Eurail Odyssey

          If you want to cover a lot of territory and see a big part of Europe in a short time, a Eurail Pass is definitely something you should consider.  They are not cheap, so you must be prepared to get up early and be on the train every day in order to get your money’s worth out of the ticket.  On the other hand, a Eurail pass is convenient, gives you access to the first class areas on the trains and is a safe way to travel.  In May and June of 2009 I took my fifth Eurail tour of Europe, during which I covered a huge swath of the continent including some of the most interesting and beautiful sights in the world, from the Atlantic to the Mediterranean and lots in between.  On this trip I flew in and out of Frankfurt, Germany as I have many times before.  It is one of my favorite gateway cities because of its central location in Europe, its interesting sights and shopping opportunities at the end of the trip and its easy access to the rail system right under the airport.  On this trip I visited Germany, France, Spain, Italy, Austria and the Czech Republic, essentially making a big circle around the middle and southern part of Europe.

Eurail Pass

          Keeping with my standard 19 day trip pattern, the 15 day Eurail pass was ideal and was once again the one I selected.  The pass for 15 days of unlimited travel cost $717.00 and it must be purchased before you leave home.  On arrival at the Frankfurt airport on the morning of May 27, I freshened up and then visited an ATM machine at the terminal using a bank card to purchase some Euros.  My first bank card did not work for some reason, confirming the oft given advice to take at least two cards when traveling.  Rather than use up a day of my 15 day Eurail pass for the short ride to Mannheim, I bought a separate ticket and was on my way, arriving in this beautiful little city by 12 Noon.

Mannheim, Germany

          Located at the confluence of the Rhine and Neckar Rivers in southwestern Germany, Mannheim is a university town.  I had no trouble finding a nice hotel, the Hotel Basler Hof, and got a nice room and bath with breakfast for the equivalent of $80.00.  That afternoon and evening I walked the city, visiting the University of Mannheim located in the old baroque palace and then walking along the rivers.  It was early to bed after my long flight and besides I needed to rest up for the train ride to Paris the next morning.  One of my favorite things about traveling in Europe is the wonderful breakfasts usually provided with your hotel or pension.  In Germany it is served in a Fruhstuck Zimmer or breakfast room.  At the Hotel Basler Hof the breakfast was gourmet and each table had its own silver hottle of coffee.

Useful German Phrases:

Fruhstuck:  breakfast, from fruh meaning early and stuck meaning piece, literally an early piece of bread for example

Zimmer:  room;  note all German nouns are capitalized

Fruhstuck Zimmer:  breakfast room

Zimmer frei:  frei means free, so this means room free or available, vacancy