Travel blog part 2...
Two days in Salzburg and three in Prague has left me with a bad case of touristitis! The heritage and gorgeous architecture is to die for, but - and this more so in Prague - I'm completely over crowds, especially in narrow streets. Even the dozens of tourist guides holding up flags, rolled up itineraries and umbrellas to keep their lagging and wandering charges in order failed to amuse after a while!
So here are a few other rambling thoughts.
On the journey from Starnburg to Salzburg. The autobahn is great - except when it’s congested with traffic and slows down to a stop-start 30kms per hour for irritatingly long periods. One major hold up on the return trip was at the border between the two countries. Forcing the huge volume of traffic to a two-lane, 10km crawl to remotely and visually check over each vehicle, a recent response to the on-going migrant crisis, wasn’t exactly the free movement between EU countries I was expecting.
Then there was the spin-off from that issue that occurred on our trip to Prague. With six of us travelling Jas and I opted to do the 5-hour journey on the train, leaving the others in the car. It seemed a fun idea at the time, but then we didn’t expect the young guy of Middle-Eastern appearance on the first leg of the journey, the local train into Munich, pushing his way up and down the carriages, ranting and arguing with himself. Clearly unhappy about something, the fact he was wearing a backpack and holding something in his hand was a bit of a concern, so much so that when he finally got off three stations later there were huge sighs of relief all round - until the doors closed and there he was was again still debating with himself - and anyone who dared to look his way. On the plus side, the authorities were making their way down the train and obviously realising this and having arrived at a decision, he jumped from the carriage and disappeared down the platform.
Well, of course the minutes were ticking away and any hope of making our Prague connection was disappearing fast. I’m happy to say though we finally pulled into the lower level of the of the main city station with literally one minute to spare before the international train to the Czech Republic departed from a platform in the main concourse. Sprinting like young gazelles, something I had no idea of was capable of anymore, we shot up the escalator and made it with barely a second to spare.
And on the journey from Munch to Prague. If you ever travel this route, pay extra and upgrade to 1st Class. Regardless almost the entire train was 2nd class, it was crowded, with some passengers choosing to stand in the corridor. By comparison, our first-class compartment was an oasis of calm! Oh, and I’m using the term loosely! No luxury on this train as you can see from the photo, just a little more space for your money and seats that can recline a tad. There wasn’t even a buffet car for the five-hour trip. Instead, an elderly gentleman with cart of drinks and snacks catered for our needs until the border, when he got off and that was that for the remaining three hours!!!
So here are a few other rambling thoughts.
On the journey from Starnburg to Salzburg. The autobahn is great - except when it’s congested with traffic and slows down to a stop-start 30kms per hour for irritatingly long periods. One major hold up on the return trip was at the border between the two countries. Forcing the huge volume of traffic to a two-lane, 10km crawl to remotely and visually check over each vehicle, a recent response to the on-going migrant crisis, wasn’t exactly the free movement between EU countries I was expecting.
Then there was the spin-off from that issue that occurred on our trip to Prague. With six of us travelling Jas and I opted to do the 5-hour journey on the train, leaving the others in the car. It seemed a fun idea at the time, but then we didn’t expect the young guy of Middle-Eastern appearance on the first leg of the journey, the local train into Munich, pushing his way up and down the carriages, ranting and arguing with himself. Clearly unhappy about something, the fact he was wearing a backpack and holding something in his hand was a bit of a concern, so much so that when he finally got off three stations later there were huge sighs of relief all round - until the doors closed and there he was was again still debating with himself - and anyone who dared to look his way. On the plus side, the authorities were making their way down the train and obviously realising this and having arrived at a decision, he jumped from the carriage and disappeared down the platform.
Well, of course the minutes were ticking away and any hope of making our Prague connection was disappearing fast. I’m happy to say though we finally pulled into the lower level of the of the main city station with literally one minute to spare before the international train to the Czech Republic departed from a platform in the main concourse. Sprinting like young gazelles, something I had no idea of was capable of anymore, we shot up the escalator and made it with barely a second to spare.
And on the journey from Munch to Prague. If you ever travel this route, pay extra and upgrade to 1st Class. Regardless almost the entire train was 2nd class, it was crowded, with some passengers choosing to stand in the corridor. By comparison, our first-class compartment was an oasis of calm! Oh, and I’m using the term loosely! No luxury on this train as you can see from the photo, just a little more space for your money and seats that can recline a tad. There wasn’t even a buffet car for the five-hour trip. Instead, an elderly gentleman with cart of drinks and snacks catered for our needs until the border, when he got off and that was that for the remaining three hours!!!
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