Day 5 Getting to Germany

We took the train which was very nice (we found an open compartment in First Class and bagged it…) We didn't go up or over the mountains but instead  through a series of tunnels from one valley to the next.  The ride was smooth and fast.  The train was about half full so we ended up with a compartment to ourselves.  Nice reclining leather seats.  We picked up lunch at the train station before we left Zurich so we had a sandwich and some fruit for the trip.  The weather in Zurich was pretty nice, but by the time we got to Germany it was overcast.  At Karlsruhe it started to rain…

By Heppenheim is was nice again.  Steve picked us up at the train stations and we went to visit the Heidelberg Castle which was about 30 minutes away.  It was started in the 1400's and never actually finished… In part because it kept being knocked down in wars with France.  We made it just in time to catch the daily English Language Tour so we were able to go inside and see the interior rooms.  The guided tour was well worth the 4 Euros and we had a great time.  They are restoring the castle as they get money and while it may take a 100 years it will have much of it's previous splendor returned some day.

We went to dinner in a little out of the way German place in Heppenheim.  It was excellent and after Zurich wow it was such a deal!

Day 4 - Notes from Zurich.

 TRAVEL TIPS

Number 1: bring lots of money. I am constantly amazed how expensive things are here.  If you use a credit card they will offer to convert your bill to US dollars but the exchange rate is about 1 CHF = $ 1.02.  You can elect CHF and take the daily bank rate.  My credit card adds 3% so if the bank rate is less than $0.98 to the 1 CHF you will actually do better to let your bank do the conversion.

Number 2: If you have an unlocked quad band GSM phone bring it.  I picked up a Lebra CH SIM card and 5 CHF credit in the train station for 5 CHF.  The phone now calls the US for $0.28 for the first minute and $0.09 for each additional minute.  This is a better deal than the pre-paid phone card I used in the past.  This also gives you a local phone number that you can use.  So much better than the phone card in this respect.  The deal in other countries is worse than using my US AT&T phone on international roaming so I will have to look for inexpensive SIM deals in each country I visit.  Two weeks to go and we will have to see how that works out.

WHAT TO DO

From the main train station take the S10 train to Utilberg. This train will give you a beautiful ride up the mountain near Zurich.  When you reach Utilberg you can walk up the trail behind the train station to the top of the hill (about half a mile).  There you will find a spectacular view of the city in the valley below.  There is also a Hotel/Restaurant that we stopped at for lunch on Sunday.  They were having "Swiss Adventure" for kids up on the mountain that weekend and there were hundreds of kids zip-lining throughout the trees and dropping off the communications tower on a rope and harness.  They were landing right next to where we were having lunch on the patio.  The weekend is family time and the train that runs every 30 minutes during the week between Zurich and Utilberg runs ever 20 minutes on the weekend.  Many people come up and just wander on the beautiful and well maintained trails that cover the mountain.  Many trails were like small roads and there were lots of mountain bikers.  Just a fantastic place for outdoor sports.  Along one of the trails there is an educational exhibit about the solar system. It starts with a model of the Sun and as you hike the trail you come to Mercury and Venus and so on all the way to Pluto.  It is amazing to feel the physical distance and see the relative size of each planet from this presentation.  As a physicist I know these things as facts, but the actual physical presentation really brings it home with a sense of proportion better than any other presentation I have seem.

We visited the Museum for Design Sunday afternoon after we got back from the mountain.  Just two stops on Tram 4 from the main train station… drops you right in front of the Museum (well you have to cross a small park) but you can see the building.  Interesting but smaller that I expected.  Two curated exhibits both well done.  Entrance is 12 CHF/person and we sent about 90 minutes on the exhibits.  If you are interest in design you want to see it just for the design of the exhibits. 

So tomorrow we pack up and leave for Heppinheim, Deutschland.  So far this has been a great experience.

Day 3

We took the tram downtown.  By some good fortune we ran into a young woman from the US who is going to school ere and got the lowdown on how to use the Zurich transport system.  We ought a 24 hour ticket at the hotel and headed done town… but the trick you need to know is to put he ticket from the hotel in the slot on the machine at the tram stop to validate the "start" time of the 24 hours.  This allows travel anywhere, by any public transport means (tram, bus, ferry) for a full 24 hours.  So if we get up and get going downtown early enough we won't have to buy s pass until tomorrow afternoon and that one will cover us to get to the train early Monday

I talked to the international rail travel folks at the Main train station and we are set for Heppenheim and then to Prague the next day.  We had to pay extra for a Bus reservation, even though they took the trains down… But we have a confirmed time and we expect everything will work out.

We spent the day at the Swiss Landesmuseum learning all about Swiss history.  It is pretty interesting.   Lots of well done displays and a few in English.  We had the Audio Guide in English and that helped a lot.  Between Nancy's French and my German we were able to figure most of the stuff out.  Stopped for tea after the museum… Then took a tram down to a street faire going on in the "old town" area.  After walking around for awhile we stopped and had Fondue for dinner… It was very Swiss and very filling.  Hopped a tram to the train station, Picked up some Croissants and Bananas for breakfast (I like bananas)  And a few more Granola bars for snacks….  Then back to the hotel and to the blog… All in all a good day.

Day 2

Well we made it to Zurich and it is raining like crazy.  The airport was easy we went and got a couple of hundred Swiss Francs to have come cash.  Learned that we wanted to go to the international reservations center to get the Eurail pass activated  and that they ca make reservations for the trains there.  We found out that getting to Prague will be a problem.  Seems the Germans are doing rail work all over the country but particularly in the east so everything north of Munich and south of Berlin is closed and we may end up on a bus.  All of a sudden the rental car solution that would have been a 4:40 drive has turned into a 9+ hour train and or bus trip.  We will actually have to get to Germany to see what the connections are like the Swiss train company has limited information and really couldn't advise us. 

We planned to see Steve Reynolds in Germany but the connections to Prague could be a problem.   We have booked a taxi to meet us at the train station in Prague to get us to the hotel at 6:26 PM so we may have to make some adjustments in our plans.

We did get the reservations on the train for Prague to Vienna and Salzburg to Zurich as those are high-speed trains and need the reservation for First class… but the peak travel season is over and the other trains shouldn't be a problem.

Day 1

Well we made it to New York and are hanging out in the Flagship Lounge (it is nice to be Executive Platinum) while we wait for the flight to Zurich.

About ready

Finishing packing, document check, file with all the reservations... OK we are good to go.  This will be the adventures of Rick and Nancy Exploring Switzerland, Austria, Germany, The Czech Republic, Hungry and anyplace else you can get to before we have to come back to the States.

So enjoy