We are definitely going to call it a night early tonight. We have had a busy two days.
We got to Atlanta much earlier than we had planned. We were at the Huntsville airport early, and we noticed a plane loading passengers for Atlanta. Olen went and asked if we could just take that flight over and spend our extra time in Atlanta rather than Huntsville. The attendant asked if our luggage had already been checked on the other plane. When Olen told him we had no luggage, he immediately printed out two boarding passes, and we headed for Atlanta, thus taking no chances on our flight being delayed for mechanical problems or weather. I guess the ability to switch from one flight to another is yet another reason to carry it all with you!
We got to Atlanta with enough time for Olen to lie on the floor and take a nap before we left for Zurich! We were watching the sun come up somewhere over France or Germany this morning at about 11 PM Alabama time. I told you it was a short night! The flight to Zurich was just under nine hours, and after a semi-restless night we landed in Switzerland in hazy early-morning sunshine. We passed through passport control and had our rail ticket validated and were on the train headed toward Basel before 8:45.
We made a brief stop in Basel, Switzerland mainly to see the Munster (cathedral) where two historical figures were buried. We were a little jet-lagged at the time, and were having a problem deciding which tram to take to get to the Munster when a local lady came to our aid. She gave us exact directions (in fairly good English), and even paid for one of our tickets because we did not have the correct change. Aren't people wonderful?
The Rhine River in Basel, Switzerland
At the Munster we visited the grave of Desiderius Erastmus who influenced Martin Luther's work.
Olen also wanted to see the grave of Jacob Bernoulli, who was a mathematician and scientist. I am not the scientist of the family, but I do know that Bernoulli discovered a principle that has something to do with air flow over the wings of airplanes, thus enabeling them to fly. Since I like to travel, this has some meaning to me, but that is about as detailed as I can get on scientific principles. 
We rode back to the train station by rickshaw! A young man with a bicycle pulling a double seat was earning his money by doing this, and we thought it was an interesting experience, and about the same price as a tram ticket.
We boarded a train and headed north into Germany. Germany is about half the size of Texas and is bordered by nine countries. Our first stop was in Freiburg, which is a pedestrain town, with more hikers and bikers than cars. It is also known for its miniature canals which have been running since the 13th century. They were originally used to keep fires from spreading, and later to provide water for the people and animals. Now, they are just fun. It was a very warm day today, and small children were enjoying the cool water. One cute little girl had the perfect combination...cool water on the feet and an ice cream cone in the hand!
Our final stop for the day was another train ride to the small town of Staufen where we are staying tonight. Staufen is not on the way to anywhere! We took a small train through cornfields, asparagus fields and beautiful vineyards to Staufen (population 7,500). When we arrived at the tiny railroad station in town, we went in one door and asked the man who greeted us if we could get a schedule for leaving Staufen in the morning and heading toward Heidelberg.
"Wrong door. Go next door", he said.
We walked probably eight or ten feet and opened the door. There was the same man, but this time he was behind a counter, and this time he was glad to help us with our schedule!
We managed to get the schedule and get outside the building before laughing!
Like Freiburg, Staufen has the small canals in the pedestrain-only part of town. Olen sneaked some water shoes in his backpack before we left home, and enjoyed a few refreshing minutes wading in the water. Staufen has a wonderful old castle on a hill overlooking the town, and the entire area is surrounded by beautiful vineyards.
Tonight we are staying in a small guesthouse right in the middle of the historic area of town. Staufen is a charming little town, and there are not many tourists here, so we feel like part of the town itself.
So here we are in the most picture-perfect little German town, completeAnd with bubbly canals and church bells. There is even a chocolate the innkeeper left beside my bed. Life is good. After a good night's sleep we will be ready to see what lies ahead of us tomorrow.
We got to Atlanta much earlier than we had planned. We were at the Huntsville airport early, and we noticed a plane loading passengers for Atlanta. Olen went and asked if we could just take that flight over and spend our extra time in Atlanta rather than Huntsville. The attendant asked if our luggage had already been checked on the other plane. When Olen told him we had no luggage, he immediately printed out two boarding passes, and we headed for Atlanta, thus taking no chances on our flight being delayed for mechanical problems or weather. I guess the ability to switch from one flight to another is yet another reason to carry it all with you!
We got to Atlanta with enough time for Olen to lie on the floor and take a nap before we left for Zurich! We were watching the sun come up somewhere over France or Germany this morning at about 11 PM Alabama time. I told you it was a short night! The flight to Zurich was just under nine hours, and after a semi-restless night we landed in Switzerland in hazy early-morning sunshine. We passed through passport control and had our rail ticket validated and were on the train headed toward Basel before 8:45.
We made a brief stop in Basel, Switzerland mainly to see the Munster (cathedral) where two historical figures were buried. We were a little jet-lagged at the time, and were having a problem deciding which tram to take to get to the Munster when a local lady came to our aid. She gave us exact directions (in fairly good English), and even paid for one of our tickets because we did not have the correct change. Aren't people wonderful?
The Rhine River in Basel, Switzerland
At the Munster we visited the grave of Desiderius Erastmus who influenced Martin Luther's work.
Olen also wanted to see the grave of Jacob Bernoulli, who was a mathematician and scientist. I am not the scientist of the family, but I do know that Bernoulli discovered a principle that has something to do with air flow over the wings of airplanes, thus enabeling them to fly. Since I like to travel, this has some meaning to me, but that is about as detailed as I can get on scientific principles.
We rode back to the train station by rickshaw! A young man with a bicycle pulling a double seat was earning his money by doing this, and we thought it was an interesting experience, and about the same price as a tram ticket.
We boarded a train and headed north into Germany. Germany is about half the size of Texas and is bordered by nine countries. Our first stop was in Freiburg, which is a pedestrain town, with more hikers and bikers than cars. It is also known for its miniature canals which have been running since the 13th century. They were originally used to keep fires from spreading, and later to provide water for the people and animals. Now, they are just fun. It was a very warm day today, and small children were enjoying the cool water. One cute little girl had the perfect combination...cool water on the feet and an ice cream cone in the hand!
Our final stop for the day was another train ride to the small town of Staufen where we are staying tonight. Staufen is not on the way to anywhere! We took a small train through cornfields, asparagus fields and beautiful vineyards to Staufen (population 7,500). When we arrived at the tiny railroad station in town, we went in one door and asked the man who greeted us if we could get a schedule for leaving Staufen in the morning and heading toward Heidelberg.
"Wrong door. Go next door", he said.
We walked probably eight or ten feet and opened the door. There was the same man, but this time he was behind a counter, and this time he was glad to help us with our schedule!
We managed to get the schedule and get outside the building before laughing!
Like Freiburg, Staufen has the small canals in the pedestrain-only part of town. Olen sneaked some water shoes in his backpack before we left home, and enjoyed a few refreshing minutes wading in the water. Staufen has a wonderful old castle on a hill overlooking the town, and the entire area is surrounded by beautiful vineyards.
Tonight we are staying in a small guesthouse right in the middle of the historic area of town. Staufen is a charming little town, and there are not many tourists here, so we feel like part of the town itself.
So here we are in the most picture-perfect little German town, completeAnd with bubbly canals and church bells. There is even a chocolate the innkeeper left beside my bed. Life is good. After a good night's sleep we will be ready to see what lies ahead of us tomorrow.
One more thought. We have met another helpful person. I had trouble posting tonight and a nice man who runs an ice cream parlor in Staufen let me use his internet. If you are ever in Staufen stop by Kalte Sophie and buy some ice cream and tell them Jane sent you!
ReplyDeletewonderful post!!! lovely visions and even laughs, 'wrong door, go next door!' ha! thanks for sharing, Jane. You give us smiles.
ReplyDeleteAlways love reading your perspective on a trip Jane :)
ReplyDelete