze
Garmish Partenkirchen
Garmish Partenkirchen
Muenchen (Munich)
In our brief visit to Munich, we saw the Marienplatz where the figurines dance in the clock tower.
Unfortunately they do so only at 11, 12 and 17. We next visited the Hofbrauhaus as we were starving.
Ein mas Radler, bockwurst, meat loaf, homemade potato salad and potato dumplings were enjoyable.
Music isn’t played between 4 and 6 so we came back a little later just to hear the crazy sounds and see
the dancing. Our last stop was at English Park where we lucked out and found the surfers. They’ve
placed rocks in the river to create a natural wave and surfers jump onto their boards from the edge
and surf back and forth across the narrow river.
Hoffbrauhaus
Hoffbrauhaus
In the morning, we waved goodbye to Tracie and headed to Venice while she waited for her train to Slovenia.
Tracie heads to Slovenia
Venezia Mestre (Venice on the mainland)
Venice Mestre is not somewhere I’d recommend staying. Our accommodation was at the
Hotel Roberta. Very nice looking on the
internet but not in actuality. The long two block walk from the station was scary with a park full of
men hanging out and watching you walk by. The room had paper thin walls allowing you to hear
conversations and televisions in the adjoining rooms. The bedspread had a hole in it. No air
conditioning in the stuffy room. Opening the window allowed you to drown out the noise in the hotel
with the traffic and animated conversations below us on the street. We weren’t comfortable walking
around that evening so we headed back to the station for McDonalds and then straight back to the room.
The room was half the price of a B&B in Venice San Lucia but definitely not worth the savings in
my opinion.
Venezia San Lucia (Venice)
Early the next morning, we headed to the train station in Mestre. To buy a café latte and a pastry,
you have to pay a cashier first and then head with your voucher to the service area. They gave us
the wrong receipt, so we couldn’t complete our order without staff shouting back and forth in Italian
to square the matter away. We then headed out to check the schedule and debated which of the numerous
trains we would catch to Venezia S.L. We went to the cash only ticket machine, discovered you didn’t
have to commit to a specific time. As I dropped the $1E coin in for each ticket at train arrived on the
track beside us and we hopped immediately on. We were in Venice in a few minutes and were feeling like
seasoned travelers.
From the station in Venice we carried and rolled our bags in search of
Locanda Gaffaro.
With no map printed, I was forced to use the laptop a couple of times and we asked directions once.
We understood the directions even though they were entirely in Italian. Finally I was stumped as I
seemed to be in the right location. A pleasant gentleman walked up and asked us if we were the Andersons.
He recognizes his clientele by the clicking of the luggage wheels on the pavement bricks. We stored the
luggage and headed out to see the city.
I never really fully understood that the city of Venice has no cars in it, just a tangled mass of canals,
foot bridges and narrow pedestrian streets. It was easy to find the Rialto
Bridge and the Piazza San Marco (St Marks). There are signs that continually point the way through the
twisted maze to streets. If you are going anywhere else, like back to your B&B you are in quite a
different situation altogether. Walking the pathways you continually come to places where there is no
bridge across the canal you come up against. Walking inland, you frequently come upon dead end court yards.
It reminded me of a video game. Lots of fun on the way to the major attractions. Frustrating on the way
back and even our map didn’t help, as we couldn’t actually find where we were on it most of the time.
St Marks and Venice from the Campanile (Tower)
The Piazza San Marco was full of people even though it wasn’t the busy season. The Basillica had a long
line up and we joined in for the free visit. The line moved fairly quickly and we were in within a half
hour. Inside it was very strange. The interior was very dark and covered in large mosaics. It was a
gloomy, faded atmosphere that was endearing. I paid the small charge to see the gold alter, but Viki
chose not to. We both paid the extra charge to the second floor, which had a small museum and views
down into the church and an outside balcony. The museum had the original 4 horses, which are duplicated
on the outside. It also had old books, mosaics and tapestries.
Next we went to the Palazzo Dulce, known in English as the Doge’s Palace. For the price, it’s questionable
visit. There were large rooms with ornate ceilings, dark oversized paintings and extensive dungeons.
The most interesting part for me was the large collection of armor and weapons, including cross bows of
every size and early revolvers. There was even armor for horses and children.
We stopped for lunch in the square. I had the most delicious Genovese sandwich of ham and soft white
cheese, tomatoes and lettuce and a bun that was so soft it almost tasted doughy. In the heat, the cola
was wonderful too, though I did realize later the price for drinks was double in the square. We sat on
a stone ledge in the shade and fed pigeons while we ate.
Feeling revived, we decided to ascend the Campanile (tower) next. The $8 Euro charge seemed excessive
for a venture that looked to involve a climb of 200 – 250 steps. To our pleasure, the charge was for
the elevator ride. The views at the top were an amazing 360 degree view of the city. The cool sea
breeze was blowing through the tower creating a perfect recovery from the excessive warmth of the
square below.
standing in a traghetto (gondola without seats)
From there, I led us on a disaster trying to find a vaporetto to cross the grand canal, but it turns
out my failure to find one was related to the fact that I was actually looking for traghetto. Eventually
we crossed the canal on a bridge at the south end of the city and began the long
trek back to our B&B. It probably ended up being a walk of 3 hours from the time we left the tower.
I was trying to prove our B&B owner’s contention that you don’t need a map in Venice and you can’t get
lost. We dead ended continually and finally ended up at the Rialto, indicating we had missed our hotel.
I gave in and tried the map only to realize I couldn’t even find our location in the maze of street names.
It was a video game gone bad. Finally we followed the only other reliable set of signage back to the
train station and then we basically started over and retraced our route from the station to the B&B.
We were worn out and Viki was sun stroked and blistered. Not a good afternoon.
Dinner on the Grand Canal
Our room was wonderful. A quite location, with a large, quite, air conditioned room and a full bath.
We even had a balcony with a slight view in to a canal. The tile floors were pleasantly cool on our feet.
I sat on the balcony and listened to the animated Italian conversations as unseen individuals prepared
dinner in their suites. The nighthawks screeched overhead. A gondolier was singing. Thunder rolled
and a light mist of rain fell – enchanting. After a few hours to recover, we were ready to try Venice
again. This time with much better results. First I planned a route to the nearest traghetto and this
time we succeeded. There were passengers waiting and the price of 50 cents was posted. We were both in
shock with what happened next. You board the gondola, but there are no seats. You shuffle to form two
rows of standing passengers as the gondola rocks side to side. All those canoeing safety instructions
flashed in my mind. The elderly woman in front of me exuded confidence. Off we went across the Grand
Canal with everyone standing. What blast. Next we wandered over the Rialto and as I panicked over
picking a location to eat, Viki noticed a waterfront table coming free. The matre di indicated the
table was ours provided we would have dinner. This turned out to be a highlight of Venice. The waiter
took our picture in one direction with the Rialto in the background and another with the gondolas for a
background. He indicated photography was his second occupation. I had a draft beer, we shared an insalda
mixta. Viki had spaghetti
bolognese and I had spaghetti al fruiti de la mare. Viki was given parmesan cheese and when I asked for
some the waiter indicated it was a mistake to put on this my meal. He put a little on one small area just
to show that he wouldn’t deny a customer the right to be stupid. He was right. This was the best spaghetti
I’ve ever had – without parmesan. Lovely shrimp, scallops and tasty clams in the shell. Afterward we stood
on the Rialto and watched the world as if frozen in time. An excellent conclusion to our stay in Venice,
though we did get lost again on the way home and had to retrace our steps from the train station again.
Grand Canal from the Rialto Bridge
In the morning we were at the station early. We knew the routine for buying café latte. There were no
announcements for our train departure. We boarded and it and it left with no announcements whatsoever.
At least this time our assigned seating was honored. Stranger still, they provided a free beverage and
snack, air plane style. Meanwhile one of the passengers in front of us had forgotten to self stamp his
ticket at the train station. A Gestapo impersonator charged him $65 payable on the spot. Always an
adventure on Italian trains.
Firenze (Florence)
When we arrived at the station in Florence and I had no idea which of the 3 exits to head out, so I
was lost before I took a step out the door. A pattern is emerging in our Italian travels.
Our B&B at Residenza
Castiglioni was enchanting. After the struggles of finding it about 3 blocks from the station,
we buzzed up from the street and I spoke Italian, which is all the owner understood. We were buzzed in and
then had a pleasant conversation where she talked a lot about the map of Florence and because I’d studied
the town, I knew what she was saying. She was so pleasant and sincere that she seemed like family. The
cleaning staff helped out with English. Our room was unusual, with basically a painting on all four walls
and the ceiling – kind of a mini Vatican. There was a closet behind the head board so you could walk
completely around the bed. The bathroom door was barely discernible in the picture. There was a hair dryer too.
Basilica di Santa Maria del Fiore
Basilica di Santa Maria del Fiore
Basilica di Santa Maria del Fiore
We headed to the Florence Cathedral
(aka Basilica di Santa Maria del Fiore)
after having referred to the schedules
that sections are open and when I saw it I felt the same emotion that I’d had when I’d visited more than 40 years
earlier with my childhood family. Inside the cathedral was large with an empty feeling. The paintings on the
inside of the dome are fabulous. Next we ascended the tower. The off season wait was only about 10 minutes.
I can’t imagine what it’s like in summer. The trip is 463 stair steps with no elevator option. The spiral stair
case at the outset was dizzying. When you get to the level of the beginning of the dome you enter in to the church
at about 100 feet with a view of the people below and the painted ceiling above. I was terrified on the narrow
fully enclosed ledge and only glanced once for a few seconds at the mid point. Those in front wanted to stop and
enjoy the views and there was no room to pass, so I quietly panicked while I waited. From there we went back to
the inside of the dome structure through some switch backs and then the final ascent which is straight up toward
the top in a arc equal to the dome roof. As you go, you understand that the roof is above you and the dome painting
is actually below you. The views are the top are great, but I couldn’t get near the rail. Still, I did make it all
the way up.
Cupola, Basilica di Santa Maria del Fiore
Cupola, Basilica di Santa Maria del Fiore
Cupola, Basilica di Santa Maria del Fiore
After that we wandered past the Uffisi Museum and the statutes in the square nearby, walked over the Ponte
Vecchio, peaked in the entrance to the Boboli gardens and walked past the
San Cruce cathedral. I then realized we’d taken too long and we had to rush back to the B&B for our
reserved tickets to Michelangelo’s
David. We were both
exhausted from walking in the heat. It was great to go past the line up and straight in to see David. Although
there is a copy we’d seen in the square at the Ufissi, the presentation of the real sculpture at the Accedamia is
amazingly imposing. I flashed back to 40 years earlier again. The room makes the statue seem about 3 times the
size I expected and the detail is inspiring. We sat on a bench and just looked, as the statute draws you to stay.
In the evening we had dinner in the square overlooking the statues by the Uffisi. That night was very noisy
outside our B&B – people arguing, trash trucks collecting garbage after 10 pm, babies crying and all kinds
of commotion. It must echo down the narrow streets as the street we were on wasn’t very busy. Both Viki and I
agreed that we didn’t enjoy Florence. Too busy, too touristy and the impression it made on me 40 years ago now
was only a distant memory that couldn’t be found there anymore.
Ponte Vecchio
Napoli (Naples)
We were up too early for our free breakfast again in the morning. Over to the train station for our regular café
lattes and the 3 hour ride to Naples. Naples was crazy but fun. We stayed at the
Una Hotel – Napoli
on the Piazza
Garibaldi across from the train station. This was a lovely room, our best on the trip, with a full bath and fancy
marble tile. The room had wide screen TV and fancy remote controlling of all lights from the bed. There was a
view of the piazza. When you opened the windows, the sounds of Napoli came blasting through. The square has
cars coming in from 5 directions in a complicated traffic circle with no standard rules about where people or
cars should be. Throw you life in your hands and cross wherever you feel you might survive. The horn honking
is continuous, indicating that either the driver politely wants you to know they are there in impolitely wants you
to get out of the way. Add a few sirens and encapsulate this in a ring of street vendors and you have the
constant din of Napoli. Lots of fun.
entrance to McDonalds, Naples
We took the Circumvesuvia train from the stationing adjoining the Napoli Centrale main station. The
Circumvesuvia is a small train full of graffiti and full of passengers heading to Pompeii. When you arrive at
Pompeii, there are no directions and the throng of people humorously comes to a stop as people start to pull out
maps and try to figure out where to go. We passed them and went to the right, which turned out to be the correct
short walk to take.
Mt Vesuvius behind Pompeii
Pompeii, empty streets
Pompeii, busy streets
The site is quite amazing, not only for its ruins but for its size. We used the Rick
Steves podcast map which
was great. We also had the podcast audio but unfortunately I’m not a certified iPod operator and the battery was
dead, so we missed the audio accompaniment by Rick. We enjoyed following the map for three hours. Afterward we
weren’t up to dinner out in Napoli so we ate a high end McDonalds burger this time. A very pleasant day and we
both agreed that city, the ruins and the hotel all received an unexpectedly much higher rating than our Florence
experience.
Capri
In the morning, we weren’t eager for excursioning, but felt less like staying in the hotel room all day. First we
headed out for café latte and pastry at a local haunt. We knew the Italian routine by now. Buy at the cashier and
then present your voucher to get your food and drink. We took a cab to the Motorolo Belvedore and caught the
high
speed cat to Capri. The Disney Magic was in port there and passengers from
it said it was a great experience. Capri was another Italian tourist extravaganza. Multiple boats arriving regularly
from the mainland. Buy tickets for the funicolore nearby, while those unfamiliar with the practice line up only to
find they can’t get on without a ticket. The line up was long and we waited about 20 minutes for a free cable car.
At the top, in Capri proper, it was jammed with people. We began walking side streets and I’d brought a copy of a
recommendation for a walk that I’d found on the internet. This turned out to be a highlight. We walked the
Via
Matrimonia to the Arco Naturale. It was a peaceful walk with few tourists in partly cloudy weather. The arch was
magnificently large with a steep drop into the green waters below.
Arco Naturale
Next we both proceeded to make ourselves ill with a visit to Anacapri. We took the local bus for $1.40 each.
They jam pack them full of standing tourists and rush up the hill over speed bumps as they barely miss on coming traffic.
I was at the back of the bus near the outside edge and the view was frightening. Three quarters of the way up the
mountain side you go over a section where there is almost no rail and the road is suspended over the base of the island
and the sea. From my viewpoint, standing up, it looked like we were going right off the road. At the top Anacapri was
also filled with tourists and we both felt ill from stress of the bus ride. We walked to the
Villa San Michele
and this made the whole trip to Capri worthwhile. The $6 euro
fee at this house was keeping all the tourists out. It was a lovely spot which included a tour of the house, the gardens
and the best view on the island. The previous owner had adorned the property in statutes and roman art. At the edge of
the garden, the sphinx was what made Capri worthwhile. Set in a corner overlooking the islands and Capri in a manner
that never allows you to see the face of the sphinx, it commands you to look with it instead of at it. Sitting on the
nearby bench you could gaze with the sphinx to Naples in one direction and down on Capri at right angles. I spent quite
a while there and then had no desire to spend time anywhere else on the island. I did enjoy a salada caprese (Capri salad)
on the way out though. It’s made with tomato and mozzarella. The tomatoes and the spicing they use in Italy can’t be beat.
That night we were scared to search for anywhere else to eat and enjoyed McDonalds burgers for a second night in Naples.
In the evening I filmed the crazy square where honking cars and people dogged each other in a chaotic and yet commonplace
pattern while ambulance and police sirens wailed intermittently. We were more than pleased to leave Naples the next
morning,
but we had some great experiences.
Capri
Villa San Michele, Capri
Roma (Rome)
I thought our room in Rome would be a challenge, but it turned out to be a very pleasant stay. I had read on the
internet
that it was difficult to locate the Maikol B&B
so I’d already done a lot of research,
including Google street views. Unfortunately, the first mistake I made was to think that the first plaza I arrived at was
the Piazza Vortorino, but it actually was 3 blocks the other way, making for a two block error. By then I was becoming
more
confident of my Italian and after asking directions, we made it to the square. The hotel entrance was a simple wood door
beside the MAS store with the hotel name in tiny letters on the buzzer. The staff person was eager to use her English
and
immediately gave us a map and directions on how to get everywhere of interest. Everything was in walking distance, but
with
our new confidence on the subways, we used these to advantage too. The room had free internet, very nice air conditioning
and lovely cappuccino delivered to your room with breakfast each morning.
 
Colosseum & Stained Glass at the Vatican
We walked 10 minutes to the Colosseum
(Coliseum) and we were in among the hordes of tourists and
it was definitely a mistake not to buy tickets in advance. I understood that tickets
were
available at the Forum so we walked up there, but the line up looked too long. The other entrance for the forum was
closed
to tickets. We tried the
Palatine Hill and the line there was longer than the Forum. We bit the bullet and lined up, which took an
hour in
the hot sun and put Viki in to sun stroke before the sight-seeing began. I’m never impressed by crowds, plus several
others were sharing my complaint that the Forum map wasn’t accurate. Still it is quite impressive no matter what your
mood. We then made our way to the Colosseum and noticed the line up had decreased significantly. I was even less
impressed with the Colosseum. I guess ruined buildings visited by hundreds of people don’t overly impress me no matter
how big they are. Next we had to get Viki out of the sun and a return to our B&B to let her sleep for several hours.
We asked about places to eat as everything in the square was boarded up like a massive economic foreclosure. They told
us it was afternoon and that everything closed. They suggested waiting until 8pm for dinner.
Forum with tourists
Forum without tourists
When Viki got her energy back, we remembered the train station is a great place to find food and we then took the metro
to the
Spanish Steps. This was more pleasant and also intriguing to see all the people who come just to sit there.
We then followed our map with difficulty to the
Trevi Fountain. It was pleasant
in the shade of evening, but busy. Then we went to the
Pantheon and got seriously lost despite the
map. Plus the Pantheon was closed. We walked back to the B&B
from there and had an unexpected pleasure. The route went past the Forum and the
Coliseum, which were both now devoid
of tourists. We wandered the edges of the Forum and got great views of the empty spaces. It was worth it to be there
at night when all the tour buses had left. Very pleasing.
Spanish Steps
Trevi Fountain
The next morning, after a lovely breakfast in our room, we took the subway to
St Peter’s
Bascilica. This was really the highlight of our trip to Rome. The basilica is magnificent and peaceful.
The
tombs of the Pope’s underneath makes you feel its importance and the depth of time. The main floor is immense and
absorbs numerous lovely carvings and tributes to its Popes. The church is active and a service going on added faint
singing that echoed through the building and its various caverns. I ended up taking two trips around and paused a long
time to simply listen to the service. Then we went up the dome (cupola) and this was great too. It was an easier ascent
than Florence, including a substantial elevator ride. I had difficulty at the top, but overcame this and enjoyed the
views and the refreshing breeze. I had high expectations after that for the Vatican. We had reservations booked on the
Vatican site and it was wonderful to pass the crowds waiting in the sun and go straight in.
St Peter's Basilica
St Peter's, gigantic inside
St Peter's, typical of numerous life size sculptures
Strange Sistine Chapel.
Unfortunately the rest of our Vatican experience didn’t match St Peter’s. It was our first guided tour and it included
almost an hour of pre lecture on the drawings in the Sistine Chapel. The discussion was interesting, but my back was
breaking under the strain of standing still. Our own self guided tours go a break neck speed, not break back standstills,
so this tour wasn’t fun. The four Raphael rooms involved lengthy descriptions of the detail in each picture too, but at
least we were with the real pictures for that. The Sistine involves discussion before hand as it is an active church and
guides can’t narrate tours in it.
Raphael painting on all 4 walls and the ceiling, Vatican
After 2.5 hours we made it to the Sistine. What a weird experience. A large dank room crammed with people to every
corner. A uniformed official presided and continually made hissing noises at the crowd to maintain silence. At times
he would clap too. The murmur from the crowd never ceased and quickly built to the point of another reprimand. It
reminded me of the Dog Whisperer or a lion tamer controlling animals. When we finally got to the exit a security guard
waved his hand to indicate we could not leave, but did not speak. A loudspeaker announcement starting in Italian ensued.
I had the strangest sensation that the heathen had all been caged and were about to be dealt with. Then someone in a
wheelchair came in through the exit, making it clear why our exit had been denied and we were allowed to leave. I went
straight to confessional at St Peters.
After the disappointment of the tour, I wasn’t ready to leave and we hung around to try the Etruscan Museum at the Vatican.
Fortunately something remarkable happened. The crowds thinned and we started to have entire rooms to ourselves. We
wandered through the painting gallery and the Etruscan Museum. W e then discovered that the two large halls of statues,
that were over run and avoided on our tour, were now empty. We strolled around as if we owned the place and I
thoroughly enjoyed this time.
Vatican, tours have left for the day, just me and the Pope with the
place to ourselves
Viki was brave after that and we walked to the Pantheon from the
Vatican. It was interesting, but I went
mainly because it peaked my interest in the show Angels and Demons. Rafael and Italian Kings
Vittorio Emanuele II and Umberto I are buried
there. We wandered past the Trevi and the Spanish steps to catch a subway to our accommodation.
Follow part 2 of our European tour -
cruises in the Eastern Mediterranean.
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