Lifestyles of a
"Crazy American"

Connecting in Europe
by Bob Johnson
Trains Magazine
February, 2001, pg 60

If the strong U.S. Dollar vs. weak Euro currency situation continues into 2001, this may be the right year to sample some of Europe's vast passenger-train network.  The best jumping-off points are the international airports with direct intercity rail connections, where travelers can transfer from plane to train without schlepping to a hotel in the entry city just as the weight of jet lag puts its thumb on your brain.  Airports in London, Paris, Frankfurt, Berlin, Munich, Geneva and Zürich -- to name just a few -- offer a choice of high-speed (such as the French TGV, German ICE and Italian Cisalpino), EuroCity long-distance and local service to destinations that might also be reached with a connecting flight.  But if you flew, you'd miss the fun of gliding through the countryside and getting a glimpse of life in a foreign land that you flew across the ocean to see.

For instance, a transfer at Frankfurt Airport to EuroCities train 51 provides a one-seat ride to Prague with a full dining car and plenty of transition time (including interludes for snoozing), that gets you to the Czech Republic capital by late afternoon, when your hotel room will be ready.

Here are a few tips for first-time European travelers:

• Use an experienced rail travel professional to purchase money-saving railpasses and any point-to-point coach or sleeper reservations before you leave.  Even for the savvy agent, getting current information and nailing down an itinerary isn't always a piece of cake.  Most require service charges.
• Remember to change enough money at the departing airport to take care of charges along the way and transfers at your arrival city.
• Check on-platform train diagrams for the platform location your designated car will stop.  There's nothing like being in the wrong place when a double-trainset TGV arrives.
• Assume trains will leave on time.  Station clocks in Switzerland often have second hands (absolutely mind-boggling to anyone who has ever taken the Lake Shore Limited) and your watch should be set a few minutes fast.  If you aren't at the door when the guy on the platform blows his whistle, forget it.
• Don't assume the train will always continue in the same direction after a mid-point stop.  A locomotive can couple on the rear and crews complete a brake test in minutes (a lost art in North America).
• Take maps and schedules along to make following your progress easier.  They are hard to get en route.

The TGV and Zürich

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