Back Track to Bacharach - 6/29

After another nice breakfast at our hotel in Switzerland, that included a rare treat of eggs, we boarded the first of our 5 scheduled trains. The first ride was only 20 minutes down the mountain to the main town of Interlaken. There we checked in with Rail Services to confirm our schedule for the rest of the day - which they were able to do for us very efficiently.

The day was fairly uneventful - at least for most of the day. We made all of the connections very smoothly (except we did leave our bag of snacks on one train). Fortunately, the next train had a restaurant car where I ordered a nice plate of pesto tortellini and a very good German beer.)

But our last train of the day became an adventure. We said that if this had happened in the States, we probably would have been mad… but here, we realized it was just a fun memory in the making. Here’s what happened…

The last train was from Mainz to Bacharach Germany - scheduled to take about 50 minutes, mostly along the Rhine River. The train was probably the most modern and clean one we had been on. It even had an electronic board in each car notifying us of the name of the upcoming stop.

Anyway, we were about two stops from our destination when the train began to pull out of the current station, and it stopped after traveling about 20 feet. To make a long story short, after about 20 minutes an announcement was made that everyone had to get off and another train would be by in about 30 minutes to pick us up - so we did. At that time, Joanie noticed a family of four with a Rick Steves’ Travel book - he is the same author we have been using to plan our trip. (We have noticed many travelers with his book - in fact later that evening in Bacharach at dinner - of the 6 outdoor tables at the restaurant we were at - 4 of the tables were occupied by “Rick Steves’ travelers”! We all had a good laugh when we discovered that.)

Anyway, back to the side of the tracks waiting for our rescue train to come. So we struck up a conversation with this family (husband, wife, 17 year old son and 15 year old daughter) and when our rescue train arrived we boarded with them and hung out with them for the “short” ride to Bacharach - their destination as well. Well, that train didn’t stop in Bacharach - it sped right on by. So we all got off at the next station and found some train employees there. They told us we could take the next train south to Bacharach, which was boarding in about 15 minutes - so we proceeded to that platform and boarded that train.

Guess what - as soon as it began to move the conductor came by and we wanted to confirm with him that this train was indeed stopping at Bacharach. But “no” he said, the next stop would be Bingen - about 10 miles south of Bacharach. We couldn’t believe this - it was so funny - this is when we would have gotten mad.

So, at the Bingen station (which was a bit larger of a station) we again talked with some employees, checked with the departure board, and there was a train already in the station - looking like that clean, modern one we were originally on - and it was scheduled to leave in about 15 minutes, stopping in Bacharach. So, we boarded this train and this time, BEFORE it left, we actually where able to speak with the Engineer, and he confirmed for us that this train will actually stop at our destination - which it did. We were two hours late - but somehow being with this other family made the experience actually fun. (When we saw them later at dinner, the wife came over to our table and told us that her kids said they were glad that they went through this adventure with us - because if not - her kids said - they thought that their Mom and Dad would have been yelling at each other - funny.) Just another adventure in Europe!

Oh yeah - Bacharach. A very cute little medieval town on the banks of the Rhine - really gorgeous. We found our hotel near the far end of this little town. Our room was great - large, comfortable beds, large bathroom with a tub and no shower, and right on the main street in town. We ate at a restaurant that was right across the street from our hotel, where we sampled 16 locally-made Rhine wines - mostly Rieslings. Our dinner consisted of a cheese sampler plate - which was fantastic - and a “frankfurter” (crappy hot dog, not a Bratwurst) but with a very unique and tasty side of home made potato salad. After dinner and another stroll through town, we stopped at the Gelato shoppe and took our dessert down to the Rhine. A very pleasant and relaxed ending to a very funny day.

Our Day in Heaven - I mean the Swiss Alps - 6/28

We woke up early this morning, anxious to begin our day in the Alps. We had a very good breakfast at our hotel and then took the short walk to our first tram ride of the day… from the Lauterbrunnen Valley up to the very small village of Grutschalp at the top of the valley’s wall. It was beautiful.

Once we arrived there, we immediately hopped on a small scenic - cliff hugging train ride to the small town of Murren… again sitting high above the valley along the cliff. The town was very “Swiss” and the scenery was again stunning… with the base of peaks like the Jungfrau and Eiger seemingly in our faces. Just gorgeous!

We strolled through the small town and came upon an opportunity to get a couple of massages - which we couldn’t pass up. Turned out to be a great massage, which was really appreciated after all the different types of beds, pillows, walking and sitting on trains we had been doing.

After our massages, we had lunch in Murren at this outdoor restaurant with a billion dollar view of the Alps. Joanie had a curry vegetable and fruit plate, which was pretty good and I had a local specialty - Rosti with pork ring sausage and onion sauce - and that was really good!

After lunch we then took the 30 minute, down hill walk to the town of Grimmelwald, which was again incredible - the views, the small farm houses, and the local people working in their yards. In town, we hopped on a tram heading back down to the valley floor - and when I say down I mean it. WOW… was that an incredible ride. We dropped about 2,500 feet at a very steep rate, but again, it was beautiful.
After a short bus ride through the valley, we arrived back at hotel, and relaxed on our balcony a bit before we walked across the street for an outdoor dinner of pizza and salad and Italian wine.

To end the day today - again on our balcony with the waterfall view - we ordered a Bailey’s ice cream treat. Another incredible, memorable, beautiful day.

Arles the way to Switzerland (5 Trains - 9 hours) 6/27

We woke up in Arles, France and had a nice breakfast in the beautiful courtyard of our hotel. We then walked through town to the bus/train station where we were going to catch the 9am bus to Avignon, to catch our high speed train from Avignon to Lyon - the first leg of our day long trip. However, the 9am bus never showed. Fortunately, we were able to catch the 9:30 train from Arles directly to Lyon, so that worked out okay.

The rest of the day worked like clockwork. We would arrive in a station, and have about 5 minutes to find where the next train was and get there and get on. It was amazing - and a bit stressful during these transitions. We didn’t have enough food with us for the entire day, thinking we would be able to purchase something in one of the many transfer stations - but we never had time. And these local trains only had a snack cart, serving food we didn’t want to bother with. We made it by on a couple of apples and part of a chocolate bar.

The good part of the trip was once we got past Lyon, France, the scenery started to change - getting mountainous as we approached Switzerland - so we were well entertained… although near the end of the day we were getting a bit punchy (travel weary). Despite it being a tiring day - it was fun and memorable.

We finally arrived in Lauterbrunen at 6:30 pm, and fortunately it was a very short walk to our hotel. When we walked up to our room on the 4th floor, we were rewarded with a balcony and a beautiful view of the Lauterbrunnen Valley and a gorgeous waterfall… the best view from any of our hotel rooms so far.

That night for dinner we decided to eat at the hotel’s restaurant, where we met and shared dinner with Laura and Mike from Long Island. She was actually born in Switzerland and they were here visiting relatives. It was a fun dinner, and Joanie enjoyed an amazing salad bar and I had a very delicious and fun cheese fondue. After dinner, we purchased two glasses of Port and took them up to our balcony with our amazing waterfall view and the sound of the river rushing by near our hotel. A beautiful and relaxed way to end our long day of traveling. And that night when we turned out the lights, we left one window open, and the flood-lit waterfall was visible from our bed, lulling us to sleep. Ahhhhhh…

On to Provence, and Arles - (continued 6/27)

Okay… so we are at the Antibes train station waiting for our high speed train to Avignon, France. Scheduled to arrive on time at 10:54. And at just about that time, a TGV train (hi speed), pulls into the station. (These trains are not marked - meaning we are scheduled to be on Train # 6176, but there is no indication. Just the right platform at the right time is how you are supposed to tell you which train to board.) So, I bet you can tell where this is going. We boarded the train, in the right coach number and began looking for our seats (103 and 104) as the train begins to leave. We can’t find our seats - we ask a passenger if this train is going to Avignon and they said “oui”… so we decided to just take two available seats and wait for the conductor to come by and show us our proper seats.

About 20 minutes passes and still no conductor. So I got up and began looking for one, and only found the bar tender. Well, to put an end to this long story… we were on a train to Avignon alright, but on a train that was going to take 4 hours, instead of 2.5! So, at the next town we were able to hop off that train, cross over the tracks and catch OUR train a few minutes later. Yay!

However for some unknown reason, our high speed train was traveling slow often, and we ended up being about one hour late arriving in Avignon. The plan was to rent a car and drive through the wine country, arriving in Arles - a smaller town to the south. Well, being late really wasn’t going to give us enough time, so we hopped a free bus from Avignon to Arles.

The good news was - despite the fact that Arles looked rather yucky on our approach (the newer, outer ring of the city) once we got into the old town, it was very, very cute and authentic. There was even a smaller version of the Roman Colosseum and a Roman Amphitheatre in town. There were sidewalk cafes and bars, shops selling local fair - from tablecloths and aprons to baguettes and fruit and wine.

We had a nice dinner overlooking the Colosseum and to our surprise, there was a concert that evening in the ancient Amphitheatre - which we decided to attend - which only cost us 3 Euro. All this was just steps from our hotel. A very nice afternoon and evening to a day that began a bit crazy.

Oh yeah, Arles is where Van Gogh lived for awhile, and we went on part of this Van Gogh walk, seeing the spots where he painted several of is masterpieces.

A fun town and a fun day!

On to Provence - 6/26

Finally caught a bus from our hotel in Antibes into town. Found a nice place to eat breakfast and then walked the rest of the way to the train station.

(By the way - now is a good time to say how great it has been to be traveling lightly! It is the best tip we received. Joanie and I are each traveling with a small daypack and a carry-on size bag with wheels. We can, and have, walked blocks through towns with no problem at all. And when we have to go up stairs, the handle folds down quickly and there is a handle to carry the bags which don’t weigh that much. We also purchased clothes that can be washed in bathroom sinks and dry quickly. And we are also using these things called packing cubes - zippered mesh pouches of two different sizes. For example, I use my largest cube for my pants and shorts (total - 6 pair), a smaller cube for my shirts (5) and the other small cube for underwear and socks. It is so easy to pack and unpack every day, and to carry around. It really makes this on-the-go European tour very easy and enjoyable. And when we get into a situation where we have to walk further than we thought - it just isn’t a problem. Very, very nice. We can’t imagine traveling any other way again - unless you’re traveling by car.)

No to Nice - Oui to Antibes - 6/25

Yesterday when we arrived in Antibes on the train, we traveled through Nice. It did not look nice at all - it was huge and busy and crowded. On the train ride into France, we had to stand for the last hour. We both decided right then and there that we didn’t want to spend our only day on the French Riviera in this busy town. And once we experienced the difficulties of transit in this area - that decision was finalized. But it turned out okay.

This morning we borrowed 2 bicycles from the hotel and rode down to the beach. There we were able to rent two lounge chairs and an umbrella for only 10 Euros. We spent about 3 hours there, including having a small lunch at the snack bar right next to where we were laying. We then kept the bikes locked up and went on a walk along the sea. We then rode/walked home to freshen up for the evening.

So, in order to go into the town of Antibes, we had to find a Taxi, which again was difficult. The hotel helped us, but it still took about 15 minutes on the phone. Anyway, after a 20 Euro ride into town, we went to the Picasso Museum. The building was an old beautiful building, and the artwork only had a few of Picasso’s better works. It was too heavy on the scribbling for me.

We then walked through old town and the Marche Provencal… where we found an Absinthe Bar museum - which was very spooky. It was the drink that supposedly “helped” Van Gogh to lose his mind (or at least his ear). We were both too afraid to imbibe even though they sold shots of it there.

We then continued our walk, turned the corner and found a Thai restaurant, which was a welcome change, and turned out to be delicious.

After another long walk through town looking for a taxi, we finally went into a restaurant and asked if they could call us a cab, which he was happy to do. We sure have not encountered any of the “stereotypical” French snootiness we were warned about. Most everyone has been extremely helpful. After arriving back at the hotel, we watched a movie on our laptop and then called it an evening.

Ciao Italy - Bonjour France! 6/24

Today is a travel day - leaving Levanto around 11am and arriving in Antibes - after 4 trains. I’m actually writing this from the train - not live on the blog - but will copy and paste when we have an internet connection again.


Ahhh Antibes - when we arrived there was a Taxi stand right out front. After about 20 minutes, we decided to get a French SIM card for our phone to call for a Taxi. The cost - 25 Euros, with only 4 Euros worth of calls, at 50 cents per minute. We decided to forgo the phone and found someone who called the Taxi for us…. No answer. Turns out there was a bus strike that day, so the Taxis were very busy. We started to walk towards the town centre looking for a Taxi. We reached a square, and to make a long story short, we found a very nice person who called our hotel, and they came to pick us up. It was amazing how stuck we were.

Anyway, the hotel was nice - another very small room of course - but we had wi-fi in the room this time. Since we had no transportation, we walked about 10 minutes down to beach and had dinner at a restaurant overlooking the Sea. It was actually very nice and not too expensive. We both had a glass of wine, and Joanie had a huge Cesar salad, while I had a very tasty Linguine and clams. After a walk back to the hotel on a fairly balmy evening, I said to Joanie “vou le vous couche avec moi” and she said “oui”.