Day 8 Unexpected adventures

From Bologna, armed with our Eurail pass our plan is to have a day trip to Ferrara and maybe if time permits a trip to across to the coast at Rivenna.  The station is crazily crowded when we arrive and with the help of the electronic train departure boards we realize that we have two options. The slow train leaving in 50 minutes that will probably take about an hour or the fast train leaving in 5 minutes which will take 30 minutes. We check the boards, the monitors on the platform and also the screens on the train to be sure that the train we are on will be stopping at Ferrara. Wendy hears a strange announcement on the train before we depart which seems to suggest that the train is not stopping at Ferrara but is to be diverted, but Richard refuses to listen as the information on the boards seems to be unanimous. The train does not stop at Ferrara. So we decide to get off at Padova, the next stop, and come back on a regional train. The train does not stop at Padova. The train eventually stops 2 hours later at Verona some considerable distance to the west of where we should have been going. Rather than wasting the whole day traveling back we cut our losses and stay on the fast train bound for Venice. Who can argue with an unplanned day in Venice?

As we arrive in Venice we are greeted with a sun drenched winter’s day and a perfect blue sky. We buy a small Calzone Pizza each  for lunch and find a sunny spot away from the crowds to eat them, right next to the Grand Canal. For the first time on the trip we sit in the sun with jackets off and enjoy the view. Once finished our lunch we walk for hours around Venice and without a strict schedule we enjoy this fascinating city. Getting lost in the backstreets is just part of the fun.

At the end of the day we decide to catch the local ferry back to the station for one last journey down the Grand Canal. Once again the route is not quite what we had expected and we eventually reach the station but via the industrial canals of Venice - informative but not very glamorous.

The train home is a Eurostar fast train, which this time takes the correct route, but the day’s adventures are not yet over! The theory is that you are supposed to pay extra for a reservation on these trains, (even with our Eurail Pass). This had been a problem on our last trip in 2008, and occasionally in Italy, we had to pay the guard an extra fee of $18 Euro. But tonight as the train is nearly empty we board and hope for the best. Minutes later our fears are relieved as a guard checks our tickets and with an Italian grump he waves us, OK. We settle back for an uneventful trip but about 40 minutes before we are due to arrive in Bologna another guard checks our tickets and tells us in no uncertain terms that without a reservation we have to pay a fine of $38 Euro. After some discussion he must have felt sorry for us and offered us a merciful alternative – at the next stop we can get off and wait for the local train. So for the first time ever we are kicked off an empty train for not having a reservation. To make matters worse the station we find ourselves on is Ferrara, our original destination for the day. We are too tired to explore and wait for 3 minutes until the local train arrives, which gets us back to Bologna only a few minutes later than the fast train.

We love Italy but its public transport system does provide us with some unexpected adventures!

Day 7 The home of Bolognaise

When most people think of Spaghetti they tend to think of Bolognaise. So you might expect that on a visit to Bologna in Italy we might experience authentic Spaghetti Bolognaise. There are two problems with this reasoning. In Bologna the sauce we all know as Bolognaise is known here as Ragu. Secondly the locals don’t really care much for Spaghetti (long thin pasta) but are instead famous as the inventors of Tortellini (a very yummy parcel of pasta filled with meat) and Tagliatelle a flat pasta more like what we would call Fettuccini. Bologna is also the birthplace of Mortadella which the Americans refer to as Baloney. So we begin our time in Bologna with a bowl of Tortellini Ragu and Richard, who has spent his whole life eating and enjoying pasta, is temporarily transported to pasta heaven. Wendy enjoys the most perfect tomato gnocchi and a shared Tiramisu ends a wonderful meal.

Bologna, however, is a lot more than food. The town is not by any means near the top of the Italian tourist destinations, although it should be. The ancient city is something to behold with its numerous high towers dating back to the 12^th and 13^th centuries, several of which lean like the tower of Pisa. The largest of these we climb, of course,  and it’s worth the 490 steps. The human traffic jams on the narrow stairs and its only the odd American tourist who doesn’t seem to get the system of waiting in a tight corner to allow the traffic to pass. Richard enjoys letting  people pass and hearing them saying ‘Grazie’ so he can utter his favourite word ‘Prego’ (you’re welcome). Once down from the top of the tower we continue to explore the town. The town hall is huge and over 700 hundred years old. The Basilica de San Petronio, is only one of dozens of churches in the old town and is the fifth largest cathedral in the world. The city has the most wonderful porticos (covered walkways) which stretch out in every direction for an amazing 53kms. We even discover the remains of the city’s ancient underground canals which remind us of Venice. 


With the temperature at a pleasant +6 degrees we spend hours doing what the locals seem to love, strolling. But food tempts us again and a pistachio gelato on a stick from ‘The Stick House’, reminds us that the Bolognese are still inventing wonderful food. 

Day 6 Trains ain't trains

Today marked the start of our two week Eurail pass that means we can travel First Class anywhere across 18 countries for $A 600 . We start our journey at 9.18am and head south.  Our first change after about 30 minutes goes almost to plan. We have 6 minutes to change platforms and although we get lost for a little while and head the wrong way we quickly realize our mistake  and make the train with at least a couple of minutes to spare. This train trip lasts for about three hours and takes us from the middle of Switzerland to Milan in Italy. The scenery on this trip is picture postcard perfect- as the train snakes its way through valleys flanked by enormous mountains  covered in snow. Blue lakes and brown chalets are the only interruption to the white of the snow. At the end of each valley you wonder where the train can go next, and the answer each time is through the mountain as tunnels of 5, 10 and 20 minutes take us to the next valley. For the second time on our trip  we climb higher than the clouds and again glorious bright sunshine is somewhat of a surprise.

At Milan we again change trains and Richard is distracted trying to find an ATM ( as we need Euros now not Swiss Francs), and we board what we think is a one-hour train to Bologna. The sign on the platform says Bologna but on the train we start to have our doubts. Firstly the carriage is filled with young partygoers who we guess are returning from Milan’s new years eve celebrations. Secondly we hear the conductor announce the stops and there are a many before Bologna. We belatedly realize that instead of catching the sleek intercity train to Bologna we are on a grotty 3 hour local train.

Train travel in Europe is almost foolproof. 

Day 5 A local bus to have lunch with Jesus

Leaving Basel on the 8.04am train we were off to explore more of Switzerland. We arrived in Lucerne at 9.04am. A change of plan has brought us this way and we are very glad we made the effort. Lucerne is a tourist town, with a beautiful lake surrounded by mountains. We walked across the famous Chapel Bridge originally built 700 years ago. We enjoyed the old town and one of the most intriguing cathedrals we have ever seen. It is painted white on the inside and adorned wall to ceiling with exquisite paintings and frescos. After reading about the things we could do in Lucerne in the local travel guide, we finally chose something only briefly mentioned in small print at the back of the brochure.  We bought a day pass for the local buses and went on to enjoy a couple  of local adventures.

Firstly we traveled about 20 minutes up the lake on bus Route 24 to a stop called Hermitage. From there we found a walking track (Wanderweg)  that took us around the lake past castles, mansions, chalets, farmhouses and barns. We were alone on a track that wound its way panoramically around the lake.  At one point the track took a turn which led right down to the lake’s edge where we thought we could enjoy a picnic lunch of some goodies in our daypack. Amazingly at the end of the track, right on the lake, we sat at the feet of a 3-metre statue of Jesus.

Later we caught the Route 9 bus about 10 minutes out of town in a different direction and then walked up a steep snow covered track to secure a bird’s eye view of the town, the lake and the surrounding mountains. Once again we  had the view to ourselves, it was a view every tourist to Lucerne should have been able to enjoy, but without the help of a local bus pass we could also have easily missed it. 

Day 4 Into the Black Forest for Lunch

 Staying with friends in Basel is fun, especially when they suggest their favourite restaurant for lunch. ‘Have you got your passports?’ they ask and then it is off to Germany to the Black Forest for lunch. And to be honest lunch takes up most of the day!

Of course the menu is all in German so we take advice from our friends. Wendy orders a meal, which basically includes fish, and Richard braves the local seasonal delicacy, venison. Our friends warn us not to order starters as we are in for a few surprises. Firstly, the bread is almost perfect, and is followed by a bowl of piping hot Cream of Vegetable soup which must be bad for you because it tastes so good. Then a fresh crisp salad arrives accompanied by a dressing that looks like mayonnaise but is so much lighter and more dreamy. Then the main course arrives and Wendy’s meal includes about four different varieties of fish. Richard’s venison is rich, and accompanied by a wonderful mushroom sauce. As is our normal practice we swap meals half way through, but the venison meal is so large that we have to take some home in a doggy bag. That leaves just enough room for dessert which is again is sublime, with Wendy eating French vanilla ice cream with hot chocolate sauce and Richard a Tartufo. Of course we again swap. It is the sort of meal that dominates a day.

Our drive home winding through the Black Forrest includes a slight traffic jam as we pass through one of Germany’s most popular ski resorts. At the highest point of our journey we actually emerge above the cloud and the most perfect blue sky appears, but only for about 15 minutes.

Our host has one more treat in store for us and insists that we stop at the tourist village of Titersee. A walk by a frozen lake is followed by a stroll though the markets, which stock amongst other things famous German, smoked ham. Finally we are compelled to do, what must be done in the Black Forest, eat black forest cake. Surprisingly it is much lighter than we expected but hardly low in calories.

Arriving home we sat down for dinner, which was just a cup of tea and was frankly was more than we really needed. 

Day 3 Transport and towers

 Basel is a city of about 300,000 people on the Swiss side of the borders of France and Germany. It is an old trading city located on the majestic Rhine River. Like many European cities it has a quaint medieval Old Town, a bustling business district and a city skyline that is dominated by shingled roofs rather than steel and glass. In spite of the grey skies the city revealed to us the ancient glory of a town originally founded by the Romans mixed with a modern 
cosmopolitan city that has something we don’t seem to be able to achieve in Australia, an effective and efficient public transport network of buses and trams. A simple electronic sign in a bus indicating name of the next stop, a ticketing system that allows you to combine a bus and tram journey in one direction and a ticketing system for locals that includes reasonably priced yearly tickets makes public transport attractive 

and effective. Huge barges carry containers, produce, oil and lumber up and down the wide and fast flowing river as they have no doubt done for hundreds of years. In the midst of modern public transport system is a mode of transport that has not changed for several hundred years; a ferry, called a Fähri, transports passengers across the river, powered only by the river itself. The fast flowing tide allows the boat, which is attached to a cable, to sail across the river. What is really impressive about the city of Basel, is that it has created a transport system that works - something we can only hope that Australian politicians might consider and adopt.

Speaking of transport, climbing the bell tower at the Basel Munster became the highlight of a wonderful day. 220 tiny, steel, wooden and stone spiral steps, which at times were covered in ice, in a stairwell that was so tiny that you literally had to scrape your way through, allowed us to climb up the bell tower to the huge bell, and then to continue up into the spire of this beautiful red sandstone cathedral. The view was of course spectacular but the idea that for over 700 years people have used only their legs to climb these steps to view this city, was awesome. 

Basel is a city of about 300,000 people on the Swiss side of the borders of France and Germany. It is an old trading city located on the majestic Rhine River. Like many European cities it has a quaint medieval Old Town, a bustling business district and a city skyline that is dominated by shingled roofs rather than steel and glass. In spite of the grey skies the city revealed to us the ancient glory of a town originally founded by the Romans mixed with a modern cosmopolitan city that has something we don’t seem to be able to achieve in Australia, an effective and efficient public transport network of buses and trams. A simple electronic sign in a bus indicating name of the next stop, a ticketing system that allows you to combine a bus and tram journey in one direction and a ticketing system for locals that includes reasonably priced yearly tickets makes public transport attractive and effective. Huge barges carry containers, produce, oil and lumber up and down the wide and fast flowing river as they have no doubt done for hundreds of years. In the midst of modern public transport system is a mode of transport that has not changed for several hundred years; a ferry, called a Fähri, transports passengers across the river, powered only by the river itself. The fast flowing tide allows the boat, which is attached to a cable, to sail across the river. What is really impressive about the city of Basel, is that it has created a transport system that works - something we can only hope that Australian politicians might consider and adopt.

Speaking of transport, climbing the bell tower at the Basel Munster became the highlight of a wonderful day. 220 tiny, steel, wooden and stone spiral steps, which at times were covered in ice, in a stairwell that was so tiny that you literally had to scrape your way through, allowed us to climb up the bell tower to the huge bell, and then to continue up into the spire of this beautiful red sandstone cathedral. The view was of course spectacular but the idea that for over 700 years people have used only their legs to climb these steps to view this city, was awesome.

In the evening we dined with our hosts and their pastor and his wife who live 20 minutes away from their church in Basel, across the border in Germany.  Pastoring an Anglican, English-speaking church in Basel, when you live in Germany is unusual,  but even this is not beyond the public transport system as the Basel transport network spreads out its efficient reach to the near by towns in both Germany and France, encouraging daily commuters from other countries. Amazing!  

Day 1 Real Christmas Trees

 Taking the Christmas decorations off our pine Christmas tree on Boxing Day seemed like a very harsh thing to do.Traditionally our tree stays up at least until the New Year or at best until the 6^th January but this year Wendy took down the decorations and Richard sawed the tree up for firewood early, in preparation for our Cold Play adventure to begin on December 27^th. We left Sydney at on time at 6.50pm and flew to Zurich via Singapore , the second leg, which was on an A-380 was rather pleasant.

We arrived in Zurich around 7.30 am and quickly and easily found our way through customs and across the road to the railway station on route to visit some friends who live in Basel. After a short delay buying a ticket we ran to the platform to catch the 8.04 train to Basel which amazingly was running a couple of minutes late (Swiss trains are never late) allowing us to be the last passengers on board before the doors closed. Of course somewhere in that process we retrieved our coats and beanies from our bags, as the temperature on arrival was a cool -5 degrees.

What followed was a 90-minute train ride through an absolute winter wonderland. After leaving Sydney with its green pine Christmas trees in pots, or worse green plastic pine trees in pots, or even worse still green plastic pine trees in pots with fake white snow painted on the branches, we were greeted on our journey from Zurich to Basel with majestic pine trees and whole forests blanketed in white snow. To the locals the snow is an inconvenience, which makes transport and getting around a little difficult. For us as visitors we could only see the beauty in the snow-covered trees, houses, cars, roads and footpaths.

Our first day was not wasted as we spent time catching up with our friends, Roger and Elizabeth with whom we enjoyed lunch in a cafeteria, where you are charged for you meal by the weight of your plate, followed by a wonderful mid afternoon walk in the snow through one of Basel’s most beautiful parks while the snow continued to fall all around us. In spite of the dark falling at about 4.30pm, we caught a bus to town and began to check out the sights of Basel before returning for a cheese fondue for dinner (so wonderfully Swiss).