When you start contemplating a vacation -- ANY vacation -- you must think of the others going along for the trip, not just yourself. This is a key factor in interesting others to come along with you.
But you know it's never really THAT simple, is it?
There's always things that you really don't want to do that the others do, which means either you stay behind, and do your own thing, or you tag along, feeling like the proverbial 5th wheel.
Sounds like that is the way it will be in Paris, as my wife and nephew-in-law will journey to the Eiffel Tower, while I stay behind at Gare de Lyon, watching Europe's third largest rail terminal in full weekend operation. I saw Le Tour Eiffel in 2010, with my wife, as we went up to the second level of the structure, which was as far as we could get on the day we had in Paris. The line for the elevators to the top of the tower were in the 3-to-4 hour wait range, mostly with a large South African tour group. We figured we'd be back. Someday.
One of many decisions we'd have to make was to go on a weekend or during the week; unlike domestic air travel, specific dates are cheaper than others, so we just went for a target date and... voila! We were on our way! We'd hashed the schedules out, so it was time to start getting serious about tickets. Our first train will not depart until 19:15 from Paris to Venezia Santa Lucia, and our flight arrives Charles de Gaulle airport at 11:10, so that leaves about 7 hours (leaving time to get the train) for those two to do their thing. The N-I-L has never been overseas, so seeing this trip from his perspective will be a good thing. I just hope the connections hold...
Rolling with the punches, as it were, is a part of aging, in my opinion. But, I have to keep telling myself this as we go on, that not everyone will understand this concept. Just hope my travel partners will. Everything will be OK, missed connections or not, because we've planned for them. I hope.
Monday, July 22, 2019
Sunday, July 21, 2019
Back off the Deck ... and preparing to roll again
It's been a long, long time. Been busy living my life as I entered retirement. Some things have indeed changed, but one thing hasn't for me:
The want for me to share my experiences with my friends and the blogosphere in general. Not sure how to really start this, but here goes nothin', as it were...
The fact of the matter is that some things in transportation never change. Things get screwed up, accidents occur, politicians interfere in the best-laid plans of others, etc., all the time. Yet, people still manage to travel around the region, state, country and world, despite the best efforts of man to interrupt the free movement of others, for whatever reason(s) exist. But, sometimes we as human beings just have to suck it up, strap in and go along for the ride. We all have to. It's a basic human need (at least that I believe).
So, with that bit of soapbox-opera out of the way, welcome to my readership. This 2019-based series of posts will deal with my 20-day European train vacation, celebrating my 15th wedding anniversary. Besides my wife (who will only be on the trip for the first 14 days, due to work requirements), my nephew-in-law (wife sister's oldest), a 24-year-old pre-med student, will also tag along for the first full week of this excursion.
I've had this dream since I was in high school, so it's been a long time 'bucket list'-esque item for me to ride the route of the Simplon-Orient Express from Paris to Istanbul. But, since the last regular through train for the regular public was discontinued in 1977, I knew it was going to be difficult to recreate it in any form or fashion. I just put it aside, as we all do with things and thoughts that we believe 'I'll never EVER get to do THAT, not in my lifetime'...
But, a few years ago, I was putzing around on eBay and found a listing for 3 Thomas Cook Continental Timetables at a price which, quite frankly, I could afford. So, I bid on them and won the bid; a few weeks later, my exasperated letter carrier dropped a large package at my door step. They were here! At last!!
As I was paging thru, the listing came across my mind: 'Direct-Orient Express'. Yep, I had found the schedule for the train I had so wanted to ride way back then. The train of dreamers, mystery writers, intrigue and legend, had died a long, torturous death as it was cut back from Paris-Istanbul to Paris-Belgrade (then Yugoslavia; today, Belgrade is the capital of Serbia). Then it was cut even further back on the west end, as SNCF (French National Railways) introduced the high-speed TGV trains on the west end of the route, and on and on. In the end, the final train named 'Orient-Express' was a joint Strasbourg-Vienna operation overnight thru Germany, and even that was finally dropped in 2009.
So, back to today: I retired in 2018, after 38 years' service in transportation. There, after all that time, I finally have the money, time and sanity to tackle an undertaking like taking my wife with me across Europe from France to Turkey. Now, how to put it all together? And there's that trans-Atlantic thing to deal with (after all, I'm over here in the USA, and it's all so far away...)
With a lot of kind assistance from any number of sources, and a lot of computer time, I can finally say that we will be doing this massive undertaking in a few weeks. Not all the details are final, but we have a rough idea of how things SHOULD work out. SHOULD. Not necessarily, WILL. Need to keep planning, scheming, hoping and dreaming of things to come. Backup plans to the backup plans. Like anyone on vacation, you plan for what's there; and you expect the unexpected.
And that they all don't come crashing down on us. After all, I'm responsible. And that's a bit scary. A bit heartening, but a bit scary, given the world's geopolitical situation right now. We will go on regardless of what happens; I just hope I make it back in one piece. My wife says this could be 'Murder on the Route of the Orient Express'. This trip will cover 12 countries, over 3500 miles on the ground (and another 8,400 or so in the air), all in the course (for me at least) of three weeks.
Sounds like something right out of the TV show, 'The Amazing Race', only without the detours and the road blocks. (There will be more than enough of those, trust me on that.) Only I'm not Phil Keoghan and there's no red carpet, definitely no million-dollar prize for my trip, nor will I be eliminated for coming in last at Nis, Serbia. (I might come in there first, come to think of it...)
Anyhow, please indulge me by following along over the next two months as I chronicle this timeless endeavor. We'll start next time by organizing air travel, and figuring out what train goes what way on what day. Until then? Enjoy July. It's warm out there. Stay cool.
The want for me to share my experiences with my friends and the blogosphere in general. Not sure how to really start this, but here goes nothin', as it were...
The fact of the matter is that some things in transportation never change. Things get screwed up, accidents occur, politicians interfere in the best-laid plans of others, etc., all the time. Yet, people still manage to travel around the region, state, country and world, despite the best efforts of man to interrupt the free movement of others, for whatever reason(s) exist. But, sometimes we as human beings just have to suck it up, strap in and go along for the ride. We all have to. It's a basic human need (at least that I believe).
So, with that bit of soapbox-opera out of the way, welcome to my readership. This 2019-based series of posts will deal with my 20-day European train vacation, celebrating my 15th wedding anniversary. Besides my wife (who will only be on the trip for the first 14 days, due to work requirements), my nephew-in-law (wife sister's oldest), a 24-year-old pre-med student, will also tag along for the first full week of this excursion.
I've had this dream since I was in high school, so it's been a long time 'bucket list'-esque item for me to ride the route of the Simplon-Orient Express from Paris to Istanbul. But, since the last regular through train for the regular public was discontinued in 1977, I knew it was going to be difficult to recreate it in any form or fashion. I just put it aside, as we all do with things and thoughts that we believe 'I'll never EVER get to do THAT, not in my lifetime'...
But, a few years ago, I was putzing around on eBay and found a listing for 3 Thomas Cook Continental Timetables at a price which, quite frankly, I could afford. So, I bid on them and won the bid; a few weeks later, my exasperated letter carrier dropped a large package at my door step. They were here! At last!!
As I was paging thru, the listing came across my mind: 'Direct-Orient Express'. Yep, I had found the schedule for the train I had so wanted to ride way back then. The train of dreamers, mystery writers, intrigue and legend, had died a long, torturous death as it was cut back from Paris-Istanbul to Paris-Belgrade (then Yugoslavia; today, Belgrade is the capital of Serbia). Then it was cut even further back on the west end, as SNCF (French National Railways) introduced the high-speed TGV trains on the west end of the route, and on and on. In the end, the final train named 'Orient-Express' was a joint Strasbourg-Vienna operation overnight thru Germany, and even that was finally dropped in 2009.
So, back to today: I retired in 2018, after 38 years' service in transportation. There, after all that time, I finally have the money, time and sanity to tackle an undertaking like taking my wife with me across Europe from France to Turkey. Now, how to put it all together? And there's that trans-Atlantic thing to deal with (after all, I'm over here in the USA, and it's all so far away...)
With a lot of kind assistance from any number of sources, and a lot of computer time, I can finally say that we will be doing this massive undertaking in a few weeks. Not all the details are final, but we have a rough idea of how things SHOULD work out. SHOULD. Not necessarily, WILL. Need to keep planning, scheming, hoping and dreaming of things to come. Backup plans to the backup plans. Like anyone on vacation, you plan for what's there; and you expect the unexpected.
And that they all don't come crashing down on us. After all, I'm responsible. And that's a bit scary. A bit heartening, but a bit scary, given the world's geopolitical situation right now. We will go on regardless of what happens; I just hope I make it back in one piece. My wife says this could be 'Murder on the Route of the Orient Express'. This trip will cover 12 countries, over 3500 miles on the ground (and another 8,400 or so in the air), all in the course (for me at least) of three weeks.
Sounds like something right out of the TV show, 'The Amazing Race', only without the detours and the road blocks. (There will be more than enough of those, trust me on that.) Only I'm not Phil Keoghan and there's no red carpet, definitely no million-dollar prize for my trip, nor will I be eliminated for coming in last at Nis, Serbia. (I might come in there first, come to think of it...)
Anyhow, please indulge me by following along over the next two months as I chronicle this timeless endeavor. We'll start next time by organizing air travel, and figuring out what train goes what way on what day. Until then? Enjoy July. It's warm out there. Stay cool.
Sunday, October 16, 2011
Showing up on billboards finally
Northstar Commuter Rail passengers may see something next time they drive around the northern Twin Cities suburbs: Their new way to work.
Metro Transit has begun a billboard advertising campaign, touting Northstar as 'The cure for gas problems. Take twice daily.'
While admirable, one question exists: where has this been in the past?
The fact that Northstar is still a secret to thousands of North Metro commuters is really no secret. Metro Transit does very little to market their services, depending on word-of-mouth to get the message across that transit IS an alternative for some.
Sadly, the fact that the train is not doing as well as expected is in part due to the lack of advertising by Metro Transit. Northstar trains are not touted on radio or TV, nor are they in newspaper advertising. What little is out there is very generic, non-route/corridor-specific advertising aimed at everybody, not focused on targeted areas of interest (no transit ads aimed at 35-W or 35-E commuters touting buses not affected by road construction, etc.)
And now, with the Twins' season mercifully over, the Vikings' season in the tank, and the Timberwolves not playing at all (due to the NBA lockout), there is even less reason to ride Northstar for those whose personal schedules do not mesh with the train's limited service.
Somebody better start thinking of more advertising...
Metro Transit has begun a billboard advertising campaign, touting Northstar as 'The cure for gas problems. Take twice daily.'
While admirable, one question exists: where has this been in the past?
The fact that Northstar is still a secret to thousands of North Metro commuters is really no secret. Metro Transit does very little to market their services, depending on word-of-mouth to get the message across that transit IS an alternative for some.
Sadly, the fact that the train is not doing as well as expected is in part due to the lack of advertising by Metro Transit. Northstar trains are not touted on radio or TV, nor are they in newspaper advertising. What little is out there is very generic, non-route/corridor-specific advertising aimed at everybody, not focused on targeted areas of interest (no transit ads aimed at 35-W or 35-E commuters touting buses not affected by road construction, etc.)
And now, with the Twins' season mercifully over, the Vikings' season in the tank, and the Timberwolves not playing at all (due to the NBA lockout), there is even less reason to ride Northstar for those whose personal schedules do not mesh with the train's limited service.
Somebody better start thinking of more advertising...
Monday, July 18, 2011
Metro Transit's way to deal with Northstar interruption: Not deal with it at all
OK, Northstar riders. NOW do you see how much Metro Transit really cares about your service?
The abject failure of Metro Transit to clearly deal with the aftermath of BNSF Railway's train derailment early Saturday shows this blogger just how little the agency is committed to transit alternatives in the North Metro.
An eastbound grain train derailed after the embankment next to the Rice Creek bridge washed away following Saturday's early-morning 3+ inch rainfall in Fridley. The fact of the matter is that although the Staples Subdivision (the main line of BNSF that was washed out) would not allow trains to operate east of Coon Creek, the mainline west of Coon Creek was totally unscathed. Northstar could have operated with a bus bridge from Coon Rapids (Riverdale) to Downtown Minneapolis' 5th Street Transit Center, one block east of the train's Target Field terminus. This is especially true on Monday, where the combination of the start of the workweek and the Twins' day-night doubleheader (two admissions) would have been a prime example for showing that Northstar could have all-day service.
Instead, a terse statement was issued from Metro Transit Saturday afternoon, saying that Northstar trains were cancelled thru Monday, including for Twins' games on Saturday, Sunday and the Monday doubleheader, and that passengers, including commuters on Monday, were on their own to fend for themselves to get to work, or wherever they were going.
This is definitely a way that Metro Transit shows how they feel about the North suburbs. If this had happened on a South Suburban rail line, you would bet that they would have a bus bridge set up and pronto! But we live in the North Suburbs, where bus routes are not coordinated properly, and when disruptions occur, 'you're on your own! We can't get to you! Good Luck!'
This is disgusting...
The abject failure of Metro Transit to clearly deal with the aftermath of BNSF Railway's train derailment early Saturday shows this blogger just how little the agency is committed to transit alternatives in the North Metro.
An eastbound grain train derailed after the embankment next to the Rice Creek bridge washed away following Saturday's early-morning 3+ inch rainfall in Fridley. The fact of the matter is that although the Staples Subdivision (the main line of BNSF that was washed out) would not allow trains to operate east of Coon Creek, the mainline west of Coon Creek was totally unscathed. Northstar could have operated with a bus bridge from Coon Rapids (Riverdale) to Downtown Minneapolis' 5th Street Transit Center, one block east of the train's Target Field terminus. This is especially true on Monday, where the combination of the start of the workweek and the Twins' day-night doubleheader (two admissions) would have been a prime example for showing that Northstar could have all-day service.
Instead, a terse statement was issued from Metro Transit Saturday afternoon, saying that Northstar trains were cancelled thru Monday, including for Twins' games on Saturday, Sunday and the Monday doubleheader, and that passengers, including commuters on Monday, were on their own to fend for themselves to get to work, or wherever they were going.
This is definitely a way that Metro Transit shows how they feel about the North suburbs. If this had happened on a South Suburban rail line, you would bet that they would have a bus bridge set up and pronto! But we live in the North Suburbs, where bus routes are not coordinated properly, and when disruptions occur, 'you're on your own! We can't get to you! Good Luck!'
This is disgusting...
Monday, April 25, 2011
Every Twins Game gets a Northstar train in 2011
Metro Transit, operator of the Northstar commuter train service, announced that there would be trains for all 81 Twins' baseball home games in 2011. Most games would be covered by existing trains in at least one direction. Twins day games normally start at either 12:10 PM (except Sundays), 1:10 PM (Sundays) or at 2:55 PM (Saturday day games televised by FOX, as part of their 'Major League Game of the Week' package). Night games start at 7:10 PM except on Saturdays, when home games start at 6:10 PM.
Monday, December 20, 2010
It's not just happening here, folks!
The severe winter weather which has become December, 2010, has not just affected transportation in the USA & Canada. While during the first two recent 'Snow-namis' both the Northstar and Hiawatha Light Rail lines ran nearly normally (Northstar ran on time throughout, thanks to BNSF Railway) the MSP Airport closed, buses (transit and intercity) stopped, and Amtrak's Empire Builder ran late, but it was still running, although once passengers arrived in St. Paul, they were stranded if they did not have a ride already, as the taxi companies pulled their taxis off the streets due to too much snow.
Europe has been affected as well. The system that hit Minnesota last weekend hit Europe this weekend, with equally devastating results. Eurostar services between London and Paris/Brussels as well as all high-speed services in France have had a 170-KPH (105 MPH)
speed restriction slapped on them, adding as much as two hours on London-Paris Eurostar runs. Trains are being turned back at their endpoints and are being sent out immediately, with lines of holiday travellers at London's St. Pancras International Terminal, supposedly out the doors and into the streets of London. Eurostar has requested that passengers who do not need to travel between Britain and the Continent, postpone their trip until after the Christmas holiday.
Eurostar is not scheduled to operate any trains on Christmas day.
Europe has been affected as well. The system that hit Minnesota last weekend hit Europe this weekend, with equally devastating results. Eurostar services between London and Paris/Brussels as well as all high-speed services in France have had a 170-KPH (105 MPH)
speed restriction slapped on them, adding as much as two hours on London-Paris Eurostar runs. Trains are being turned back at their endpoints and are being sent out immediately, with lines of holiday travellers at London's St. Pancras International Terminal, supposedly out the doors and into the streets of London. Eurostar has requested that passengers who do not need to travel between Britain and the Continent, postpone their trip until after the Christmas holiday.
Eurostar is not scheduled to operate any trains on Christmas day.
Monday, November 1, 2010
Northstar Changes; Route 889 dropped
Metro Transit quietly dropped the Route 889 mid-day Northstar substitute bus on October 28th. The next day, a Friday-only thru bus (operating between St. Cloud and Downtown Minneapolis, stopping at all Northstar and Northstar Link stations) began operation. Dubbed Route 887F, the bus (operated by St. Cloud MetroBus) operates Fridays ONLY, allowing for mid-day service to all stations on the last day of most people's workweeks.
In other Northstar news, Nov. 16th and 17th (Tuesday and Wednesday) Northstar is FREE for all passengers, as Metro Transit celebrates Northstar's first anniversary and tries to attract more riders just ahead of the winter road aggravation season. Now, if there's snow either of those days, those free rides to and from Downtown Minneapolis, without the plethora of traffic accidents, are going to look mighty good...
In other Northstar news, Nov. 16th and 17th (Tuesday and Wednesday) Northstar is FREE for all passengers, as Metro Transit celebrates Northstar's first anniversary and tries to attract more riders just ahead of the winter road aggravation season. Now, if there's snow either of those days, those free rides to and from Downtown Minneapolis, without the plethora of traffic accidents, are going to look mighty good...
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