Haha! Is this room a joke? There's really not enough room for us and our luggage in here!Pictured above is Jeff reading Rick Steves "Best of Europe" book which has been "right on" until now!!!
The room is really not that bad, it's just we were at a Five Star hotel in Switzerland for two nights and now I'm a little spoiled.
Another View of the Room
Views from Our Window
Gotta keep up the tradition of posting a pic of the bathroom!
We enjoyed a lovely dinner here tonight. Then we had to sneek a peek of the Eiffel Tower.Now, that's a great picture!!! Be sure and click on the pic to make it bigger!
(OK, I took about 50 before I got this one...)
March 17, 2009 (Late Afternoon)
Today is a day of travel, nothing else. As I write this we are zipping along the French countryside on a bullet train at a high rate of speed, headed for romantic Paris (It sounds more romantic if you pronounce it, “Pah-ree”). We hated to leave Luzern because it was probably the most pleasant surprise of our trip. Also, I made some major points with Sonya by upgrading our room at the Grand Hotel National. The pressure is on now. I’m praying that our hotel in Paris will meet her new-and-improved expectations.
Our drive from the Luzern to Zurich was relatively uneventful except for a few patches of heavy traffic along the way, but of course I left plenty of margin in our schedule so the traffic didn’t affect us. Returning the rental car was also a lot easier that I thought it would be. I guess international airports are all the same. If you’ve ever traveled much internationally, you probably have noticed that the signs at most airports abroad are in the native language and English. This makes it relatively easy for Americans. But have you ever considered how hard it must be for foreigners to travel in the U.S., especially if they are not fluent in English?
In a lot of ways the culture is very different in Europe. Here are a few funny examples…
· Smokers are everywhere and they don’t mind blowing it in your face.
· It must not be considered rude to blow your nose very loudly while dining out. It’s happened every where we’ve eaten so far. So, of course, I feel the freedom to join right in without apology.
· It’s also not uncommon for folks, even women, to hark up a big loogie and spit it anywhere without being embarrassed. Hey, I could get used to this (but not Sonya).
· While boarding the train from Zurich to Basel earlier today, and elderly “gentleman” kept bumping into Sonya’s luggage and the bodies of others around us (on purpose) with his luggage cart trying to make his way through the crowd boarding the train. We let him pass and he parked his cart right in the doorway of the train so no one could pass until he unloaded everything. Now imagine how a lot of Americans would have reacted (including me and Sonya) to his perceived rudeness. Instead, several men who were trying to board the train respectfully asked the man if he needed help with his luggage and assisted him up the stairs. Huh? It was good lesson for us in honoring the elderly, no more how assertive they may be at times.
· Many of the WC’s (restrooms) here are pay-per-use. Unfortunately Sonya didn’t take the opportunity to use the facilities on the train from Zurich to Basel thinking there would be one nearby as we departed the train. By the time she made it up one flight of stairs and down two more she found that she needed two Euros to open the door, which she didn’t have. She was not a happy camper until we finally utilized what a nearby Burger King had to offer.
A little earlier today, Sonya and I were reviewing the Planning Map of Europe that I bought from AAA a few weeks ago. It’s amazing how much ground we’ve covered in a week-and-a-half without completely wearing ourselves out. Maybe I should market this itinerary or start a European travel guide business on the side. Any takers?
Today is a day of travel, nothing else. As I write this we are zipping along the French countryside on a bullet train at a high rate of speed, headed for romantic Paris (It sounds more romantic if you pronounce it, “Pah-ree”). We hated to leave Luzern because it was probably the most pleasant surprise of our trip. Also, I made some major points with Sonya by upgrading our room at the Grand Hotel National. The pressure is on now. I’m praying that our hotel in Paris will meet her new-and-improved expectations.
Our drive from the Luzern to Zurich was relatively uneventful except for a few patches of heavy traffic along the way, but of course I left plenty of margin in our schedule so the traffic didn’t affect us. Returning the rental car was also a lot easier that I thought it would be. I guess international airports are all the same. If you’ve ever traveled much internationally, you probably have noticed that the signs at most airports abroad are in the native language and English. This makes it relatively easy for Americans. But have you ever considered how hard it must be for foreigners to travel in the U.S., especially if they are not fluent in English?
In a lot of ways the culture is very different in Europe. Here are a few funny examples…
· Smokers are everywhere and they don’t mind blowing it in your face.
· It must not be considered rude to blow your nose very loudly while dining out. It’s happened every where we’ve eaten so far. So, of course, I feel the freedom to join right in without apology.
· It’s also not uncommon for folks, even women, to hark up a big loogie and spit it anywhere without being embarrassed. Hey, I could get used to this (but not Sonya).
· While boarding the train from Zurich to Basel earlier today, and elderly “gentleman” kept bumping into Sonya’s luggage and the bodies of others around us (on purpose) with his luggage cart trying to make his way through the crowd boarding the train. We let him pass and he parked his cart right in the doorway of the train so no one could pass until he unloaded everything. Now imagine how a lot of Americans would have reacted (including me and Sonya) to his perceived rudeness. Instead, several men who were trying to board the train respectfully asked the man if he needed help with his luggage and assisted him up the stairs. Huh? It was good lesson for us in honoring the elderly, no more how assertive they may be at times.
· Many of the WC’s (restrooms) here are pay-per-use. Unfortunately Sonya didn’t take the opportunity to use the facilities on the train from Zurich to Basel thinking there would be one nearby as we departed the train. By the time she made it up one flight of stairs and down two more she found that she needed two Euros to open the door, which she didn’t have. She was not a happy camper until we finally utilized what a nearby Burger King had to offer.
A little earlier today, Sonya and I were reviewing the Planning Map of Europe that I bought from AAA a few weeks ago. It’s amazing how much ground we’ve covered in a week-and-a-half without completely wearing ourselves out. Maybe I should market this itinerary or start a European travel guide business on the side. Any takers?
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