European memories
In Europe we travelled in train from Rome to Venice later Venice to Zurich via Milan from Zurich to Paris and finally from Paris to Frankfurt.
Everything went by clockwork precision.
Our pre booked tickets under our travel company holiday factory of Dubai was in order.
One was in business class one in first class two on economy but all very comfortable
The stations were reached very easily as railway stations are downtown and well connected.
Even though we had heavy suitcases to lug around we found public transport very user friendly and economic.
Almost all people used them.
All metros trams buses were disabled friendly and roads and sidewalks smooth to drag suitcases.
Only in Venice there were cobbled roads ,small bridges and a boat to catch so it was not very easy .
In Frankfurt even reaching airport was so easy in normal metro which went straight in
Many major cities have costlier airport special trains .
Most train platforms are exhibited exactly 20 minutes before departure
So we reached Gare de lyons station in Paris in time but 20 minute deadline passed and our train did not appear in monitor.
So we asked info and they said you are in wrong station and you need to go to Paris East around 12 km from here and we just had 15 minutes to reach that station in peak hour traffic!
We somehow hopped into a cab who did his best though traffic signals every two minutes took our patience
Somehow we managed to get the train as booking another one would have been pretty expensive and all our tight schedule would have gone awry too
Frankfurt was our last stop in Europe
We were flying back day next
We had no specific plans for this city
We needed some good rest and packing time
And we had a feeling but being a big city Frankfurt didn’t have much to offer
Well we were wrong !
The evening on checking in Prof Bodokress a German neuro radiologist friend was kind enough to take us out for dinner in an authentic German restaurant along with his wife and son for us to get a.feel of authentic German cuisine
Authentic German cuisine contains lot of different sausages like metturst,brathurst,currywurst,weisswurst,knackwurst,etc.
They have a famous salad of yoghurt cabbage and onions while an onion cheese combo is called cheese with music .meat either veal or ham in thick slices well-cooked forms part of platter and all washed down with Apple wine .
The German restaurant was an experience in itself.
Gemalten haus or the painted haus has been in existence since 1936
It got its name by its excellent collections of paintings .
Dedicated cycle tracks are available everywhere in Frankfurt .
DB cycles are seen parked in all major centres and railway or metro stations tram stops etc .
One needs to download an app and send number seen on bike lock to a toll number and one would get the code to unlock the bike.
Charges at 8 cents per hour daily or weekly rents possible.
Though today Kochi has plenty of such cyles no one uses them .
On completing use of cycle one can relock bike any central place or intersection and send code to toll number .These days that step need not be done as it automatically is done
Required rent is drawn from registered account online .
A developed country is not one where poor buy cars its one where rich use public transport and cycles
The next day morning we went through brochures and joined the Rhine valley tour
it had an added city tour for first two hours in a city tour bus but as it was raining heavily we couldn't see much ,it was a damper .
but the days tour was very good as it was bright and sunny by then
Rhine river is lifeline of Germany
On its banks were lovely castles on hillocks small villages with wooden roofed cottages steepled churches winding paths lovely resorts green fields vineyards and veneers .
The tour would take us along in luxury coach the path along river the area being an UNESCO heritage site with most media vial castles intact later we would get into a cruise and lazily stream in Rhine river flowing majestically its silver sheen reflecting the towering castles
We would then go to a cute restaurant on its banks for a late lunch and return by coach visiting another high view point
We were back in our hotel by 7pm
Finally a summary of our European six city tour
Europe in late winter is awesome
One needs good thermals inside shirt sweater and a good overcoat
The one I bought in Taipei served the purpose well and the leather jacket bought in Dubai for me by wife too was an excellent choice.
What with different sweaters coats and shirts etc my suitcase was loaded.
Remember we had to lug two suitcases every two days we moved cities either to Railway station or airport.
Most European cities were luggage friendly though we had difficulty in Venice and Rome.
Venice only had boats but it was like metro and one could easily drag suitcases into them from floating jetties all very disabled friendly but the cobblestoned roads to and from hotel was another thing it was a bit tumble but not bad of course the small bridges required a climb and descent
As far as Rome was concerned in metro the escalators were steep with no lofts in sight
Carrying heavy suitcase in escalator is fraught with danger as one could lose balance or ones suitcase could tumble down like humpty dumpty
Taxis were easier but quite costly in Europe while most metros were cheap convenient and user friendly
We were wary of pickpockets well known in Rome and Paris
My advice keep passport in hotel locker don’t carry too much cash or many credit cards and keep wallet in coat insides
These days I think law is getting stricter and there was no worries it was relaxed travel .
The getting to know of metro was on first trip as language was at times in German or French but English options are available
in some places we bought one or two day unlimited tickets in some trip wise tickets
In Zurich there's no metro but excellent tram service is there.
Venice only has boat metros
Rome .Paris Frankfurt have excellent metros
Athens too has though we did not use it.
Metros are fast slick there are no traffic jams and timing is accurate
One needs to know where one wants to go in which line and where to change but maps are very user friendly and announcements are in English too
In Paris we had a real fright
We were waiting for euro rail to Frankfurt in Gere du lyons station and realised we should have been in Paris east station a good ten km away just 20 minutes before
Somehow we managed to get a cab lug our suitcases into it and wish driver Godspeed but Paris had signals every few yards producing palpitations but somehow we reached the station and got into our train just in time .
After reaching Athens we regretted carrying so much winter clothes not that it wasn't cold but the city had so much choice at such bargain prices we were sad we couldn't buy more!
Gulf air Frankfurt to Bahrain at least we got some hot rice and a tepid chicken and me some white wine
but Bahrain to Dubai it was an ice cold sandwich with sad cucumbers of course left behind by me fully
Can’t stand cold soulless airline food
Can’t they heat it!
Dubai my Dubai you surpass all
Be it in neat plenty toilets with bidets (toilet paper…… baaa
(We need water to clean buddy )
or drinking water
or duty free shops or
mind boggling marhaba lounge with spicy veg biryani steamed rice mushroom curry spicy samosas
with dessert and a Bacardi to top it
Nothing to beat my Dubai
