Babe's Blog

I occasionally have coffee with a group of male senior citizens.  Most of these men are retired professionals--school administrators, teachers, salesmen, an artist and the like.

There political views are red--way to the right of red.

Consider their reactions to the following two situations. 

'So?' was Dick Cheney's response on national television when told that two-thirds of Americans do not support the war in Iraq.  He went on to argue that polling should not dictate the war's conduct. 

That Chuck Hagel has been a terrible senator for the state of Nebraska.

In regard to Cheney's statement, the consensus of the group was the United States needs a strong leader(s) and Cheney and Bush provides us with this leadership. 

The group was very critical of Hagel.  Based on the feelings of this group, Hagel would not have had a chance to win reelection.  One person even said he should be a liberal senator from New York or some other such liberal state.

I don't expect everyone to agree with my views.  I tried to explain my views on the war one day and was meet with a little ridicule and a lot of silence.  I questioned as to why we entered this "war."  I thought I would appeal to their conservative spending habits. I mentioned the U.S. is spending a billion dollars (that's with a b) every two and one-half days on this "war."  The comment most directed to me that morning was "better to fight them over there, than here."

When I hear the comment, "better to fight them over there, than here," I think of how easy it is to cross either the Mexican or Canadian borders.  When one of my ESL students told me he went back to Mexico to get his seven-year-old son and wife to bring them to this country illegally, and they all entered this country with many other illegals without any difficulty.  Then why can't a healthy 20-year-old terrorist not be able to cross into the United States as well?

The Canadian Broadcasting Corporation recently ran a program which showed employees of the CBC--an announcer and a cameraman stepping out of a car and crossing from Canada into the United States.  The announcer was carrying what was a deactivated explosive device and the cameraman had his camera.  They walked to a nearby road and were picked up and were quickly into America's mainland.  Fortunately these three individuals were not terrorists.  How many terrorists have used this method of obtaining entrance into the United States? 

I know everyone would not convert to my way of thinking on the war.  But I would just like an open dialogue.  I lost some sleep one night.  One evening I heard a pentagon official respond to the then 3000 plus deaths and the 20 some thousand wounded and even to the fact that some soldiers were blinded.  His response was "well as far as we can determine only 60 to 70 soldiers have lost most of their eyesight."  I closed my eyes for maybe a minute.  Try closing your eyes for a short period of time and just think if you could never see again because of a "war."  As he said, only 60 to 70 people will be blind--he should have added for the next 50-60 years.

So you can see (no pun intended) why I am BLUE in a really, really RED state.

We arrived late afternoon in Vienna from Slovenia.  The night before we had made reservations at a hotel near the train station located in the south part of the city.  Vienna has three train stations from which travelers depart for various parts of Europe.  By the way, Paris has five train stations to accommodate rail travelers. 

The two men in the tourist bureau apparently had had a long day.  They did not supply us with much help.  Most tourist bureaus have excellent resource personnel.  I went out on the street.  It was a maze of streets interlocking with each other at different angles.   Cars, trucks and streetcars were all fighting for position.

I approached some people on the street.  Either they did not know the way to the hotel or they were limited English speaking people.  Finally I located a man who spoke near perfect English.  He informed me to take streetcar 11 and get off at the third stop.  Then we would have a short walk to our hotel.  Once again the information provided over the internet underestimated the distance to the hotel. 

Our hotel was a three-star hotel.  It was clean and as we found out later the hotel served an excellent buffet breakfast.  The hotel was located on a busy street, just a couple blocks from a shopping area.  Two subway entrances were within a five minute walk of the hotel.

We were able to see many outstanding sights in Vienna.  They included the Anchor Clock, Belvedere Palace, Burgtheater (National Theater), Danube Tower, Hofburg, Ring Boulevard, Schonbrunn Palace, Spanish Riding School (as in Lipizzaner stallions), St. Stephen's Cathedral and Vienna Opera House. 

I suppose my favorite sight was the Cathedral with its magnificient view of Vienna and area. 

One major difference between Austria and the United States is their music.  Classical music is played everywhere--in stores, cafes, on streets, and even in bars.  Classical music is really evident during the holidays.  Before we left the states, I checked into attending the opera one night while in Vienna.  It is expensive and many performances have been sold out well in advance of our December departure.  I believe the main reason I declined purchasing tickets was the fact that we would be traveling with a 25-inch suitcase so our attire for attending one of these operas would not probably have been appropriate.  Concerts were held every night between the middle of December and January 7.  There were three concerts New Year's Eve Day.  The Vienna Hofburg Orchestra celebrated three concerts on New Year's Day at 11:00, 16:00 and 19:30 hours.

We traveled by subway throughout Vienna.  The subway system was great.  Most European subway systems provide an excellent method of transportation.

I would certainly recommend Vienna as a city to visit when you tour Europe.

We arrived in Ljlubljana in darkness.  The three of us checked into a hotel, very expensive, near the train station.  That night we went to the hotel's Internet room and made arrangements to stay in a different hotel for the remainder of our stay in this city.   

When we arrived at the second hotel, we showed them our reservation which had been made on the Internet through Travelocity from the lobby of the first hotel we had stayed in.  The cost was in euros, but amounted to $147 American dollars.  That night we decided we wanted to stay another night in this second hotel.  I approached the pleasant young clerk and inquired if the $147 rate would be charged.  He immediately sought assistance from a hotel manager.  A large man appeared.  Not jovial in nature, he said in his broken English, something about 10 percent being taken off the walk-in rate.   The walk-in rate was $229 a night, so he was quoting me a price over $200 for the room, a room we rented for 50-some dollars less the night before.

I shared this news with Marcia and Randy.  Randy immediately went to the desk and was told the cost that was quoted to me.  Randy then went to the Internet in the lobby of the hotel in which we were staying and made a reservation through Travelocity for the next night.  He then went to the desk and showed his reservation at $147 for the next night.  They weren't sure they could honor that price.  But Randy then e-mailed Travelocity and informed them of the situation.  Later that evening, he received a reply from Travelocity saying the hotel would honor the price.   When we checked out the same young desk clerk and manager were present.  They wished us a pleasant good bye, at least until we made our exit through the front door.

This was the first time I used the Internet to reserve rooms after we had arrived in Europe.  Occasionally, I will use the Internet to reserve a room for the first night and the last night on a European trip.

I will certainly use Travelocity on further trips after the assistance they provided for us in Ljubljana, Slovenia.

I knew when I planned this trip that Ljubljana, Slovenia, would be one possibility of where we would spend New Year's Eve.  We arrived in Ljubljana on December 30.  For where we departed the train, we had a walk of some distance to get into the station proper.  It was a dark and dreary early evening with snow flurries swirling around.  As we trudged in the direction of the station, I thought of some of the movies I had seen that had been filmed in Eastern Europe--dark--dreary--cold--snow--people dressed in fur hats--poor lighting--an eerie feeling.  This was what I was experiencing as I welcomed the warmth of the station. 

We made our hotel selection at the tourism office located in the railroad station.  The hotel's selection was made primarily because of the hotel's location.  It was close to the railroad station and the downtown area of Ljubljana.  It was a very expensive hotel.   We pulled and carried our luggage down the 6-7 blocks to the hotel.   The three of us were in one room with the three beds.  Supposedly, it was a four-star hotel.

The next morning, after a breakfast that was part of the hotel package deal, we decided to seek another hotel in which to stay. The breakfast was great.  Many European hotels provide a buffet breakfast with the room.  The breakfast is much more than the roll, bagel, juice, cereal and coffee that is breakfast in U. S. motels.   Usually some local delicacy is part of the breakfast offering, as well as numerous cheese samples and cold meats.  Eggs, bacon and other heated meats are also provided.  Numerous kinds of breads and pastries are also available.  All kinds of juices, coffee and tea are made available to the guests.  

We decided to seek another hotel for the remainder of our stay.  We went on the Internet and through Travelocity were able to locate another hotel a short distance away from the hotel we had stayed in the first night, at a price much more reasonable.

On New Year's Eve Day, we took in many Ljubljana's sites.  The museums, galleries and the castle on the hill were all visited.  The downtown square, many centuries old, was full of artisians and merchants hawking their wares.  We spent the early part of New Year's Eve looking and bargaining with these merchants.  We did make a couple excellent purchases, or maybe we were taken, who knows for sure.  It was great fun.

Once again a foggy, dreary night gave way to outdoor lights in the huge square.  At about 21:00 hours, four bands started playing at the four ends of the square.   There was a rock band, featuring mainly American music, a band featuring Eastern European rock music, the ever-present classical music orchestra and a band playing 50s and 60s music from America.

There was some public drinking but very few instances of public intoxication.  The main drink was hot wine--most of which was sold from vendors in the streets.  Ever possible kind of flavor was available at a reasonable price.  

As Randy and I made our way from one band to another, we saw a group of people asembled around a window.  We selected a place where we could observe what was happening.  Several artists were painting a nude model in the window of a store.  I thought this was something we would not probably see happening in Grand Island.  

At precisely midnight, 24:00 hours, 5:00 p.m., in Grand Island, the fire works display erupted.  From the square, from buildings adjoining the square and from the castle grounds, high overlooking the square, fireworks could be seen.  The fireworks were especially spectacular coming from the castle grounds, as fog had set in, resulting in an undescribable scene.

At about 1:00 or 1:30, New Year's Day, Randy and I retired to our rooms.  The fireworks continued throughout most of the night.  It would still be several more hours before the stroke of midnight would occur in the states.                                                                                                 

We left Brig, Switzerland, at 08:30 bound for Zagreb, Croatia.  Our schedule indicated our arrival time in Zagreb at 19:30 hours.  We would have to change trains in Milan, Italy, and again in Trieste.  On the way to Trieste, mid-afternoon, Marcia said do you mind if we would stop in Trieste for the night instead of going on to Zagreb.  She said she was tired.  I indicated an earlier stop would not be a problem as we did not have reservations in Zagreb.  I was also becoming tired.

This is another advantage of the Eurailpass.  A person can get on or off the train at any time.  The train arrived in Trieste late afternoon.  We proceeded to the tourism office and inquired about hotel vacancies.  We were informed there were several within walking distance of the railroad station.  We selected a couple hotels and the office personnel made the calls on our behalf.  We selected a hotel and then proceeded to start walking in the wrong direction.  We noticed our mistake before we had gone a considerable distance so retraced our steps and located the Novo Hotel Impero.  This hotel, according to the tourism office, was rated a 3 on a scale of 1 to 5.  It was within our budget limitations.  We found the hotel to old, but clean and quiet.  This hotel, as most European hotels, have a great breakfast as part of the price of the room.

The first night, with the assistance of a very capable hotel clerk, we selected a small restaurant.  It was a great experience as we had Italian pizza.  We watched the young chef twirl the pizza dough in the air.

Trieste was a great experience.  This community, situated on the Adriatic Sea, is an important seaport for this part of the world.  This part of Italy was divided in 1954 into parts A and B.  Trieste went to the A part which was Italy.  The B part was given to Yugoslavia.  So as in many parts of Europe, several languages are spoken.

As throughout Europe, there are many old buildings to admire.  We were ins the Basilica of San Silvestro which was built in the 11th century.  I also counted 477 steps (which included a couple rest breaks) to get to the top of the San Giusto Cathedral and Castle with has a magificient view of the city.

Probably my favorite time was strolling through the Piazzi Unista d'Italia.  This is a open cobblestone area several blocks in both directions where people come to be seen and to see.  Many wealthy people reside in this area.  There are many coffeehouses in this area that are frequented by writers and other artists.  We had coffee one morning where James Joyce used to hang out.  I saw more women in fur coats in this area than I have in the states in several decades.  Many dogs accompany their owners in Trieste, as well as throughout Europe.  Dogs are allowed in restaurants and other public places.  I saw a dog sitting on a chair at a table on his haunches as his three human companions ate their lunch at a very nice restuarant.

We didn't have time to explore the Grotto Gigante, largest tourist cave in the world.  James Joyce wrote Dubliners in 1914 while living in Trieste.  Marcia had her picture taken with a statute of Joyce which is on located on a street near the Piazzi Unista d'Italia.

We stayed two nights in Trieste.  It was a positive experience, especially considering we had not researched this community prior to our trip.  Marcia and Randy had been to Trieste before as they lived in Italy in the early 1970s.  Their residence was at the Aviano Airbase, an hour or so from Trieste. 

The night before we were to leave for Zagreb, we decided to stop in Ljubljana, Slovenia on the way to Zagreb.  Next stop--Ljubljana.

We arrived in Brig, Switzerland, about noon.  It has been a three-hour train ride from Zurich.  But why, Brig?  Brig is about one-hour by train from Zermatt, which was our original destination.

Zermatt has the finest skiing in Europe and some Europeans say in the world.  The town is located at the base of the Matterhorn.  Thus it is expensive, very expensive.  When researching the trip, I found on the Internet and through a Zermatt website information about the hotels.  Most of the hotels required an extended stay over the holidays (we were in the vicinity on Dec. 27 & 28) and the cost at some hotels ranged in the $400 and above a night. 

Did I enjoy the skiing?  No one from our three-person group went skiing.  We were there for the beauty of the area, it's historical significance and to see the place where Anni-Fried Lyngstad, of ABBA fame, now lives.  One of Randy's favorite musical groups was ABBA.  We have been on a boat near the homes of two other ABBA members on the water outside of Stockholm.  We have also been to the studio in Stockholm where ABBA recorded many of their records.

Back to Brig.  After our arrival in Brig, we exited the railroad station and entered the cobbled central square.  We made our way up the hill to our Bed and Breakfast, only to discover the owners would not be back until 17:00 hours.  So we brought our luggage back to the train station when the tourist office offered to keep it until the Bed and Breakfast was available. 

We started our sightseeing that afternoon.  Brig is the capital of the district of Brig in the canton of Valais.  The historic town with 5,000 inhabitants is part of the municipality Brig-Glis with 11,600 inhabitants. 

Brig is located close to the Swiss-Italian border, so most of the older  houses are Italian in appearance.  Its most prominent buildings (castle, former Jesuits' college and Ursuline convent) all date from the 17th century. 

The language used in every day transactions is a unique German dialect, only used in this particular canton.  Brig is popular among winter sport athletes, since it is surrounded by many Alp summits. 

Marcia spent considerable time in the shopping street of Bahnhofstrasse. There are a network of alleys winding behind and around this street that offers various items.  I sometimes would just stand and look at the mountains and the houses that have been built on these mountains.  It appears with a few of these homes, if one would take a step out their front door, this person would roll for a mile or more downhill.  What a view they must have?

Did we like Brig?  Marcia mentioned when we win the lottery, we will buy a house in Brig.

On to Italy. 

When we left Zurich for Brig, Switzerland we activated our Eurailpass.  Raileurope has numerous options available for the American traveler in Europe.  The pass with the most countries--18--is called the Global Pass.   We were traveling on a six-day pass for six countries.  We could use this pass for six days in six countries.  The countries we selected were Switzerland, Italy, Slovenia, Croatia, Austria and Hungary. 

I have used the Eurailpass many times while in Europe.  I did use the Global Pass on one occasion when I was traveling by myself.  I slept on the train many nights.  American college students do this.  For example, they catch a midnight train from Paris to the countryside.  At 5 or 6 in the morning, they get off this train and travel back into the city, sleeping both directions. 

European trains usually run on time.  I looked into a travel schedule book recently which indicated 20-21 trains a day run from Hamburg, in the north of Germany, to Munich in the south.  From about 5 in the morning until 10 or 11 at night a train runs this route every 30-45 minutes.  From 11 until 5 in the morning trains would run every hour and a half or so. 

The Eurailpass ticket is first-class transportation.  Most of these first-class trains are that--first-class.   Most have club cars.  Others have vendors pushing their wares--drinks, snacks and sandwiches down the aisles. 

The scenery is unreal--mountains, lakes, vineyards, villages.  The world passes as your witness a change of scenery, usually within a relatively short period of time.

The first leg of our train trip--Zurich to Brig, Switzerland provided scenery one would see in a travel magazine.  Next issue.

After spending the first night of our European vacation in a Super 8 Motel in Carter Lake, Iowa, we were able to make our connections from Omaha to Zurich on Christmas Eve.  The flight lasted seven hours and 55 minutes with an arrival in Zurich at 10:40 a.m. (3:40 a.m. C.T.) Christmas morning.  Our Swiss Airline pilot was a man who said his name was Hans Schneider.  His messages to the crew and pasengers were in German, French, Italian and English.  When he spoke in English, he had just a small accent.  My wife and I were greeted at the airport by my stepson who had arrived in Zurich a day earlier. 

We boarded a train for the 20 kilometer ride into the city.  I had reserved two rooms from a booking agency for the first night in downtown Zurich.  The literature I had received from the booking company read the hotel was a short distance from the railroad station.  I've learned from this trip that companies that book reservations and hotels never underestimate the distance to their locations.

The day was overcast and I was completely confused on which direction was north, etc.  After making a couple wrong turns and asking questions from a couple people, we arrived in the general vicinity.  We each had one piece of luggage that had been checked and one piece of carryon luggage as we trudged down the street.  We still had to ask for directions again as the hotel was a small hotel on a side street.

After checking into the hotel, we decided to start exploring the downtown area of Zurich.   Seeing a Starbucks, we decided to stop.  After finishing our drinks, I exited the building while my two companions made a rest room visit.  Many people were walking in downtown Zurich on Christmas afternoon.  I was watching people from my position near the Starbucks.  An attractive lady approached me and spoke to me in a language I did not understand.  I replied "English."   She quickly changed to the English language and indicated she had some "free time" if I was so inclined.

At this time my wife exited from Starbucks.  She jokingly said later, "I guess I can't leave you out of my sight for even five minutes."  I didn't tell her about being approached later inside a huge underground shopping mall by a comely lady who wanted to know if I wanted to "have some fun."

I did survive the temptations of my first day in Zurich.  The sexual mores of Europe are more liberal than those of the United States.  The "red light districts" of Amsterdam, Copenhagen, Hamburg and other cities are known throughout all travel circles.  Even some travel guides direct you to their locations. 

It's now onward to Brig and Zermatt in Switzerland. 

The first day of our European trip was spent in Omaha.  We had an afternoon flight scheduled out of Omaha.  While waiting for the United Airlines plane an announcement was made the aircraft we were to board had experienced some mechanical problems enroute to Omaha.  We were informed a mechanic(s) would be arriving shortly to fix the problem.  Thirty minutes later passengers were informed it may be some time before repairs could be made on the plane.  Another hour later the announcement was made the flight was cancelled.  We were told to check with the agents downstairs.  A mad rush was made to this area.  After standing in line for over two hours we were informed there was no way to make our connecting flight to Zurich, Switzerland at 7:15 that evening leaving from Chicago O'Hare Airport.  Off to the local motel in Carter Lake, Iowa, for the first night of our European trip.  Instead of spending the night on an airplane bound for Switzerland, we were in a motel near the airport.  My step-son who was going to meet us at O'Hare and fly with us to Europe could not be contacted.  He made the trip to Zurich without his mother and myself.  We would join him a day later at the airport in Zurich. 

Hopefully, things would get better for us.