Richard
Posted by Henry Kisor (Member # 4776) on :
I just hope Swiss Starbucks coffee tastes better than the American crankcase drippings.
Posted by notelvis (Member # 3071) on :
Well - I'm not a fan of Starbucks (the aroma in their shops gives me a headache) but I'll take one for the team and do some recon work on this in June 2014.
That's correct!
I melted the plastic on my AGR Credit Card just last week purchasing airline tickets from Charlotte, NC to Frankfurt. We'll be in that part of the world for 13 days.
The trip will include a 2-3 day visit with my USAF Career brother-in-law but beyond that the interior planning is incomplete. We jumped on the airline tickets now because we felt like the fare available was unlikely to go any lower.
My wife and daughter may spend a full week with her brother seeing cathedrals and beer halls all day while I experiment with how far I can go with my own 5 day Eurail Pass.
At this stage - my wife and I have compiled a list of our TOP 3 'MUST SEES' and we'll compromise a final itinerary by March.
Her 'MUST SEES' are 1) the Cathedral at Cologne, 2) Geneva, and 3) time permitting, Turin, Italy.
My 'MUST SEES' are 1) the steam operated tourist railroad at Furka Pass in the Swiss Alps, 2) A concert by a world-class Austrian Brass Septet scheduled in a small Bavarian city near Munich, and 3) a visit to Hitler's 'Eagle's Nest' near Salzburg. While anything Hitler is most likely to be sacrificed, it is on my list because the villages surrounding the 'Eagle's Nest' were liberated in WWII by troops from the 101st Airborne..... the division I served with during my own Army time twenty years ago.
Of course beyond the 'MUST SEES' are a collection of "Wouldn't it be nice to's.....' Those include a boat ride on the Rhine River and/or one of the many lakes in Switzerland or a visit to King Ludwig's Castle near Fussen. I can easily see a couple of 'MUST SEES' coming off simply because a 'Wouldn't it be nice' or two turns out to be much nearer to where we're at on a given part of the trip.
Meanwhile - I've collected a handful of guidebooks and have become a huge fan of several websites..... most notably this one - The Man in Seat 61 Posted by yukon11 (Member # 2997) on :
Sounds like a fantastic jorney, David. If I ever really get to Switzerland, the King Ludwig castle would be a must (I hope they have a lttle bit of Wagner playing in the background, as you make the tour). I would also like to take the Swiss train from Zurich to St. Moritz although the hotels there are probably more expensive than Motel 6.
Richard
Posted by Vincent206 (Member # 15447) on :
Surely you'll be taking a Talgo night train during your 5 day excursion. City Night Line Posted by Jerome Nicholson (Member # 3116) on :
That is one vacation I'd like to take. High on my list, besides Neuschwanstein would be Friedrichshafen near Frankfurt. That's where the great Zeppelins had their terminal and where a ride on a modern day Zeppelin can still be done!
Posted by yukon11 (Member # 2997) on :
One other site, David, that I forgot to mention would be the model railroad display "Miniatur Wunderland". Don't know if you will get to Hamburg. I think that, alone, would be worth a trip to Europe.
Richard
Posted by notelvis (Member # 3071) on :
If my wife and daughter go solo with her brother for a few days a City Night Line train (perhaps Berlin - Munich) will make my intinerary.
If - and it depends on how much free time my brother-in-law will ultimately have - we're on our own for the most part, the 'first draft' itinerary would call for 2 nights each in Frankfurt, Turin, and Fussen (for the Neuschwanstein Castle), 3 nights in Munich (with a daytrip to Salzburg), and 1 night each in Cologne, Geneva, Oberwald, and some other Switzerland location..... Chur, St. Moritz, or Lucerne..... I'm lobbying for St. Moritz having already Google Earthed the route of the Glacier Express from Oberwald eastward.
Significant rail segments would be Cologne - Munich, Munich - Turin via Innsbruck and the Brenner Pass, Turin - Geneva via connection in southeastern France, Geneva - Oberwald via Montreaux, and Oberwald - Chur/Lucerne/St. Moritz.
Again - this is subject to change. At some point we will calculate how to do the railfares BUT I am leaning towards an 8-Day Eurail Select Pass valid in Germany, Switzerland, and Austria while purchasing the segments in Italy and France as individual trips seeing as how France participates in the full Eurail Pass but not the 'Select Pass'.
Ohhhhh - it is so exciting.
I will confess that we have been tucking money away for this type of trip for a couple of years now. Making it through 2012 without either my wife or I having a car payment was huge as we were able to add those dollars each month to the trip account.
Posted by RRRICH (Member # 1418) on :
Sounds like a great trip, David!! I spent the summer in Europe in 1968, while I was in college. I worked in Kufstein, Austria -- a border town right on the Innsbruck-Munich rail line. If your schedule allows it, it is worth your time to wander around Kufstein for a day or so. It's not a very big town, but they have a cool castle in the center of town, from which the Austrian National Anthem is played on a huge organ every day at noon (I assume they still do that), plus at the base of the castle is the famous Auracher Lochl restaurant, which attracts many mostly German tourists. The Inn River is nice also, and, at least when I was there, you could take a glider ride over the Inn Valley and Kaisergebirge (mountains) -- don't know if they still do that or not.....
When I was there, I traveled all over Austria, Switzerland, and Italy on European trains. I don't recall whether I had a Eurailpass or not -- I made all my reservations at the Tirol Travel Bureau in Kufstein before I left. On my trip (after I finished working in Kufstein) I visited Salzburg, Vienna, Innsbruck, Zurich, Luzerne, Venice, Florence, and Rome -- all great cities!!! I was not that impressed with Vienna, however. The train rides of course were great, and they actually operated ON TIME!!!!!!!
One day I took the train to southern Tirol, Austria, and then rode the Zillertal train up the scenic little valley to a quaint town in the Zillertal which I forgot the name of, but it was very nice!! From that town, you can ride a chairlift up to the mountain peak and get a great view of the Austrian Alps.
One piece of advice -- at least in Austria/Germany there are 2 types of trains, the Schnellzug and the Korridorzug -- the Schnellzug is an express train with fewer stops, while the Korridorzug (I think that was what it was called) makes stops at every town along the way.
Have a great trip!!!!
--Railroad Rich Kimmel
Posted by Gilbert B Norman (Member # 1541) on :
ON TRAINS (of sorts), one of the trips on my version of Microsoft Train Simulator is a steam powered Orient Express from St. Anton to Innsbruck.
Otherwise, last set foot 'On the Continent' May 1990; very mixed feelings about that trip.
Mr. RR Rich Kimmel, I note immediately you hath 'come out'.
Posted by palmland (Member # 4344) on :
David, the planning will be almost as much fun as the trip. A couple thoughts from escorting our teenagers around Europe almost 20 years ago:
Their favorite thing was our BMW rental (not considered a premium car) that we aired out on the Autobahn on our way to Bavaria; Everyone liked the small medieval town of Rothenberg in Bavaria - great spot for an overnight as you feel like you are living in another age in the evening after the tour buses leave; Also everyone's favorite was the train ride up to Jungfraujoch -after you leave the station at the top you walk out onto the glacier where family friendly (not steep) ski rentals await. Everyone also liked the Rhine cruise and you could check off two items on your list. We took a short day cruise that ended within a short walk to the Cologne cathedral. The countryside and castles are fascinating and kept the family happily occupied. I liked sipping the Riesling and watching the DBB trains scurry along the river.
Perhaps you could work in the overnight if you get a cheaper fare to another gateway city like Amsterdam then the night train to Munich. The boys' thought it was very cool to sleep on the train and have dinner with all the 'foreigners' while looking at the countryside that is so different from ours. The morning ride into Munich from Italy was great as we wound through the mountains.
Posted by DonNadeau (Member # 61606) on :
A route that I absolutely loved in Switzerland, with text below from RailEurope.com:
There are not many places in the world where 2 ½ hours will take you through a landscape from ice-age glaciers to palm trees, but that’s the Bernina Express route. This Swiss scenic train serves cities including Lugano, St. Moritz, and Chur to Tirano. You’ll ride with ease from Switzerland to Italy, relaxing as you glide through the countryside, enjoying sweeping vistas of Alpine crossings and dramatic gorges. You’ll pass over 196 timeless bridges and through 55 winding tunnels – all viewed through spectacular panoramic windows in First or Second Class.
If you choose to do the entire journey (available in the summer only), you’ll continue on to Mediterranean/Italian-inspired Lugano by modern bus, passing through charming Swiss scenery along Lake Como. Make sure you don’t miss out on this incredible adventure and sightseeing by reserving your tickets in advance.
The Bernina Express. Every minute you spend traveling on it to somewhere incredible, you’re already in somewhere incredible.
Posted by notelvis (Member # 3071) on :
Great advice Don, thanks.
Earlier this evening I discovered on Youtube a video of the Glacier Express departing Andermatt hitting 'the rack' on the edge of town.......
I joked with my wife that we could have saved the airfare by just watching Youtube!
Posted by Geoff Mayo (Member # 153) on :
Since Cologne was mentioned, if your legs/heart/body can handle it, walk up to the top of the cathedral. Spectacular architecture. Actually coming down was worse. My knees felt like jelly for hours afterwards.
As for Italy, the Leaning Tower of Pisa was a tick in the book for me - nice to see it; wasn't that exciting. However, walking around St. Peter's Basilica in Rome was a whole different story. Absolutely incredible in terms of size, architecture, and (even for a virtual atheist like me) very inspiring.
(On that last note my wife and I went to Egypt - luckily just before the troubles started - and one of the trips was to the site of the burning bush. Fascinating to see the place that everybody knows about. A bit like people going to where a movie was shot I suppose.)
Posted by Gilbert B Norman (Member # 1541) on :
Mr. Presley, you have been noticeably silent regarding your overseas trip. I can only hope that you, or anyone in your family, were not "overexpecting".
My trip to Salzburg, and only to Salzburg save whatever scenery I noted from the train rides to and from Munich, was the first of the dozen or thereabouts overseas trips that I've made in this life that I can heartily report "I enjoyed" and was glad I went. This was likely because the only agenda I had was to attend the three concerts for which I had ordered tickets. Everything else was "catch as catch can".
I did take the schmaltzy "Sound of Music" bus tour (pity anyone buying those busses after the tour company is done with them). Best part of the tour was how the guide explained all the stuff in the movie plot that 'simply didn't add up', i.e. hike over the mountains into Switzerland? that would be hike into Germany!!!!
But I met wonderful people; a college professor from Vienna who came to town just for the concert and we had wines together afterwards, and a gal my age who was born there and had lived through the WWII bombings (the railroads made it a strategic target). She says she is claustrophobic to this day from time spent in tunnels that were bomb shelters. On Sunday, she took me into the mountains (the aerial views opening the movie) and to a five star hotel, Schloss Fuschl, where she had married and had returned for many of her anniversaries. She had not been there since she was widowed two years ago, and I felt so honored she chose to ask me. The wines and appetizers (EU73) were as spectacular as was the view 1000ft (300m) atop Lake Fuschl.
Finally, from this article appearing yesterday in The Times, be sure to note the photo of Barenboim and Domingo standing on stage together. I was there for that performance and seated with the professor from Vienna:
Mr. Pressley had, by all accounts, a great trip but however had some bad news at the end. It'll be up to him whether he eventually re-appears and elaborates or not.
Posted by notelvis (Member # 3071) on :
I have reappeared and appreciate the concern.
As Geoff noted our overseas trip was phenomenal. There were Cathedrals and Castles, Trains and stations, hotels ranging from 'old-fashioned but appealing' to charming to full service. I was pleased that we experienced no problems with our hotel reservations and we stayed in 7 different hotels in 4 different countries. Pleased is an understatement..... I was thrilled because I made the hotel arrangements myself through direct contact (and reconfirmation a month out) with each hotel.
The itinerary held for the most part. We did have a couple of train cancellations.....one rectified simply catching the next ICE from Dusseldorf an hour later and the other by an SNCF bustitution from Chambery to Geneva.
One story from our trip -
Some background first - we traveled using separate rail passes - a 7 day German pass and a 3 day Swiss Rail pass. The segments of our trip which passed through Austria, Italy, and France were accomplished with pre-purchased single segment tickets. This arrangement did save slightly more than $500 over purchasing a Eurail Pass BUT we primarily did this because we would be riding trains operated by the narrow gauge Matterhorn Gotthard Bahn each of our three days in Switzerland. The MGB accepts the Swiss Rail pass as a 'show and go' document but only offers a 50% discount for passengers using the Eurail Pass.
This brings us to the train we rode from Zurich to Buchloe, Germany (final destination of the train was Munich). We needed 5 travel documents to ride that train - 1) the Swiss Rail pass, 2) the German rail pass, 3) separate tickets for the 20 minutes the train spent passing through Austria, 4) our seat reservation vouchers, and 5) our passports.
Our conductor came through and, after a heated discussion with the Russian lady across the aisle, charged her additional fare for something not correct with her ticket. He turned to us with a not very hospitable "Where do you wish to go?". I said "Buchloe" and handed the wad of documents over to him. He carefully inspected items 1-4 but just waved the passports back to me saying "Everything is in order here....thank you." He seemed surprised that an American had figured it out. As he walked away I whispered to my wife "Nailed it!"
There is a separate thread with a link to a Facebook album of European Rail photos...
Posted by Gilbert B Norman (Member # 1541) on :
Mr. Presley, it would appear that the closest you and family got to Salzburg was your Zurich-Buchloe trip.
One thing I learned on my recent trip was that European trains "ain't cheap", but then, I suppose in a land where Premium gas is $8.18 a gallon, nothing involving energy can be cheap.
My Munich-Salzburg "walk up" round trip was €131.00 ($181.62) for First Class 148 miles in each direction. That is a fringe more than Phila-Wash, where a walk up Regional fare is $148. I'm sure had I been a "smart shopper", it would have been less. First would be to avoid their "insurance" for €12.00. Who knows what it covers, but amongst tourists "there's a sucker born every minute". I also learned they have Senior fares, but they are Second class only, and lastly, there is a service charge for reserving seats (€5).
While the comfort level is likely less than that of an A-I, DB and OBB trains are fast, efficient, and always " more or less" on time.
And finally, as I noted with you privately, my deepest condolences are extended to you and family.
Posted by notelvis (Member # 3071) on :
Hi GBN -
Actually we did visit Salzburg as a daytrip from Munich on June 17! Being as close to the border (as noted in the Sound of Music tour), the German Rail Pass is honored to/from Salzburg.
We did not do the Sound of Music Tour (admittedly I was more tempted by that than my wife) but we did visit four churches, the Mozart birth house, the gardens, and a delightful little playground at the end of what seemed to be a medieval tunnel..... remember, there was an 8-year old amongst us so nearly every day included a period of finding something that could be climbed on or splashed in. We managed to do a good job of that.
I don't know if you can access photos on flicker but I have added an album there as well -
Click here for Flickr Posted by Gilbert B Norman (Member # 1541) on :
With the new computer having 8.1, I can again access Flickr.
Indeed Mr. Presley has submitted adequate evidential matter that he did visit Salzburg.
I went inside "Wolfie's" house, but it seemed "touristy trappy" and did not take the tour. Possibly photo 238 is also at Salzburg.
I guess one of my "souvenirs" was renting "Sound of Music" from Comcast for the next ten years (so long as I remain a subscriber). I dissected it, removing all the song and dance and found that in 1'48" out of the 3hrs there could be a story with intrigue that could be on the level of "Casablanca" or "Third Man".
Posted by yukon11 (Member # 2997) on :
I read some reviews of people who visited Wolf's house. Many did say it was kind of touristy and very crowded. They say there is an interesting video presented at the end of the tour.
I have a great early vinyl recording of the Mozart P. Concerto #20 with Barenboim. Getting to see both Barenboim and Domingo on stage! To quote an old beer commercial, "it doesn't get any better than that".
Richard
Posted by Gilbert B Norman (Member # 1541) on :
For those interested, the Concerto #20 K466 noted by Richard is that for the production credits in the movie "Amadeus".
Posted by notelvis (Member # 3071) on :
Close - 238 was in Munich.
For the record (so to speak) K550 was the first piece of music introduced to my music history class as an undergraduate student. Ultimately our listening list grew to a couple of hundred works but Mozart came first!
Posted by yukon11 (Member # 2997) on :
Richard
Posted by Gilbert B Norman (Member # 1541) on :
Mr. Presley, the most I can say about Munich is that I was there. All I saw of it was what is visible riding the S-Bahn Flughagen - Hbf; and that wasn't much considering it was raining, and I was zonked - no doubt in part thanks to United Airlines' great selections of wines. The Attendant, who knows my friend Maureen well, just kept coming around and pouring.
All told, especially when getting to Hbf and finding it was under construction, I walked up to the street - only to find I had to walk down again. English signage was "sparse". By now, I am thinking "another bummer trip to Europe; what else is new".
Returning, I was on a Meridian IC that stopped at Munich Ost. As I noted at another posting, a fellow with the DB got off there and I followed suit. He helped me with S-Bahn's slot machine, and getting off there likely saved the better part of an hour getting to EDDM.
Posted by sbalax (Member # 2801) on :
Mr. Norman--
Or, for the rest of us, MUC. I'm glad the ORD based s-UA (Subsidiary United) crew gave you good rides. It's always nice to be FOC (Friends of the Crew)!
Frank in cool and overcast SBA
Posted by Gilbert B Norman (Member # 1541) on :
Frank--
quote:Or, for the rest of us, MUC
I was in the "war corps" (65-69) long about when you were in the "other (antonym) corps" - no further comment on that point.
But during one tour (Dover AFB), I handled AM, Airlift Movement, messages, and all that was ever used in my work were ICAO airport codes. Three letter codes are simply VOR NAVAIDS.
In short, it is what I grew up with - just as have the Officers on your next flight.
But otherwise, I've heard from Maureen and she is always delighted to work with this gal who handled Business Class on my outbound flight. For the return, it also helped as the Attendant serving BC knew I was less than happy with a bottle of French "vin ordinaire" provided by the Munich caterers, so she broke out a bottle of Rodney Strong Chard from her "stash" that no doubt was otherwise going home with her.
FOC, plus paying for BC out of my own pocket, I'm sure all "helped the cause".
Posted by sbalax (Member # 2801) on :
Mr. Norman--
The men and women up front are, at the very least, bilingual. Their schedules and pay stubs use the three letter codes.
Out of curiosity, were you on a 777-200 or 767-300?
Frank in sunny and warm SBA
Posted by Geoff Mayo (Member # 153) on :
quote:I was a Pan Am 552 Flight Engineer waiting for start clearance in Munich, Germany. I was listening to the radio since I was the junior crew member. This was the conversation I overheard (I don't recall call signs any longer): Lufthansa: (In German) "Ground, what is our start clearance time?" Ground: (In English) "If you want an answer you must speak English." Lufthansa: (In English) "I am a German, flying a German airplane, in Germany. Why must I speak English?" Beautiful English Accent: (before ground could answer) "Because you lost the bloody war!"
The French have a habit of speaking in French too, which one day almost caused a major disaster had the non-French but French-speaking pilot of a pilot given directly conflicting instructions on a runway not understood what was said, in French, to the French aircraft.
Even us that supposedly learned German at school find it difficult to speak it. It's quite a tough language. A friend and I, after a concert in Cologne in snowy December, attempted to take the subway back to our hotel. The ticket machine was so indecipherable that we ended up walking instead - luckily not too far.
Posted by sbalax (Member # 2801) on :
Geoff--
I love that story. It may be apocryphal but it brings a smile every time I hear it. And the one about the British pilot asking for help from ATC and saying that the last time he was over Frankfurt he didn't actually land...
I have found our parking lot machines here in SBA to be difficult to manage -- especially on sunny days when the screen is not readable -- although I was able to help a French couple navigate one the other day. Perhaps a bit too much technology?
Last Spring we encountered a very difficult ticket machine on the 116 bus in Rome -- a great little mini bus that will take you on a sort of "Mr. Toad's Wild Ride" through the back streets on Roma. A fellow next to us said "Don't worry. They never check the tickets." We noticed that practically nobody paid.
Frank in dark and cool and damp SBA.
Posted by Gilbert B Norman (Member # 1541) on :
quote:
Last Spring we encountered a very difficult ticket machine on the 116 bus in Rome -- a great little mini bus that will take you on a sort of "Mr. Toad's Wild Ride" through the back streets on Roma. A fellow next to us said "Don't worry. They never check the tickets." We noticed that practically nobody paid.
Same appeared to be the case on my S-Bahn rides. Gotta say, €10.40 for a ride sounds steep, but then I think $8.18 ga. Naturally, commuters pay less, but that is still a might more than $2.25 on the CTA. ($4.45ga). I ponied up and concluded the trip with €.65 as a souvenir. Fortunately, LH's Lounge had The New York Times, Journal, and FTSE, on the rack - and comp.
Finally, acft both ways 777-200; a catering truck blocked my observing the tail number at Munich.
Posted by sbalax (Member # 2801) on :
Mr. Norman--
The #116 bus was only Euro 1,50 so a bargain at half the price. We thought there would be an end point before it started the second half of the circle but there wasn't. We were on the other side of the Tiber when the ride back to the hotel began and we just stayed on and enjoyed it.
I asked about the aircraft because BusinessFirst on the UA planes is not nearly as comfortable as on the CO aircraft. UA jams in 8 across (2-4-2) and uses that very old, low tech mix of forward and rear facing seats. On CO aircraft its 6 across -- 2-2-2 on the 777 and 2-1-1 on the 767. That's one of the reasons we are returning from Australia in October on Air Canada via Vancouver. Their 777 (with no F/C) is 1-2-1 in Business. And it was less than half the number of miles as the UA non-stop to LAX or SFO…
Frank in overcast and cool SBA
Posted by Geoff Mayo (Member # 153) on :
quote:Originally posted by sbalax: Geoff--
I love that story. It may be apocryphal but it brings a smile every time I hear it. And the one about the British pilot asking for help from ATC and saying that the last time he was over Frankfurt he didn't actually land...
That was the joke I was actually looking for!
quote:Originally posted by sbalax: A fellow next to us said "Don't worry. They never check the tickets." We noticed that practically nobody paid.
I discovered they seem to use the swarm method - out of nowhere a bunch of ticket inspectors will board a train, one car at a time, with enough inspectors to ensure nobody sneaks away. I suspect it is still rare to see this happen though - I guess we were fortunate to see them (and yes, we had tickets).
quote:Originally posted by Gilbert B Norman: [QUOTE]Finally, acft both ways 777-200; a catering truck blocked my observing the tail number at Munich.
Quite often you can find the last 2-3 digits/letters of the tail number on the nose wheel doors. However, browsing through a selection of UA pictures, some did, some did not, and I could not discern a pattern to it (ex-CO did not appear to be a factor).
Posted by sbalax (Member # 2801) on :
Geoff--
I haven't checked lately but the ship number (Last three digits) used to also be on the flight deck (Cockpit now being a no-no…) door. At least on the Continental side.
With time, the custom of naming aircraft has gone the way of names on Amtrak cars -- although some of those do retain names like the PPCs and most of the Amtrak California cars.
I remember flying on the Robert F. Six (Both the 747 and the DC10) on Continental and the William Patterson and "The First Eight (Flight Attendants)" on United. The latter two had plaques explaining the name mounted on a mid-cabin bulkhead.
But, I digress.
Frank in cool and dark SBA
Posted by Gilbert B Norman (Member # 1541) on :
Judging from the postings at this site, I should have found someone else to fly than United if I were springing for Business Class:
But for someone who boards about six airplanes a year, and all save one between 2009 and now had been "puddle jumpers' (who'd even THINK of paying for First on one of those?), United's 777-200 configured 2-4-2 in Biz (and 3-4-3 "back there") was some kind of "flying nirvana".
A site called Seat Guru had tipped me off about United's Aft facing seats.
Posted by Geoff Mayo (Member # 153) on :
I had a vague feeling it (the aircraft frame ID) was on a metal plate immediately adjacent to the main entry door too, but couldn't prove it. That might be related to manufacturer and/or model.
As for rear-facing business class, BA do this too, as do many other airlines. However, I would not recommend BA business class to my worst enemy. I've been BA biz before but on my "emigration flight" to LAX they served a burnt chicken korma for lunch and a choice of vinegar-soaked salad or mayonnaise-coated sandwiches (mayo contains vinegar; I hate vinegar) for dinner, and no option for anything else. Their "raid the larder" ran out of food somewhere over Canada. Yes, they had lie-flat seats, but service was economy level at best.
Posted by Gilbert B Norman (Member # 1541) on :
I have friends who "go back to the Old Country" every couple of years, and they swore up and down I should have gone on LH.
But since to me "a flight is a flight", United is the hometown airline, I know my way around KORD Terminal 1, and not much more out there, as well as that my reward points will benefit a charity of my choice, that is who I flew.
Finally, I even overlooked that LH flies a "gas guzzling" A-340 KORD-EDDM; four engines are better than two should the "unlikely event" occur.
Posted by sbalax (Member # 2801) on :
Geoff--
I think you are right about the manufacturers ID plate but it's difficult to spend time looking for it with the new regulations about "not congregating near the galleys or lavatories". Alternatively, you COULD ask a crew member. The ship number should be on the manifest and docs.
I tried www.seatexpert.com but found it a little more difficult to use that www.seatguru.com which I just noticed is part of the TripAdvisor family now.
Curiously neither site shows the UA 777 that is used mostly for U.S West Coast (LAX/SFO) to Hawaii flights. F/C is 2-3-2. It's considered a junk market where most people in F/C are on miles or upgrades.
The thing I dislike the most about the forward/aft seats is that if you are on the aisle you end up looking at the person across the aisle for most of the flight.
Mr. Norman--
I only hear good things about LH. I've been to their Business Class Lounge in Frankfurt and it was wonderful. The self cleaning toilet was a masterpiece of either German or Japanese engineering.
"Back There" was either 3-3-3 or 2-5-2. Most likely the latter since the 3-3-3 was s-CO's choice.
Frank in overcast and cool SBA
Posted by yukon11 (Member # 2997) on :
[QUOTE]Originally posted by sbalax:
The self cleaning toilet was a masterpiece of either German or Japanese engineering.
**********************************
Let's get one for every Amtrak train.
Richard
Posted by notelvis (Member # 3071) on :
Nearing the end of the first day of a new school year...... it has gone a bit better than I had expected given that we're dealing with our third new computer system in the last ten years, two new administrators, and a new data entry person.
Has it been good? Not quite.
Has it been unmitigated disaster? Not that either.
Am I ready to run away to Switzerland again? In a heartbeat!
Posted by DonNadeau (Member # 61606) on :
Mr. Norman,
quote: . . . I know my way around KORD Terminal 1, and not much more out there, as well as that my reward points will benefit a charity of my choice, that is who I flew.
LH leaves from T-1. :-) And, of course, United points earned on LH.
Posted by sbalax (Member # 2801) on :
David--
How many more First Days do you have ahead of you?
I clearly remember my FIRST First Day and my LAST Last Day! 35 of the first and 36 of the second (I started mid-year as a long-term substitute and stayed all those years at the same school.).
Have a great one and enjoy it while you can. Friday Afternoons and Sunday Nights will never be the same when you retire.
Frank in sunny and warm SBA where the kids go back on Wednesday and I've organized a breakfast for all of my school's retirees!
Posted by notelvis (Member # 3071) on :
Hi Frank -
I expect 8 more first days of school!!!!! I could retire in October 2022 but will more likely complete that school year leaving in June of 2023.
That's not to say that I plan to do nothing in retirement. I worked my way through graduate school driving a shuttle bus (with the help of some GI Bill Money) and I could do something of that sort again. I could see myself once again being a volunteer train host for the NCDOT if we move closer to Raleigh or Charlotte.
Don't mistake me for a bitter burnout though. I enjoy working with teenagers and in the role of school counselor (as I have been for 21 years) I manage to be effective.
The issue is that I'm not able to be a 'one-stop' shop in scheduling students. Too much of what needs to be done often cannot be done until someone else at another computer either across school, across town, or even somewhere across the state does something on their end. Just frustrating to have 40-50 things always started and very rarely moving seamlessly to completion.
I suppose I'm very near to being an old fogey complaining about modern technology, huh?
Posted by Gilbert B Norman (Member # 1541) on :
Since this topic has become an "All things Europe" varietal, here is a video I think all will enjoy - and even more so if fluent in German:
The video shows a cab view of a train descending a "mighty steep" grade Langen am Arlberg to Bludenz Austria.
All told, when compared to the locomotive handling the depicted train, I'd dare say the new Amtrak Siemens locomotives are going to have an easy time of it in this life.
Posted by RRRICH (Member # 1418) on :
Great video, Gil!! Thanks for sharing. I was trying to locate this route on Google Earth, and found Langen am Arlberg and Bludenz, but I couldn't find anything else, especially the town called "Hintergasse," that name which is visible on the side of the railroad at a station, about halfway through the clip. I also saw Graz in the clip, but Graz, Austria, is nowhere near this route -- there must be a couple smaller towns in W Austria by that name too.
Great winter Alpine scenery!!
Posted by Gilbert B Norman (Member # 1541) on :
Rich, I agree that Graz is a long way from where the video was supposedly taken. But then, the videographer was there - and we were not.
Here is more of the OBB taken under winter conditions. You will note that one of the trains was 18 minutes late; can you blame 'em?
St Anton is some 100km West of Innsbruck and is at the summit of the Arlberg pass. The RailJet equipment is what I rode Munich to Salzburg July 22; I really was too zonked to otherwise enjoy the ride. I should have known arriving EDDM that United Business Class passengers had privileges at the Lufthansa Lounge where they had showers. That would have gone a long way to improving my disposition.
However, someone there would likely have told me that where to get the train to Salzburg was Munich East. However the RJ's do not stop there, and I would simply rode a Meridian train. They might have also saved me about US$90 (paid US$185.29 for the Round Trip - European trains don't come cheap) in the process had they said that 2nd Class is (honest) "just as good" on the Meridian as 1st. They might have also told me to forget about "insurance" and seat reservations (they can't kick you off; you just might have to stand) and that there are Senior rates available.
Posted by Gilbert B Norman (Member # 1541) on :
And the best for last; 1:37:00 Traveling Eastward from Bludenz to Innsbruck. This is over both sides of the Arlberg Pass and includes the route taken by the Microsoft Train Simulator "Orient Express".
Another excellent OBB video, Gil! I watched the entire clip, and was able to follow it easily on Google Earth (the subtitles identifying the stations helped!)
I most likely rode that same train westward in 1968, when I spent a summer in Europe during college. I had been living and working in Kufstein, Austria, and I believe I took that train from Innsbruck all the way to Zurich, Switzerland. I do not remember if I took the "Schnellzug" or the slower train, but I think it was the Schnellzug.
Interesting, but I saw ZERO freight trains on this clip, but several passing OBB trains!!
Posted by Gilbert B Norman (Member # 1541) on :
European railroads exist for the convenience of passenger trains - and with gas costing $8.18ga, it is simply no wonder volks flock to the trains.
Result is that there is a system of fast, frequent, trains that are adequately comfortable. However, luxury in the form of the Orient Express for most of us is on our MSTS games.
But freight is some kind of a joke. Here are cars that can handle two TEU Crowley containers, which means one 40' (not 53) highway trailer.
And 20 cars is a good sized freight over there.
While of course it would be absurd to say that North America lacks navigable inland waterways, there is hardly as many as there are in Europe per square mile. Thus much more of their commerce is handled by water.
I'm sure than when European railwaymen come over here, they are simply astounded when they observe an oil train. But right now, what flows through their East-West pipelines is largely controled by "Vladimir The Great". If they had a flexible means to handle oil, they might not be so dependent on him.
