Trains

My husband, Mike, and son, Scott, and I stayed in a 2-bedroom apartment in the house Roduner-Hus (Dorf, CH-3718 Kandersteg, SWITZERLAND; phone + 41 [0] 33 675 1053, www.adamsalpineeden.com/roduner), Sept. 18-26, 2008.

The location was perfect, just a 5-minute walk from the co-op for groceries and a 10-minute walk from the train station. The owner, Franziska Ryter, was a real delight and speaks English. She picked us up from the train station, took us to the apartment and explained everything thoroughly.

My two daughters and I took a train from Moscow, Russia, to Riga, Latvia, with Russian Railways in October ’08. We had a sleeper car and it was great. The cost of $170 per person included a room for four persons, and we received tea and biscuits for breakfast.

In Riga we stayed at Hotel Konventa Seta (Kaleju Str. 9/11, Riga, LV 1050; phone +371 67087501, www.konventa.lv). This was a wonderful hotel in a great location and very nicely priced; we paid about $100 a night.

My wife, our granddaughter and I took a trip to Germany, June 16-July 2, 2009. I had made all of our travel arrangements on the Internet, including the Deutsche Bahn (DB) train tickets to the various places we were going: Frankfurt, Munich, Ampfing, Würzburg and back to Frankfurt. These all were highly restricted, advance-purchase, nonrefundable, nonchangeable “Internet saver tickets.”

We flew from San Francisco to Frankfurt on United, but our flight was three hours late departing SFO (no reason given by the airline) and did not make up any of the lost time.

We asked independent travelers to tell how they go about finding nonreserved rooms when they arrive someplace they’ve never been to overseas. We printed responses in the January ’09 issue. Here are a few more.

If you have something to add, write to Winging It Finding a Hotel, c/o ITN, 2116 28th St., Sacramento, CA 95818, or e-mail editor@intltravelnews.com (include the address at which you receive ITN). ITN prints no items on destinations in the United States.

I was a nervous wreck about making it to each train. I left Venice on May 8, 2009, and I HAD to be in Munich by May 15.

Since ITN printed my offer of help to anyone planning a trip to my hometown (Dec. ’08, pg. 11), I’ve made contact with a number of interesting people and have even met some, so it has been an interesting and enjoyable experience which I hope will continue. It has been a learning curve for me as I become more aware of my limitations and travelers’ expectations and preconceptions.

Having recommended London TravelCards, as issued by Transport For London (tfl), and the “London 2 for 1” deal on many attractions, offered to those who travel by rail, I should emphasize the following.

by Jay Brunhouse

by Jay Brunhouse

The Blue Train is to Africa as the Oriental Express is to Europe. In February ’08 we boarded the train about 8 a.m. in Cape Town, South Africa, for the 27-hour ride to Johannesburg.

ITN readers who have ridden the London Underground and trains are familiar with the unending “Mind the gap” announcements at each station and the weak jokes associated with them. I even have an English postcard with “Mind the gap” printed on it in big black letters.