This train ride features Eurocity, Intercity and Regional trains
By Don Heimburger Photos by the author
My travel plans had taken me to Prague, and I wanted to visit the medieval town of Goslar, Germany near the Harz Mountains. I had time to get there, and opted for a seven hour train ride so I could relax, unwind and see the scenery. Besides, trains are magic, and it’s much more fun to see the countryside from a train than it is from 30,000 feet up in the clouds.
Leaving my Prague hotel early morning, I take a short tram ride to a subway, and 15 minutes later walk up into the light of day where Prague’s Holesovice train station awaits me.
My particular concern is that I can’t read a word of Czech: Nada. Rien. Nichts.
FINDING MY TRAIN Waiting in line at the station to check the status of seating on my Eurocity train leaving at 6:40 a.m.—that’s correct a.m.—a man darts in front of me. I can’t even say “excuse me” in Czech. And I can’t get much information that I can understand from the railway clerk, who sends me to another office down the corridor.
But I eventually learn that EC 178 (Eurocity) to Berlin is on time, that I likely won’t need a reservation in addition to my first class ticket, and that I’ll need to wait a few more minutes before I go out onto the platform. Once I make it to the platform, people stream out a few minutes before the train is due in, and once the train is stopped, they all board relatively fast. You have to in Europe, or the train leaves without you.
Praha-Holesovice station
I noted that the departure/arrival screen in the station–-not a large board like in most major European cities–was very small, and that there wasn’t room for more than several train listings at a time; perhaps not many intercity trains come and go from Prague.
ON BOARD The car I sit in features good, comfortable seats–there are two first class cars, and I’m next to the on-board restaurant car. At my first class seat, tables fold down from the seat in front (like on an airplane), the chairs are adjustable, the windows are large in width and height, there are foot rests, and there’s luggage space above the seat. I could cross my legs and not block traffic as I sat in the aisle seat.
Conductor waits for passengers to board
As the train pushed through Prague and into the countryside, I could tell me were accelerating, and the engineer was using his electric locomotive to give us “the juice.” I suspect we were doing at least 100 mph at times.
When meal time came—enough of the menu was in English, with the help of some of the German I know—that I didn’t starve.
There were plenty of beverages available from coffee, lattes and espresso, to tea, wine and beer. Or you could order a Pepsi Cola. Other foods available included croissants, cheeses, sandwiches, soups and a vegetarian plate.
Dresden was the first stop once the train crossed the border into Germany.
CHANGE IN BERLIN At the new Berlin train station, I had 18 minutes to hoof it to track 13 from track 7 (on a different level of the station)…and the conductor told me and the schedule in my hand called for me to change levels in the station. From there I boarded an ICE train (Intercity Express) for Braunschweig, Germany and with a 26-minute wait there, I had plenty of time. From there a Regionalbahn train took me to Goslar, arriving at 2:08 p.m., right on time.
A big part of the trip is its predictability; you can nearly always count on Rail Europe trains to do what they say they’re going to do. And it’s fun riding, and watching the little towns, the historic castles and rivers fly by outside your window.
For more information and to get your ticket for an overseas train ride, go to www.raileurope.com.
The winning falla, which cost more than 1.2 million to construct.
By Darryl Newman Photos by the author or as noted
Valencia is probably best known as the birthplace of Valencia oranges and paella, but from March 15-19, you might think Spain’s third largest city was the birthplace of pyromania mixed with pageantry and celebrations. It’s the festival of Las Fallas, and it’s billed as one of Europe’s most spectacular events.
Fallas means “fires,” but is also the word to describe wooden-framed monuments that are placed in squares and key intersections throughout the city. The fallas depict current events, politicians and celebrities, and usually have a satirical tone. On the last night of the festival, the cremà takes place, the burning of all of the fallas, except the winning one.
Winning children’s falla
HISTORY OF FALLAS Why the burning? Over past centuries, carpenters cleaned out their shops by making bonfires of wood scraps. It coincided with St. Joseph’s Day, the patron saint of carpenters, on March 19. The wood scraps took on doll-like shapes and then became effigies reflecting whatever face was griping the neighborhood. Today the fallas still poke fun but appear as elaborate polystyrene (styrofoam) painted works of art that can tower as high as a six-story building and cost more than $1 million to construct.
MASCLETÀ At 2 o’clock from March 1-19, there’s the daily pyrotechnic mascletà in the always-packed City Hall Square. For 10 minutes, about 250 pounds of gunpowder explode in a rhythmic cadence of deafening blasts. Different sound artists shoot off a concoction of giant firecrackers, thunderous smoke bombs and screaming rockets to wow the crowds.
The city hall falla turns into an inferno during the crema.
STREET FESTIVAL Valencia’s Old Town, the largest in Europe, is the ideal place to stroll around looking at the hundreds of captivating fallas (pack comfortable shoes). To accommodate the over one-half million visitors to this coastal city, 700 streets are closed to traffic. Down any street, you may see a 100-member falla commission with women, children and men in 18th century ornate Valencian dress being followed by their lively marching band. The streets are also filled with other kinds of sound. Random firecrackers can be heard everywhere and don’t be surprised to see toddlers, yes toddlers, taking part in the fun.
On a food note, you might see paella being cooked over hot coals in the street. To quell any hunger, temporary food stands are also set up everywhere, serving hot buñuelos de calabaza con chocolate (hot pumpkin donuts with hot chocolate as thick as pudding). For a refreshing drink, you can try the local horchata from the tiger nut legume. It has a pear-like texture and a thirst-quenching sweetness.
Neighbors gather to cook paella in the street.
BULLFIGHTS As with any good festival in Spain, there’s always a crowd at the Plaza de Toros (bullring). For nine days, the best bullfighters in Spain descend on Valencia. This year, two young superstars, José Tomás and Sebastián Castella, were on the billing among many other talented bullfighters.
It’s said that Spain hasn’t seen a bullfighter like Tomás in decades. He excites the crowd with his poise and fearless entanglement with the bull. Many of his passes let the bull in so close that it actually grazes him. Somehow, Tomás makes what is arguably a cruel sport seem like a graceful and courageous ballet with death.
Superstar bullfighter Jose Tomas
FLOWER OFFERING Amid the celebrations, there is a solemn aspect of Fallas as well. It is the procession of 105,000 Valencians from the edges of the Old Town to a 40-foot-high statue of Our Lady of the Forsaken, Valencia’s patron saint. Women carry bouquets of white, red or pink carnations that are offered to the Virgin. For two days, the flowers are placed in between wooden slats to fill in the pattern of her super-sized robe. The women become so emotional at seeing the Virgin that many are overwhelmed with tears.
NIT DE FOC Every night there are fireworks leading up to the 1:30 am Nit de Foc (Night of Fire), the biggest fireworks show of the festival. Thousands walk across the bridges of the city to the Paseo de la Alameda to get a clear view of possibly the world’s noisiest and most colorful 22-minute extravaganza of fireworks. The sky is so bright with fireworks at the finale that it appears as if it is daylight.
CREMÀ The last night is the cremà with 766 fallas burning throughout the city. At 1 am, the huge falla at the City Hall Square is the last to burn. It is doused with gasoline and packed with fireworks and loud explosives before the immolation. Within minutes it goes up in scorching flames. It’s a sad ending to the festival, but the burning is said to take away the past year’s negativity in order to make room for a new season.
The next morning, the streets are all clean and a calm takes over the city. It seems as if Valencia just simply turned over a fresh new page.
HOW TO GET THERE Valencia is relatively easy to get to from the US. First, get yourself on a flight to Madrid, Spain’s capital. From Madrid, it’s a quick 40-minute connecting flight to Valencia. Iberia, the national airline of Spain, partners with American.
WHERE TO STAY Valencia has over 100 hotels to choose from. I stayed at the Hotel Astoria Palace. It is the emblematic hotel of Valencia, ideally situated in the heart of Old Town and a few short minutes walk to the City Hall Square, cathedral and restaurant/shopping areas. Its central location is key for all the main events at Las Fallas.
The hotel itself has a long history of impressive guests from famous Spanish actors to bullfighters. Despite its 204 rooms, it has the elegant charm of a smaller hotel; it was recently renovated with a modern lobby and dining areas as well as with a spacious, high-ceiling bar. The rooms are classic Spain with rich wood furnishings.
During Fallas, the charismatic director Juan Torregrosa was present in the lobby and throughout the hotel to greet guests. He speaks English having had lived with a family in Arkansas for two years.
Vinatea, the hotel’s restaurant, features an extensive menu including a dozen unique rice and paella dishes. Its modern white setting with purple flourishes is the perfect place to dine and to try a bottle of wine from their extensive bodega.
WHERE TO EAT If seafood is your thing, Civera, near the train station, is a must. You won’t believe their selection of shrimp and lobster in tanks to the scallops and dozens of different kinds of shellfish on display. All of their seafood is either from the bordering Mediterranean or Cantabrian seas. You can try the biggest oysters you’ll ever see — about the size of your fist. If you haven’t tried grilled sepia (local form of calamari) with olive oil, you’re in for a treat.
For a classic Valencian restaurant complete with paella and other typical rice dishes, try La Riuà. It’s one of the oldest establishments in the city with walls decorated with colorful and fascinating plates.
For artistic and mouth-watering tapas or pintxos, there’s Sagardi, a Basque tavern-like setting with an upstairs restaurant for dining including juicy T-bone steaks and popular fish like hake and cod.
As I usually do, before making reservations for any European trip, I study a map to see where I’d like to go. Sometimes I am not aware of towns or attractions near where I’m traveling to, so a map can help identify those in short order.
The European map came in handy again recently when I booked a flight between Chicago and Munich, the first of what was to be a two-part air journey between Chicago and Budapest. When I discovered the Munich to Budapest air fare would be about as much as the Chicago to Munich fare ($746.00), I quickly gave second thoughts to how I would travel there. And who wouldn’t.
I didn’t want to drive through three countries (Germany-Austria-Hungary) because of gas prices, and my unfamiliarity with the laws and the roads. A bus would take too long, but a train, despite a journey of some seven hours, 22 minutes, would be economical and fun. And I had not ridden those rails before. In fact, Hungary was an altogether new adventure for me.
Munich’s Hauptbahnhof
RAIL COST WAS NOMINAL A check at www.raileurope.com‘s new website quickly showed that a one-way trip to Budapest’s Keleti Station would cost only $171 U.S. dollars 2nd class ($269.00 first class), and once on board I could sleep or relax from my Atlantic crossing. With the new Rail Europe website, all I had to do was key in my departure and arrival cities, and up popped the cost for the date I wished to travel.
I would arrive Munich via Lufthansa at 5:55 a.m. and have plenty of time to travel on the S Bahn (covered by my Rail Europe ticket) from Munich Airport to the main Munich train station (Hauptbahnhof) to catch Train #63 at 9:27 a.m. to Budapest.
The flight over was uneventful, and the plane landed a few minutes early. Not having been in Germany since the spring, I was craving a croissant made the way the Germans make it, so I waited at an airport restaurant, indulging in coffee and croissants, until 7 a.m. and a Deutsche Bahn office opened to have my train ticket validated (you must validate tickets purchased in the U.S. prior to boarding a train in Europe).
I made a small deposit to reserve an assigned seat in first-class just to be sure. If the agent tells you the route can become crowded with passengers, paying a little extra for a reserved first-class seat can save you from transferring to second class if all the first class seats are taken.
LARGE MUNICH STATION DEPARTURE BOARD The large train departure board in Munich’s station is fascinating to watch, as new train numbers with boarding tracks pop up every few minutes, and people rush to that platform to board. My train’s notice appears on the board, I see my train roll into the station, and I board car #262 and settle into a comfortable, high-backed leather seat. The train, headed by an electric locomotive, the locomotive of choice in Europe, grabbed onto our string of passenger cars and eased us out of the station on time. Nothing new there—Europe’s trains are almost always on time.
Outside of Munich proper, I look out the window and guess we’re traveling between 95 and 100 miles per hour. I’m likely accurate on this, as European trains can move. A short time later the conductor confirms the train speed at 160 kilometers or 100 miles an hour. One reason trains can travel so fast is that the European track system is much stronger and can hold up much better at high speed. European rail lines have been investing heavily in their train tracks and facilities for years and years, and this is the payoff.
After a while, I note that the heat in the car is a bit excessive, but the conductor enters the car soon enough and announces the heat will be adjusted; it was. By 10 a.m. a porter with a trolley of beer, sandwiches, candy, rolls and chips arrives in the car to ward off any hunger pangs of the passengers.
As we near Salzburg, I can start seeing the snowed-covered Alps that I’ve come to be fond of; I see the Festung on the top of the hill in Salzburg, but only for a moment as the train rolls on. We’ve changed conductors since entering Austria. By the time we arrive at Linz the train is 8 minutes late, and continues to be behind schedule for a while.
Dining in the Speisewagen
TRAIN IS NEARLY FULL Looking around at the seats and the various cars, I found that 90% of the train was full, and all but about 10 first-class seats had been reserved. If the seat is reserved in the first-class section, a small stub will be attached to the seat with the person’s name on it as well as their boarding and departure stations.
Walking up through the train to the Bord Restaurant, I found it not crowded, and serving Hungarian-style food, including goulash and Hungarian beers. The service was fast and the price was very reasonable.
We roll through St. Polten 10 minutes late, and by Vienna we are 17 minutes late and running into fog. I don’t remember if we arrived late in Budapest, but we were nearly on time nevertheless. The Budapest train station was massive, with a large arching trainshed, similar to many large city trainsheds in Europe.
The trip was as advertised, it allowed me to catch up on my sleep from the flight over, and it allowed me to get into the “European mood” for my travels for the next two weeks. I also saved a lot of money. And in this current rough economy, that’s a good thing.
Travelers who like continental lake districts should set their sights on Mecklenburg-Lower Pomerania, Germany’s least densely populated federal state.
More than 1,000 lakes and ponds speckle the countryside terrain. Seven of those are right inside Schwerin’s municipal confines—plenty enough to give this Landeshaupstadt state capital (population 97,100) the appeal of curving shoreline pathways, footbridges, causeways, pleasure-boat docks and south-side Zippendorf’s sandy beach. To reach the city, take an InterCity Deutsche Bahn train from Hamburg, a 57-minute trip (check www.raileurope.com).
Get acquainted with the Schweriner See (biggest of the inner-city lakes) by way of a short Weisse Flotte cruise to Kaninchenwerder and Ziegelwerder, a pair of woodsy nature sanctuaries frequented by 100 species of birds. Even more central, crisscrossed by ferryboats, the oval-shaped Pfaffenteich features spouting fountains and a terrace café.
If this local water world doesn’t satisfy outdoor enthusiasts, you can hike-bike-paddle through the beechwood-forested Warnotal valley, 43 miles northbound toward coastal Rostock-Warnemünde via hidden-away riverside villages.
First though, one of Europe’s most flamboyantly spectacular castles, inspired by Grand Duke Friedrich Franz II, fairly shouts for attention. Its pentagonal bulk stands on a lake (the Burgsee), consciously imitating Château de Chambord in France’s Loire Valley. Rising from medieval fortress foundations on a mini-island accessed by ornamental bridges, ongoing construction and impulsive add-ons produced the neo-Renaissance, gilded-domed Schweriner Schloss, finally completed in 1857. End result, amidst terra-cotta trimmings: a splurge of pinnacles, belfries and 15 turrets. For dramatic impact, floodlights illuminate the ensemble during nighttime hours. Surely an extravagant setup for the state’s Landtag parliamentary offices.
PORTRAITS, PORCELAINS AND OLD MASTERS PAINTINGS For visitors touring the premises, however, bureaucratic doings play second fiddle to the castle’s cultural finery. Not to be missed: galleries devoted to portraits covering 600 years of ancestral dukedom, plus important Mecklenburg landscape paintings. Also here: a lavish oak-paneled banquet hall, chapel and big-windowed orangerie. Inlaid-wood floor patterns and silk brocade wall hangings embellish the ducal throne room.
Watch for the Schloss museum’s displays of furniture, jewelry and weaponry, but especially its sizeable porcelain collection (Meissen, Sèvres, Fürstenberg). Relax in the rococo tea salon or stroll through the flowery Schlossgarten, accentuated by allegorical statues (www.schloss-schwerin.de).
Thanks to past acquisitions made by Mecklenburg Duke Christian Ludwig II and his son Friedrich, the state’s Staatliches Museum Kunstsammlung ranks high as an outstanding fine arts repository. Surrounded by linden groves on Werderstrasse’s northern edge of lakeside Alter Garten greenery, this cultural gem (built 1877-82) resembles a Grecian temple. Gallery-goers ponder Dutch-Flemish “Golden Age” materpieces (Rubens-Rembrandt-Hals-Breugel), but influential German works (Cranach the Elder-Caspar David Friedrich-Max Liebermann-Lovis Corinth) shouldn’t be ignored. Also prominent: Thomas Gainsborough’s full-length, 18th-century Queen Charlotte rendition and (surprise!) a comprehensive French array of dadaist-surrealist Marcel Duchamp canvases.
The Beaux-Arts Mecklenburgisches Staatstheater, another Alter Garten edifice, stages operatic-ballet-theatrical performances—and is “home hall” of the Mecklenburg Court Orchestra, established 448 years ago for eminence as Germany’s third-oldest symphony orchestra, after Dresden’s Staatskapelle and Leipzig’s Gewandhaus.
PANORAMIC VIEWS FROM THE CATHEDRAL TOWER Schwerin’s cityscape emerged in remakably good shape from the economically skimpy GDR decades. So take in the architectural mix. Dom St. Maria und St. Johannes (on Bischofstrasse) exemplifies soaring early-Gothic north-German brick cathedrals. Climbing 219 spiral stairs to the tower rewards sightseers with terrific panoramics from a 320 foot altitude. Evocative tidbit: the 15th century golden cross crowning the steeple was salvaged from Wismar’s war-damaged (and, in 1990, GDR-dynamited) Marienkirche.
On the Marktplatz, you’ll see an unusual kind of Rathaus—basically Gothic but scrunched behind an English mock-Tudor façade. It stands near Schwerin’s 18th century Säulengebäude market hall, fronted by a dozen white Doric columns.
(right) Monument commemorating Henry the Lion, Duke of Saxony, founding father of Schwerin.
In 1707, a planned Schwerin Neustadt community named Schelfstadt came into existence. Narrow streets, clustered half-timbered Fachwerk houses, Baroque Nikolai Church and tidy kitchen gardens comprise a worthwhile visitor attraction. Same for this lakeside setting’s Freilichtmuseum Schwerin-Muess, recalling 18th-19th century rural folkways.
WHERE TO EAT, WHERE TO SLEEP The Sorat organization converted a 1936 wheat warehouse into Speicher am Ziegelsee, where spacious guest rooms complement a 55-seat restaurant (www.speicher-hotel.de). Another Ziegelsee choice, Best Western’s Seehotel Frankenhorst, has boat dock, swimming pool and whirlpool-sauna amenities (www.seehotel.bestwestern.de).
Tops in town for deluxe ambience and Pffanteich vistas, Niederländischer Hof includes a wood-paneled library and mirrored restaurant (www.niederlaendischer-hof.de). Centrally situated Alt Schweriner Schankstuben is a budget category 16-room Gasthaus (www.alt-schweriner-schankstuben.de).
Among recommendable in-town dining options are upscale Weinhaus Uhle (www.weinhaus-uhle.de), beer-pouring Zum Stadtkrug Alstadt Brauhaus (www.altstadtbrauhaus.de), sophisticated Friedrichs, occupying a circa-1801 neoclassical mansion (www.restaurant-friedrichs.com) and ever popular Wallenstein, on a Schweriner See embankment, where patrons seated on the open-air pavilion are treated to views of the castle (www.restaurant-wallenstein.de). For a coffeehouse break, find elegant Café Prag, with sidewalk tables overlooking Schusterstrasse, and Röntgen on the Markplatz.
PLANNING YOUR TRIP Tourist Information Schwerin (www.schwerin.com) is located longside the Rathaus. Or, go to the German National Tourist Office for answers (www.cometogermany.com).
One of my favorite things to do when planning a European trip by rail is to pull out my European rail route guide and investigate the towns and topography of the area through which I’ll be traveling.
Thus, when I recently organized a trip to Oberammergau, Germany from the Black Forest village of Villingen-Schwenningen, to visit the Passion Play theater and interview some of the play’s directors, I was delighted to see that I’d be changing trains at Pasing, a suburb of Munich, then heading south into the Alps. Pasing station is undergoing a major remodeling around the platform area, and it needs it. Hopefully by now the station is done and the passengers can more easily maneuver on the platform.
The schedule called for me to arrive Pasing at 11:20 a.m. on an Intercity Express from Ulm. Then a Regionalbahn train left at 11:39 a.m. for Murnau, which was slightly under an hour trip. At Murnau, I took the last leg of the trip to Oberammergau. End of story? Not quite, because the fun in travel is actually traveling, not going just from point A to point B.
WHAT THE FUN IS The fun is waiting for the train, watching the other passengers and seeing what pulls up at the station when its your train. The fun is checking out the cars and seating arrangements, finding the diner and having a meal, or watching the scenery go by. And that’s where my research came in. I knew that the fun part of this trip—any train trip in Europe–is watching the scenery, and I was in for some spectacular scenery.
Not far out of Pasing I could tell the tracks were heading southwest, and towards the Alps. Actually, on a very clear day, you can see the Alps from Munich itself, but I hadn’t been able to see them when I flew in until the very last moment before we touched down. Now, however, it was a beautiful clear day, but it wasn’t until about Murnau that I could see the landscape starting to suggest something big was going to happen.
At Murnau the track split, with one line going to Garmisch-Partenkirchen and then onto Innsbruck: that would have been an awesome route to follow. The other line made a large loop, ending up in Oberammergau. Had the line been straight, the schedule for that segment of the trip would have been much less than the allotted 40 minutes. After Murnau, and a quick on-board lunch that I had packed, the track started to conform to the undulating hills.
Oberammergau Mayor Arno Nunn is in charge of the world-famous Passion Play 2010.Sit back and relax with a cold beer under a tavern umbrella.
MOUNTAINS LOOM LARGER We rolled further south, and there finally the mountains appeared and were growing bigger at every turn in the tracks. Our regional train, with a loud squeak for a horn, signaled for road crossings and little dirt paths that wound up into the foothills. Colorful mountain flowers along the way were welcoming enticements to follow the increasingly curvy path to my destination.
Small, interesting German villages, rich green forests, rolling meadows and the looming Alps were all reasons to continue the journey and discover what Oberammergau had in store. A word of caution: don’t step off at “Unterammergau” when you want to get off at Oberammergau. The town names, when you aren’t German and the conductor speaks fast, can be very similar!
At Obergrammergau the track abruptly ends at the station–there’s one track in–and it’s the same track out of the station. From there, you can walk into the center of town, or get a bus or cab. This little city, where the world-famous Passion Play is held every 10 years, is usually very active and touristy. But you feel like you’re in a “real” German town when you’re finally relaxing with a cold beer at a small tavern under the shade of an umbrella, and the Alps rise majestically above you. That’s living, that’s Germany, and trains will take you there. Next time, try the “small rail routes.”
European Traveler 