[Idyllchat] traveling by car

[Jay Cloidt]

The highway system in Germany is very easy to drive on. Everything is well
marked. You just need to learn a few road signs that are used everywhere in
Europe. That said, renting a car and filling it up are one of the most
expensive things to do in Europe. The last time I was in Germany (admittedly
not since 2000) a 2 week car rental cost more than the airline tickets.

The Swiss rail system is the example everyone else in the world strives for.
Their trains are timed so perfectly that if you walk too slowly in a
connecting train station you may miss your connection. The last time I was
there, we looked at the schedule and saw we needed to change trains. When we
purchased the tickets, they showed 2 connections and we were puzzled. Then
we read it closely and realized that the connection was in 2 train stations
that were across the street from each other. They had printed the walking
leg of the journey including the number of minutes it should take us to walk
across the street on the sheet that shows the whole journey.

I guess I have been very lucky so far, but I've traveled on Italian trains
with no problems so far. We had one incident in  Le Cinque Terre where the
local train was late, and we thought we were going to miss our connection.
We were in Manarola and connecting in Riomaggiore. They are a 10 minute walk
apart so we walked to Riomaggiore. Once there, we found out that there was
track work going on and the connecting train would be delayed as well.
Everything was about 45 min. behind schedule, but that didn't really hold us
up too much.

Schwanden to Florence (Firenze S.M.N.) looks like it would be anywhere from
7.5 to 10 hours depending on the connections you make. Most of the
connections are in Switzerland with a connection in Milan (Milano Centrale)
to a Eurostar train to Florence.

Eurostar trains cost more, but, in my opinion, they are worth the cost on a
long journey. Your seats are always reserved and they are comfortable.

  - Jay

On 1/14/07, momman at pacbell.net <momman at pacbell.net> wrote:
>
> Train travel is always the preferred way to go in Europe, but the old joke
> about Italian trains still holds true. The lack of dependency is hard to
> handle. I'm still not recovered from the time we were to meet our children
> (teenagers) near Amalfi, and the train was eight hours late.  Still, once
> enroute, the service is comfortable.  Driving is wonderful in Germany and
> Switzerland, with perfect roads, well marked.  Trains are also wonderful in
> Germany and Switzerland, so car/train is a very good choice for you.
>
> Enjoy a beautiful trip.  You are going at the perfect time of year.
>
> Barbara Green
>
> *"T. R. Maines" <rm_maines at hotmail.com>* wrote:
>
> My husband and I are planning a trip to South Tuscany (Montalcino) in
> September.  We are also planning to visit an exchange student in Munich and
> my husband's relatives in Switzerland.  We are trying to decide the best way
> to travel between these three points.  We will probably be flying into and
> out of Munich, so will need to go from Munich to Schwanden (Switzerland) and
> from Schwanden to Florence.  After our two weeks in Tuscany we will go back
> to Munich to fly home.  We have narrowed it down to: train, part train/part
> car, or all car.  We would really prefer doing it all by car, but are
> concerned re: the difficulty of managing an unfamiliar road system and all
> the parking (or lack thereof!) problems.  Cost is an issue with us, so we
> want to do this as economically as possible.  Any thoughts on how we should
> proceed?  Thanks so much.  Marie Maines
>
>
>  *Ray and Marie Maines*
> *7909 Woodland Drive*
> *North Richland Hills, TX 76180*
> *ph  817-503-8371*
> *cell 817-422-4183*
> *fax 801-203-5799*
> *rm_maines at hotmail.com*
>
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