COVID-19 Vaccination: One and Done!

So you wonder about getting vaccinated? Don't think the right one for you is out there? Do your research! Listen to the Doctors and the health care professionals. They will give you the basics of what, how, and where, and then you, dear reader, can do the rest yourself. (Hey, if I can, you can too.) 

I knew what I wanted to have put into my arm. The only thing was when I could get it! With vaccines (in general) in short supply, I knew I had to be careful so as not to a) Not get the vaccine I wanted, b) not wait forever, and c) not have to personally recreate the Paris-to-Dakar rally in order to find a location where A and B could successfully be completed. 

On Tuesday, March 9, Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz, who in my honest opinion has handled the COVID-19 pandemic pretty well for not having any Federal help, until about 60 days ago (by the time you read this at least) was rumored to be extending the list of residents eligible for vaccination beginning the next day (Wed., March 10). So, earlier that morning, I was able to get on the website of one of the vaccine providers, Thrifty White Drug, the regional drug store chain. As I was perusing the morning reads of various news sources, I came across an advance copy of a graphic of what the Governor was going to say later that day. I would finally be able to get my vaccination shot, at last. Not quite as big a deal as my wife, whose shot was administered at the TCO Performance Center (a.k.a. 'the practice facility' for the Minnesota Vikings) but hey, any port in a storm, as it were. I'm not picky. Just want a vaccine, that's all. 

Looking at the list of locations, none of them had what I was looking for: The Janssen/Johnson & Johnson vaccine who's major selling point (other than its just as good as the others) is that it's a one-and-done vaccine. No second trip to beautiful who-knows-where to get that booster shot. And, it won't goof with your messenger RNA (as both the Pfizer and Moderna vaccines are designed to do.) 

The next two questions were somewhat intertwined: When? and Where? Thrifty White Drug operates 94 locations in 5 Midwest and Western states, so I could have gone nearly anywhere. Why Thrifty White (as opposed to, say, Walmart, Sam's Club or even a Hy-Vee market)? Easy to find appointments, easy sign up, easy to find (mostly in small and medium size towns) and easy to get in and out of afterwards. Also, I knew the care would be better. Small town staffs are normally that way, as opposed to the rushed feeling of the larger markets.

So, which one did I choose? After all that, I wound up in beautiful Downtown Moose Lake, about 120 miles NNE of Minneapolis along I-35, en route to Duluth. They had the best mid-day times, the right vaccine, and the slots open. So, while waiting for Walz to make his pronouncement, away I went and signed up for a shot. 'Here's hoping nothing goes wrong,' I muttered to myself. 

Wednesday, March 10 dawned cloudy with a storm front moving in from SW to NE. We (wife and I) left about 3 hours ahead of the scheduled appointment time, taking a little longer than the 1 hour, 40 minutes normal running time for the 112-mile one-way trip. We arrived just about 45 minutes early. Kind of glad we did, too, as it rained all the way up north. But that's not the only weather concern we had as I went in (wife stayed in the car. Smart girl I married.) 

The line to check in for your COVID vaccination ran the entire length of the store! All four aisles, from the back (where the prescription counters are) to the front door and back again, and again... I was surprised at the number of people in this little pharmacy! After about 45 minutes, I finally checked in, and had been ready for the shot for so long that I almost felt like one of the locals by the time the nurse practitioner came out for me. 

'C'mon in,' she said. She didn't have to tell me twice. An efficient little operation; a machine which doles out the vaccine in pre-measured doses, ready for inoculation. Neat little device, that one. Injection done, card (pre-printed) issued, and out the door I went. 'There's no room in here to sit, so go back to your car and wait 15 minutes,' 

Hey, who am I to argue? So, back to the car to wait it out. By now, the storm front has caught up with us, and the shower from before has turned into an all-out deluge. On March 10th. In Moose Lake. Waited out the 15 minutes, then started back on the road (with a quick lunch stop at McDonald's). 

Of course, by the time we returned to the Cities, we had meteorological Armageddon going on; Snow on the far northwest side, thunderstorms where we were, and tornadoes (radar-specified) to the south, all within a 50-mile radius of our happy home. We were just happy to have made it there...and back. In one piece. Vaccinated. Finally. 

Bring on the rest of 2021. This couple is ready to go...

'Direct-Orient Revisited' : One Year Later

Greetings from the depths of my depression. The second attempt at this blog entry will be shorter than the first attempt. It had better be. This is not an easy piece to write. 

Here I am, retired, with all the time in the world in order to travel and enjoy my retirement, and what happens? Americans (as of this date, anyways) can only travel to 27 countries, most of which are either tiny outposts at the ends of the Earth (Fiji, Vanuatu, the Maldives) or under such restrictions that it wouldn't be financially viable to travel there IN THE FIRST PLACE!

But one year ago, nobody (outside of governments) had ever heard of 'beautiful Downtown' Wuhan, China, or their 'wet market' poultry problems, or that the place was an incubator for the worst pandemic to plague the Earth in a decade. Throw in numerous non-believing (or mis-informed, or both) governments, perfectly good plans that could have mitigated the problem, thrown out simply because your political party didn't develop them; along with the changing diagnoses of the resulting virus confusing scientists and politicians alike, and the world has been thrown into a quagmire ever since. 

Whole countries (especially in Europe) shut down. No trains anywhere, no matter how short or long. Inter-continental air travel? After the first few days, virtually impossible. Borders between countries closed. No travel anywhere. Everyone home to stay for weeks, and weeks, and months, and...

Work from home. School online. No restaurants open (most of the spring at least). No entertainment of any kind. No assemblies of more than 4-6 people. 'Social Distancing.' 'Wear a Mask.' (Please still do wear a mask, OK?)

When this is all over and a properly researched, properly-studied vaccine is released and known to be effective, the fortunes of the travel industry will indeed begin to revert to something akin to what we all are used to. Until then, though, remember to wash your hands before and after touching anything. 

Since the end of our trip, relations have become strained between the USA and...virtually every country we travelled thru on our trip (although tourists are not affected immediately...well, somewhat).  But when the world began to shut down in mid-March, well, we had just begun to plan a Nashville trip for the last regular season Minnesota Wild road game. That trip was very quickly scrapped, as well as everything else for the next six months. Things went from bad to worse as March (and Easter Sunday) dragged on, and on, and on. No sports of any kind to end the mind-numbing boredom and the daily Coronavirus reports from the governments involved. 

As the spring dragged on, the train cancellations came in from around the world... VIA Rail Canada stopped their long-haul, non-Northern services (Northern services are guaranteed operation, by government edict). The privately-operated ROCKY MOUNTAINEER trains also ground to a halt as well.  The Australian operators of Great Southern Railway stopped the Indian-Pacific, Ghan, and the Overland;  Kiwi Rail (New Zealand) halted all non-commuter services on both islands (even though the total number of COVID-19 infections were in the hundreds, not thousands).

RZD Russian Railways first cut back, then restructured, their Trans-Siberian services; the new schedules added a full day onto Moscow-Vladivostok trains.  European Railways were reduced to extremely limited, near-regional services in most areas; no way would you be travelling from country to country (unless you were a health official en route to another overcrowded hospital). 

Amtrak reverted to a 'disaster' schedule in the Northeast Corridor (locomotive-hauled trains a few times per day, even in the NYC-Washington corridor 'spine').  On other corridors, most trains did not run at all or ran once per day (or less);  at one point in April, only one bus (substituting for a Horizon train set) and the Chicago -- St. Paul -- Seattle/Portland EMPIRE BUILDER were operating between Chicago and Milwaukee. Even in sunny Southern California, Los Angeles-San Diego service dwindled to just 3-4 trains each way each day (depending on the day of the week).  No one was riding; everyone feared the virus, and the fear grew nearly every day. 

Now, I wrote a book about my Paris-to-Istanbul adventure, completed merely days before the world started sliding down this slippery slope in a hand basket. Published it in February, first started promoting it to friends and acquaintances in April, and entered into an agreement with the European Rail Timetable folks to sell it outside the USA and Canada in June: alas, before I was able to get copies to the UK (where ERT is based), they shut down for 60 days in order to protect their business. 

So, here I am. I want to go somewhere. I have been telling people that when we (as a people) are able to travel, we should do so with a vengeance. Why? We owe it to ourselves to break the bonds of this cycle of disillusionment, despair and denial in our world. Doesn't have to be a real long trip; just somewhere you haven't been before. Somewhere which will make you forget the worst year in this century. Enjoy yourself; you've earned it! 

Just one thing before you go? 

Remember your shots. Please. 

Afterthoughts of a European trip

November in Minnesota. Cold, snow's on the horizon, and my favorite hockey team is well on its' way to tanking for the No. 2 draft pick in the 2020 draft. (Something will happen and they won't get the No. 1 pick. It's a Minnesota thing.) Hopefully, that is.


Still thinking back to my European trip two months ago. What could have been done better? What should have not been attempted at all? What, had I known then what I know now, could I have done to change how the trip turned out?


Some trains we rode en route from Paris to Istanbul were great (Thello (Paris-Venice),  the Trieste-Ljubljana EMU, the Sofia-Istanbul Express); some trains were good (Venice-Trieste, Belgrade-Nis); and some were either so-so (Nis-Sofia 'Balkan') or just plain flat-out bad (Ljubljana-Belgrade 'Sweatbox' train #315, where the floor heat could not be shut off on a nine-hour overnight trip).


And, after we departed Istanbul by plane, the problems of dragging as much baggage as we did indeed multiplied as the remainder of the trip played itself out.  Not knowing the EU's standard for assistance of 48 hours' notice applied to railways as well as airlines, got me especially into trouble several times. Add the lack of opportunity for food and (especially) water east of Ljubljana, and you had a real recipe for potential disaster. (Being from North America, I am used to the '24-hour' rule and the request on demand rules that North American carriers operate under.)


I thought I could handle the amount of baggage (one suitcase and a duffle bag) for the 20 days I was away from home; alas, that much baggage just got me into trouble, especially on the last five days of the trip, when I based myself out of Paris to ride what turned out to be one day trip (with the other one cancelled at the last minute, and the third one I force re-routed off the original routing to a more direct train, missing another connection en route).


My 25 pounds (13 kilos) of baggage departing Minnesota wound up to 40 pounds (21 Kilos) upon my return; and that was with sending back folders (I made a folder for each train I was to ride), and some dirty clothing (needed more room for stuff) twice (with my nephew-in-law and my wife as they separately went back to the West).


What else is there? Language barriers get frustrating. You are so happy to ask for a Diet Coke...and get the real thing, not the sugar-free Coke that is sold across Europe. A cup of coffee is a real cup of coffee, not one the size of a side of salad dressing. You hear the instructions for travel, and you can actually UNDERSTAND them. You don't have to switch the language on your iPhone Google Translate every so often. Issues like that come up all too often as one traverses 'the Old Country', whatever one that is.


And then...there's Serbia. A country and rail system to be more pitied than criticized. Commuters for Belgrade riding trains so full of graffiti, they can't even see out the windows. Belgrade's apparatchik riding a train which was so bad even the engineer (Driver) couldn't see clearly. Turpentine and a squeegee would have been very helpful here. But with their entire system being rebuilt, either by the Russians or the Chinese, the money doesn't get down to the commuter level much. The Serbs, operate a General Motors G26 661-series diesel (which the Yugoslavs bought shortly after the death of Marshal Tito) to pull their thru passenger train from Nis to Dimitrovgrad over Serbia's eastern territory.


When the former Yugoslavian Railways was disbanded, the freight side of the railroad took virtually all the locomotives, leaving the passenger side with a few elderly locos and little else. Serbia's government purchased a number of Stadler 'Flirt' EMU trainsets for their electrified lines; a decision needs to be made regarding their diesel-hauled services. It's a system in disarray, at best; at worst, it's bordering on near-chaos, operating in spite of itself, in my opinion.


As opposed to Serbia, their neighbors to the east, Bulgaria, really have their act together in comparison. BDZ (Bulgarian State Railways) trains were clean, most of the stuff worked, and the trains ran basically on time. The fact that unlike the Serbs, Bulgaria has embraced the EU concept (as has most of their neighbors) and is even now benefitting from reduced interference and greater commerce. Serbia? Not an EU member. No plans to join. The bad apple in the European apple orchard, as it were. Their railways are in desperate need of rebuilding, and they are doing that, albeit really slowly.


Other parts of the former Yugoslavia (namely, Croatia and Slovenia) seem to have their acts together; granted, they weren't bombed by NATO, like Serbia was. Good lesson to the rest of the world: take heed when the combined nations of NATO are stepping in against you. Anyways...


Looking back at the trip almost 90 days later, I'm glad I did it now. Before politics of the world and time's inexorable march combine to make this trip even tougher than it was in the summer. Onto Winter...sadly...

Of writer's block, European thoughts, and nightmares (real and imagined)

Hello, folks. I gotta get more readers here.


Anyways... still trying to finalize the book about the Paris-to-Istanbul trip. But I feel I should put more in about what went on. But, for some reason, I can't. I don't have enough pictures to back what I say up; the Paris section is sorely lacking (in my humble opinion). Also, there were sections when I shot lots of pictures, then there were some where I have next to no pictures at all.


But I didn't go to Europe to look thru a lens (or thru an iPhone) for three weeks: I went to see Europe first hand, with real experiences with the everyday folks. I did get plenty of that; some good, some bad, most at least a little interesting. But some things were quite obvious to me:


Most Europeans were healthier than two of the three Americans who did this trip. The nephew-in-law, only 24 years old, was far and away the healthiest of us all. Even though I was warned by a number of people that I needed to walk more, I was ill prepared for how much walking was involved in just the day-to-day of living and getting around. I got more than a few crazy looks in a few cities when I asked for assistance.


Food is not a problem in Western Europe, and gets kind of dicey in Eastern Europe. In the former Yugoslavia, even the basic (bottled water) is a hit-and-miss proposition; readily available in some locations, and nearly impossible to obtain in others. As the world shrinks, and transport options allow for ordinary people to travel to places one would never dream of 20-30 years ago, the basics of life need to be addressed. People need to eat, sleep, and travel from place to place comfortably and easily.


But trying to obtain those items in certain locales?  Good luck with that. You could be a commuter in Belgrade, Serbia, for years and never find a bottle of water to enjoy on the trip home. 


More thoughts as I get them sorted out. But it will be a while for that, as you can imagine...

Catching Up with Myself...

It's been a while since I've actually taken time to blog on here, folks. I've been busy travelling, recovering from that travel, watching my favorite sports team (NHL Minnesota Wild) start to tank the 2019-20 season, and trying to enjoy a wet, soggy fall in Minnesota. Besides, I'm writing a book.


A book? Yes, about our recent Paris-to-Istanbul trip. Lots of things went right. Lots went wrong (Including me in a few instances). Lots just went. But I've managed a 60-page book without photos (so I'm looking at a 72-page book) which I should publish late this year or early next year (depending how fast I get around to it). Like the trip itself, it's dot every 'I', cross every 'T', you know the drill by now.


I guess intercontinental travel took more out of me than I realized. I still cannot bring myself to fly anywhere nearly two months after the start of that journey. There are places that I'd like to go to at this time of year; but the fact that fall is Minnesota's best season, in my opinion, and the local football teams are doing relatively well, means why would I want to leave? Besides, I've a book inside me. Really feel the need to get that out.


And, its somewhat trying to find the time to do that, amongst just living and doing the things you do every day. Although the fact I am retired leaves me my days basically free, I still have my chores to do, and trying to keep up gets hard when you can't move as well as you should. I had friends tell me I should have moved more before the Europe trip; of course, they were right. Did I listen to them? Not for a minute. I just thought there would be assistance everywhere, similar to what it is in the US and Canada. Not so in the European Union. It's 48 hours advance notice for any assistance, anywhere in the EU. Even the somewhat forgiving SNCF (French National Railways) requires 36 hours notice to get a wheelchair (I was that bad by the end of this trip).


Now, how bad did it get? I delayed not one but TWO trains trying to get assistance in Milan. I missed FOUR trains in 3 days in Paris by oversleeping. I came home exhausted, worn out, but with memories that will last a lifetime (or so). The average European is much healthier that the average American, I deduced after being amongst Europeans for three weeks. Most that I came across in my travels were nothing short of pleasant. A few (a certain SNCF employee in Boulogne comes to mind) were outstanding and unbelievably pleasant. (Bonjour, Nina.)


Of course, there was one exception to the rule, and we were more than happy to traverse this country and not look back at it: Europe's poor cousin. The last European country to get bombed.


Serbia. We had nothing but problems in the largest of the Balkan countries; but a lot of the problems stemmed for the fact that they are still trying to get over a disastrous war in the 1990's, while the former Yugoslavia was breaking up under Slobodan Milosevic. A hot inbound train to Belgrade, the most disjointed major terminal I've ever seen (my wife and nephew-in-law almost got lost going to buy tickets at Belgrade Centar, the new Belgrade terminal, opened in 2018); a three-car local train which turned into the Shopper's Special; and finally, a train which had to wait an hour for the diesel locomotive to show up...from where we were going to...and a leisurely 25MPH (40 KPH) speed to boot.


It's all in the book folks... stay tuned. But right now, it's my bedtime. Good night.

'Suppose we should have told him it's a WC in Europe?'

Ah, yes. The joys of international travel, with a newbie to it along. This will be an adventure.

Between the three of us, besides English, I speak a little (tres petit) French; my wife can understand more German than she can speak; and the nephew-in-law took Spanish in high school, and did decently. Unfortunately, in some of the countries which we will traverse, we will encounter Italian, Slovenian, Croatian, Serbian, Bulgarian (with Cyrillic characters, just like mother Russia) and at the far east end, Istanbul and its' 15 million, Turkish-speaking inhabitants.

And to think, the late Congressman from Minnesota's Iron Range, Jim Oberstar, spoke EIGHT languages fluently. I admire people who apply themselves like that. Unfortunately, my life never worked that way. I'm lucky some days that I can put three coherent sentences together. But at least I'll admit it. And speak the local language, like 'I need three tickets on the train to...'

And, of course, I get a notice from the US Embassy in Ankara, reminding all that the Embassy and all other consular functions (including the Consulate office in Istanbul) are closed the entire time we are there for Turkish Victory Day (August 30) and US Labor Day (September 2).

And then, there's other, more personal details we have to get straight. Like what we, in the US call a toilet. In the UK it's a WC (water closet). In Spain? El Bano. In France, it's Le WC. I'm thinking it's a real good idea that all three of us have iPhones along. We will be wearing out translator apps quickly, especially in the Balkans.

We had a sit-down dinner last week and hashed out a lot of the little things, especially about Paris (I discussed that in the last post). Over BLT sandwiches, I'm afraid we kinda put the fear of God in the poor boy; he doesn't totally realize what he's getting into. Yet. Soon, though, he'll figure it out. He'll have to. Besides, he'll only be there a week.

Hopefully, we'll provide the best experience possible. The real fun of the week he's with us, we will be seeing Europe thru his eyes. All the history, the architecture, the societies that have developed, how the conflicts over the centuries have dramatically shaped the map of Europe, and the fortunes of mankind. All this from a train window. Or two. Or, maybe, eight.

What Obi-Wan Kenobi said to young Luke Skywalker in the original STAR WARS will hold true for our young charge on this trip: 'You've just taken your first step into a larger world.'

Planning the trip: Dotting 'I' 's, crossing 'T' 's...

For many international travelers, this is old hat. Making sure your travel insurance is in order (you better have it; your USA-based health insurance won't work well in, say, Serbia). Having the right currency, for the location(s) you'll be visiting. Visa for that far-away place? Check, times 3. Be sure the cell phone plan you have at home, can carry you thru the wilds of beautiful Downtown wherever. Obtaining new clothes, so that if you want to go out on the road, you aren't an embarrassment to yourself, your country, your religion (if you are so inclined), whatever.

And then, there's the information you need. The one piece of info you want is in one language, and that language? It's not yours. You have to use various interpretation websites (there are several), or you know enough of the language (one way or another) to interpret the info that is there and available. (Mind you, they'll come up to you later, and ask: "Where did you find THAT?" You will also have to sort out three different versions of the same info, to produce the correct info for your needs and desires.)

Our trip planning continues in earnest, as we are now under four weeks before departure day. The day that it all comes together. That the dream (well, at least mine) is realized. Or, that everything absolutely goes to hell, in the biggest fireball in the history of passenger transportation.

(Hey! I write; you decide.)

As we go on, I am like a newlywed; something old (my camera, which we unearthed in my disastrously messy den); something new (new suitcase, replacing my 15-year-old Samsonite); something borrowed (a copy of Lonely Planet's Best of France, courtesy of one of my wife's co-workers), and something blue (blue will be my predominant color on this trip).  Hopefully this will bring good luck for all of us. I believe that luck favors those who properly plan, a fact that has borne itself out over many years of travel.

As the days dwindle relatively quickly, I try to make sure that everything is set well in advance, so as to leave nothing to chance, in the final week before departure. Get everything ordered so that nothing comes in the last few days before departure. This will be a very tightly weighted trip, as once we leave home we basically have to carry-on everything, for up to three weeks. Staying close to the starting weight, will be key to any hope for a good experience. You really don't need to take everything you have ever owned when you go on vacation, especially a trip when you will be 'on the run' for most of the first week. I just hope I can communicate that to everyone else.

Time to go to Walgreens, to hit up the travel-size health and beauty supplies...See you later...

Europe 2019: Decisions, decisions...

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.

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.

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'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...

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.

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.

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...

Skol Northstar! Vikings game trains schedule announced

OK, Vikings faithful. Your team is playing 'exhibition' football. Soon, you all will begin your annual treks to the 'Dome, and you'll wait for-ever to get out of the parking lots/ramps after the game...

...unless you ride Northstar, in which case, the train will wait for YOU. For one hour after the final gun.

Metro Transit has released the train schedule for the first full season of Vikings' football, available at: http://www.metrotransit.org/ride-northstar-to-the-metrodome.aspx .

Soon, your pre-game parking worries will be over. Now remember, there is NO TAILGATING in Northstar parking lots. No liquor may be consumed (or, for that matter, poured) in them, either, nor on the trains (or any Metro Transit property) themselves.

You've been told. And, warned. So behave yourselves, folks.

Oh, and for those of you who are Gopher football fans: This service will NOT be available for Gopher football games.

Our condolences on your team's predicted fortune, this upcoming college football season.

Northstar catches 'Twins' fever', Becker added as commuter bus stop

Just briefly: Northstar commuter buses from St. Cloud to Big Lake will operate for designated Minnesota Twins home games, primarily on Saturdays, the rest of the 2010 MLB season. Catch the details at metrotransit.org. Look for Route 887 or go to the 'Northstar' tab.

In addition, St. Cloud-Big Lake buses now also stop at Becker en route, both directions, for all trips.

WRT

Aboard the Northstar Twins Special

Sunday evening, I happened to be coming back from a family function, where earlier in the day I used Northstar to go between Coon Rapids and Big Lake, where my wife met me for the rest of the afternoon. I had to get back to my car, so I availed myself of the Northstar Twins' special train from Big Lake back to Riverdale (and my car).

What I saw was what Metro Transit (and the naysayers about Northstar) would want to see: an eight-car, two-locomotive behemoth -- the largest train I've seen in person from Northstar -- and hundreds of Twins fans (if there were any Texas Rangers' fans on this train, they were in hiding) boarding at each of the five Northstar stations, happy not to have to hassle with I-94, the atrocious (and expensive) parking around Target Field (despite it being a Sunday night) and the fact there was actually a train that would wait for them, even after the completion of the Twins' 6-3 win and a three-game sweep of the bankrupt Rangers.

In fact, the train was standing room only as it departed Coon Rapids -- Riverdale. Which meant over 1200 passengers were aboard, as the train roared off into the late afternoon gloom towards Target Field.

There will be trains after every game from now until the end of August. Trainloads of happy fans, safely, efficiently traveling to and from what everyone said would be a 'boondoggle' -- Target Field -- as Minnesota finally joins the 'big leagues' 0f transportation, shortly after they finally joined the 'big leagues' of baseball stadia.

There was only one passenger wanting not to go to Target Field last night. One passenger willing to trade the comforts of the new stadium for the comfort of his own recliner. One passenger who didn't want to go all the way Downtown last night.

Meet that one passenger. Me.

Metro Transit 1, Northstar-riding Twins fans 0, Final

Well, the apocalypse happened Saturday night. And it only took less than six weeks of baseball for that to happen.

Northstar commuter train-riding Twins fans who attended Saturday's 12-inning marathon of bad pitching vs. the Milwaukee Brewers were faced with this situation as the 11th inning approached:

Either they had to:

a) Stay to the end of the game and be stranded in Downtown Minneapolis, or:

b) Run like hell to catch the train (it's just outside Gate 6) and make the 7:00 PM departure, missing the last two innings of the ball game.

Metro Transit's dogged insistence on one operating crew (only) on weekend days is not making friends of Twins baseball fans. The unbelieveable short-sightedness of Metro Transit underestimating the popularity of Northstar for Twins baseball games is yet another reason the schedule for Northstar needs to be expanded.

Now.

New Schedule for Northstar, Route 889 Blues

Northstar commuter trains are on a new, more 'Twins-friendly' schedule, as the baseball season plods on, and the trains arrive Target Field standing-room-only, for nearly every game they run for. The ridership figures for days when there are Twins home games, as opposed to days when they do not run are way, way up. Now if they would only do something to encourage more off-peak, non-game-day ridership?

They have, in part. No longer are some (not all) Northstar riders stranded all day weekdays downtown, as the No. 889 'Northstar replacement' bus has changed its' schedule to a much more useful 1:05PM departure from Downtown Minneapolis, as the public had spoken -- LOUDLY -- about operating a mid-day trip to Coon Rapids (Riverdale) and Anoka stations.

Now, could we get this same 889 bus to continue to Elk River and Big Lake, in order to serve ALL Northstar patrons? (Fridley station is already also served by Metro Transit bus route No. 852). As long as the bus is deadheading back anyhow (another mistake,) you might as well make it available for all potential Northstar patrons to use.

If you make the train service at least palatable to use one direction, you would draw more passengers to the afternoon trains outbound from Downtown (and the 5 PM 'turnback' inbound) if you had another way to get there at times outside of the rush hours.

But what do we consumers, who use the service (and want to use it more) know?

Target Field opens, Northstar trains arrive SRO

Needless to say, the Twins baseball plan worked TOO well.

Trains packed with baseball fans pushed ridership on Northstar commuter trains up over 75% last week, according to Metro Transit, the service's operator. In fact, the first baseball special train on Opening Day was so popular, the train was discharge only after the stop at Coon Rapids - Riverdale, meaning the over 100 passengers at the Fridley station were left to ride dedicated buses fron Fridley station to Target Field. This also caused the normal last train outbound on Monday to leave with an estimated 1,000 riders, as the baseball special train operated behind the normal 6:15 PM departure.

Special trains will operate for 53 of the 81 Twins games this season; other weekend games will be covered by Northstar's regular service, the schedule of which has been tweaked to serve home games at Target Field. The new schedule is available now online only; the printed schedules will not appear until early May.

The new schedule will also have a major change to the bus route #889 schedule, the 'Northstar replacement' bus which operates to Coon Rapids-Riverdale and Anoka stations. The new schedule will fill the 'mid-day gap' for those patrons who work only half-days, and beginning May 15th, will leave Downtown Minneapolis at 1:10 PM, as opposed to the current 7:10 PM.

Now, if they'd only run that bus to Elk River and Big Lake...