eastern europe in 5 weeks
In an uncharacteristically organized move, Anna and I have figured out exactly where we’re going and when for the remainder of our trip. We were prompted to do this by an unusually helpful tourist info office in the Munich train station, Euraide, sponsored by Deutsche Bahn, the German rail company. We went in initially to find out if it made sense to buy a rail pass or if point to point tickets were the way to go. There are no Eurail passes for Poland, Hungary and the Czech Republic, so that made our decision simple.
The impressive thing, though, was when we decided to book our ticket from Munich to Vienna. The lady helping us told us our options, got us the cheapest fare possible and suggested a stopover in Salzburg, which we enjoyed immensely. We were pretty excited after our experiences in India and Nepal with tourist bureaus. No comission, no nonsense, just straight answers and efficient work. God bless the Germans.
While we were in there, we asked if these Euraide stations were all over the place. They aren’t. They’re only in Berlin and Munich. The process was so easy, and the people so pleasant to work with, that we decided to book the remainder of our train tickets. We spent a day figuring out dates and went back yesterday morning to book the rest.
So here’s our plan: we’re in Vienna for 3 days, and then leaving on the 17th for Budapest in Hungary. We stay there for 5 days and then take a night train to Krakow on the 22nd. We’re in Krakow for 4 days, then move to Warsaw for 3 days, and end up in Prague for 4 days. After Prague, we take a night train to Frankfurt, arriving in the morning on the 4th of July, and then fly to Marrakech in Morocco the next morning, July 5. We’ve a week in Morocco, then fly back to Frankfurt on the 12th. We’ll take a train to Amsterdam on the 13th and fly home from there sometime on the 15th, with a little luck.
Steve has offered to come over to AMS and meet us, as it would be easier for us to get on a flight with his higher preference number, but there are 8 flights a day that NWA operates between AMS and either MSP or Detriot. I think our odds are pretty good even if he doesn’t want to come over. Of course, with 8 flights and Steve’s higher number, that gives us a shot at first class, depending on how full the flights are. It’d also be fun to see Steve again, and wander around Amsterdam with him for an evening.
Today we’re going to check out some of Vienna’s world famous museums. The whole center of the city is packed with museums, old churches and palaces from the days of the Habsburg empire. It is a very cool city, with tons of culture and history and I’m excited to spend a few days here poking around.
This is a fun way to travel: a few days here, a few days there, and on the train to the next town. You never have a chance to get bored, because by the time you do, you’re in another town.
Tags: Austria, plans, Travel, Vienna
awrichner
efficiency is what germans are all about. its in our genes. as a matter of fact, we only have 14 chromosomes, because the rest were just a waste of space.
Sounds like an amazing experience. Happy late birthday wishes.
I start my new job on Monday and I am not sure if I am terribly excited or terribly frightened. Not sure if I am prepared for this.
Hope you enjoy your remaining time.
good luck on Monday. I´d probably be terribly excited and terribly frightened at the same time. I´m looking forward to having a job, but not starting a job or actually working.
and maybe you only have 14 chromosomes, Justin, but you can´t blame your birth defects on your german heritage.