Innsbruck-Munich-Prague-2010-07-24
After dinner I went back to my very nice room in the Hilton. I started to relax a little and flipped around the “dial” on the tv. After food I got my second wind. I opened the window that at first would not close. That was bad because there was a common balcony right outside my window… I figured it out. Also my room was right in front of the lift. I liked that, but that adds to the noise and traffic. There were screaming me-me’s running around the halls… harrumph…
As I sat and relaxed for a few and watched tv I could hear music in the distance… calling me… I could also see flashing lights and excitement in the city… my strength was renewed. I cleaned up (a little) and left the hotel seeking the sight and sound. I wandered and kept listening for the music… there was also Limerick Bill’s Irish Pub to check out… since I was out. The bad news is that it was raining a bit…
I walked semi-aimlessly listening for the music. Finally I could hear it and determine the direction or origin… good thing I have good ears… it turns out that there is a New Orleans Festival going on in the middle of Innsbruck Austria… what are the odds? The music was really good, it was free and the beer was reasonable! I started talking to this group of women next to me. One had red hair, a pale freckled completion and green eyes. I decided to strike up a conversation… I asked if she was from Ireland. She said no, she was from Innsbruck… wow, would not have guessed. We chatted and enjoyed the concert and then they went off. The concert was great and in English and fantastic jazz. What a find! Did I mention that it was also free :> after that I decided that the Irish pub had to be visited. After all I was going to be leaving in the morning especially considering the rain… I went into the pub and ordered a black-and-tan… not to be had so I pointed to another guy’s beer and stated that I would have one of those to which a guy next to me declared that is was called a beer… thanks :> not only do I not speak the language, but at this point I am not certain what language it is that I am not understanding! So I chat with these guys for a while and then meet the boys from the band… the band turns out to be a classical Austrian band with full dress… you can look up what that looks like, but it is a bit fance… I start discussing world politics and they buy me a beer. They appreciate practicing their English and they are amusing… we talk for a while. They are going out and about and by now, I need to head back to the hotel. I found it without use of a map or phone! I AM getting better… the room was cool and nice. I figured out how to close the window and the bed was comfy! I slept…
I awoke at my usual 8:00 or so time frame… I did go to bed before 2:00am after all, so I woke up fairly early. I contemplated my next move. I knew I needed (wanted) to get to Munich to get to Prague. I knew that the Munich train ran every 2 hours… and there were only 3 trains to Prague. It turns out that the 10:26 for Munich might just be able to make the 12:44 to Prague… so far so good, but I think I have to change trains in Schwadolf for Pague. The cool thing is that these trains are not crowed and I don’t have to make reservations. I just pick the train hop on first class and away I go. The conductors hardly even look at my pass as soon as they see first class, nice.
I had a very nice chat with a guy from Zürich. He is originally from Washington, DC. We talked about travel, the states the good thing and bad about the states and Europe. He works in research at an insurance company, so we had lots to talk about. He told me that in order to maintain his US passport he had to pay income tax to the US even though he pays Swiss taxes… it did not seem right. We talked about Boston, and New York. It turns out he went to school in Boston… a little place called Harvard… you may have heard about it… hmmm. When I left the train he gave me his card… Dr. Brian Rodgers… Swiss Re… I may have to hit him up for a job :> he was very pleasant to talk to and put me on to a great pair of shoes that I have to look up… apparently Panama Jack makes some really nice shoes! I need some good walking shoes… although my feets are feeling better thanks to the needle and the gel insoles… I think I walk 500 miles in each place I visit, so I still have 2000 miles to walk…
My phone is funny. Every time I enter a new country I get a txt welcoming me… I also get some txt’s from the originating company, Greece. All of the other ones are in English… I have many messages that I in Greek that I have no idea what they mean. As long as the phone keeps working I will be happy… less than a week to go…
I have a whole business-class (better than first class) cabin to myself! I hope the next leg is as good…
I arrived in Prague right on schedule and still had not made reservations. I wanted to physically see the place before I committed. I also figured that I might even get a better price than on-line. I gave up walking and grabbed a taxi. My big guide book told me that taxi drivers in Prague are not to be trusted, so I asked him why he did not have a meter and asked him ahead of time how much it would be. He told me 20 Euros, which was way too much. Then he proceeds to drive me around in circles. I know this because I am tracking him with my phone. I am sitting right next to him, so I show him that I know what he is doing… he laughs… hmmm. We get to the destination and I try to give him 10 instead of 20 and he starts to get pretty miffed, so I relent :<
I get to the hotel and it is really nice, and in a good location. It is a 5 star hotel of the Eurostars chain. I stayed in one in Madrid. This one is the Thalia. I get to the reception desk and ask him how much for a room. Well he quotes me a price significantly higher than it was on the internet! I let some other people go before me that had reservations and I knew my issue would take a little more time.
I offer the man at the desk of giving me the internet rate, or I will just go outside and book it myself. He goes away for a bit and then returns and give me the room at the rate I want and includes breakfast :> the room is only $75/night and it is one of the nicest rooms I have stayed in. It has hardwood floors, three skylights, flat-screen tv, etc.
I ventured out down town to check things out but it was getting late. I went to a TGI Friday’s… I know I should be eating Prague food. I had a nice Prague breakfast this morning. I had a nice chat with a couple from a neighboring country and they both spoke English. They had just moved in together they used to live 2 hours apart…
I wandered back to my room and crashed! I don’t know why sitting on a train for 9 hours is so tiring…
Off to see the sights!