March 2004                                                   The Megaphone                                                     Page 6

 Our Trip to Europe

by Wilbur & Janelle Perkins

In April 2001, my wife Janelle and I went to visit our son Jonathan, wife Tracy and family (3 dogs and 1 cat) in Paris. Our son had been working there since July 2000. We were fortunate that he arranged our flights from Ft Lauderdale, FL to Paris by using his frequent flyer miles. The flight to Chicago was first class and this was really nice. The flight from Chicago to Paris was business class that was even nicer. The time difference between Florida and France was six hours lost. We left on 4/14 and did not get there until 4/15. Our son lived in a "row house" in Suresnes (suburb of Paris). From his front patio you could see the Eiffel Tower. Of course, you can see it all over Paris.

While in Paris we did all the tourist things. We visited the Eiffel Tower, the Louvre (saw the Mona Lisa), Versailles (home of Napoleon), Notre Dame church, etc. The weather was cool and damp most of the time. When we went up to the first level of the Eiffel Tower, the wind was really cold and we were not dressed warm enough.

Then we went on a Eurorail train trip around Europe for 15 days. The trains have first- class and second-class cars. On many of the trains, you can reserve seats in the first class cars. We visited Barcelona, Spain, Nice, France, Milan, Italy, Innsbruck, Austria, Munich, Germany, Amsterdam, Netherlands and Brussels, Belgium. Of all of these cities, we liked Innsbruck best. Our daughter Christina who is a travel agent in Seward, AK made all of our train and hotel reservations. She tried to make arrangements in mid-class hotels, which averaged about $100 per night.

Starting the trip out of Paris, we had our own compartment with bathroom since this was for overnight. Our son took us to the train station in what he thought was plenty of advance time. However, we got caught in Paris rush hour even though it was after 7PM. When we got on the train, we had all of 15 minutes to spare. European trains start exactly on time. Dinner was as soon as we got on the train. The compartment was small and we had to put some of our luggage in the shower. Also, it had upper and lower beds. My wife is more agile than I am, so she got the upper.

On our way to Barcelona, we saw vineyards everywhere. When we got to Barcelona (the train was at least 30 minutes late), the first thing you have to do is get some local currency. This station was very large and information was hard to find.  These moneychangers are real rip off artists. Since we visited seven countries, we got ripped off seven times. Also, you try to not end up with much currency when you leave each country. Starting next year, all of these countries will be using the "Euro" currency, so you will only get ripped off once. We tried to learn a few words for each country so that we would not be totally dumb. Most places where we went, especially hotels and restaurants, people spoke English.

While in Barcelona, we took a train to Stiges, which is on the Rivera. This was a beautiful old city with streets so narrow that you had to stand really close to a building when a car would pass. This was the most interesting day we had in Spain. In Barcelona as well as the other big cities that we visited, most of the cars are small and they park everywhere. They park on the sidewalks, in the crosswalks and even crosswise to other cars. The hotel that we stayed in was real nice and was near the train station but too far to lug our baggage. One day we had lunch at a buffet. It was pretty good but we were not sure what we ate.

Then it was on to Nice. This was a lovely train ride after we got out of Spain. While in Spain, the train generally goes right behind apartment buildings. All of these have the laundry hanging out on their patios. A lot of these buildings appeared to be run down. When we got to Nice, we found out that the hotel was a good distance from the train station. The station was extremely small and the information office was already closed. The taxi driver said he knew where the Holiday Inn was but he took us to the wrong one. However, they had a van and they took us to the correct Holiday Inn. The hotel overlooked the Mediterranean, but not our room. We walked along the beach but it was far too cold for girls to be in their topless bikinis. This hotel included breakfast in their restaurant. Breakfast in Europe is quite different than breakfast in the U. S. They primarily have cold cuts, hard rolls and cereal. However, the Holiday Inn is more like here but if you wanted an egg, there was boiling water to fix it in. We did find a real nice mall to shop in and buy some food and drink for our next train segment.

Leaving Nice, we went thru Monaco but the train station was underground and we could not see anything. We also went through Cannes. The train ride to Milan was pleasant and mostly along the Rivera. However, we arrived in another huge station and information was hard to find. We finally took a taxi to our hotel, which was on the second floor, and there was no elevator. This was extremely difficult for me to handle for two reasons: age and being overweight. This was a pleasant place, which also included breakfast. However, the shower was so “small” that I was just able to squeeze in it but my wife had to do a lot of my scrubbing. One day while in Milan it was a national holiday. It was Liberation Day. I always thought that Italy fought with Germany during WWII. However, this holiday was when the Allies liberated Italy from Germany. We took the Metro to a huge square where they were having festivities. We saw a beautiful church and the LaScalla Opera House. There was even a large display about the Allied landing at Normandy. (?) They had US and English uniforms and rifles. There were no German or Italian items on display. We had pizza for lunch but it was very different from here. They put the toppings in the center instead of all over. It was good but not as good as our pizza.

After Milan, we went to Innsbruck. The train ride was really spectacular going through the Alps. Also, there were several long tunnels. One was so long that I napped all the way through it. The train station in Innsbruck was very small. The town was small also. Several years ago they had the Winter Olympics there. They must have used facilities in surrounding towns. Here the station was only about two blocks to our hotel so we walked. It was another Holiday Inn. We were on the 11^th floor and our room faced the big, beautiful mountains, which had lots of snow on them. We were close to the old part of town. The buildings were old and had paintings on the sides of some of them. Many were from the 16^th or 17^th century. The Holiday Inn also had a casino. We won a few Austrian schillings there. The official language of Austria is German but with different accents.

Our next stop on our trip was Munich. This is another large train station. We had to take a taxi to the hotel that is a “pension” in Germany. It is pronounced pen-si-on in German. For me, unfortunately it was an old hotel without an elevator. The office was on the second floor but our room was on the fifth floor. This hotel about killed me with lugging our baggage and even walking up and down the steps. They had a very good breakfast but it was very European. Our hotel was very near an open-air market. On Saturday, we spent many hours there. They even had a German band playing and they were dressed in native costumes. We sampled many foods, cheeses and wine here. I have relatives that live near Munich but we were not able to see them. We did a lot of walking and saw much of several neighborhoods.

From Munich we took the train to Hanover. This train was the most modern that we were on. It even had headphones to listen to music like they do on airplanes. In Hanover, we only had 8 minutes to change trains to go to Amsterdam. We were assured by out daughter (travel agent) and a train conductor that we had plenty of time. When we got to Hanover, we got off very quickly but we had to go down one escalator, across the station and up another escalator. Then we had to go a long way down to our car. The train was ready to leave but my wife told the conductor that we were trying get on. I am rushing but am very winded from the trek and the luggage. As soon as I got the luggage on and I climbed on, the door closed hitting me on the rear end. This train was not nearly as nice as the previous one. It had come from Berlin and the dining car was about out of food. I had convinced my wife to wait on this train before we ate since it was early. Fortunate for me, we still had some cheese and wine and we bought some bread.

Our trip onto Amsterdam was beautiful going through Holland. There were a lot of canals and flowers. However, it was a terrible nightmare when we got to Amsterdam It was a national holiday in Holland. It was the Queen Mother’s 82^nd birthday. When we stopped at the station, people were trying to get on the train before we even were able to get off. When we got into the station, it was overcrowded with people and it was filthy, very filthy. Everywhere there were people drinking and smoking Marijuana is legal in Holland. There was not anywhere to get any information. When we went outside, there was a very long line of people trying to get taxis. They had live music playing. Also, there were beer cans and trash everywhere. We cornered a taxi and asked him to take us to our hotel but he said that he could not get there. This turned out to be another horrible nightmare. We were told that the hotel was very close down this one main street. The street was full of people drinking and smoking. Also, the whole area was trash covered. We were trying to haul our luggage down the street, which was very difficult. Also, I was having terrible pains in my one leg. My wife kept going ahead trying to find the hotel. Everyone that she talked to said it was only a few meters further. I would say that it was at least a mile. The hotel was beautiful and it had an elevator. We had a late dinner in their restaurant and it was very good. The next morning, we had another typical European breakfast.

Now it was on to Brussels. The train schedule in Amsterdam was still all messed up. The train that we wanted was late and ended up very much overcrowded. My wife rushed on and obtained seats for us, of course, with me lagging behind. People were everywhere. They were even sitting in the aisles. As we got closer to Brussels, the train started to thin out and there were plenty of seats. The countryside was beautiful with windmills, canals and flowers. The train station in Brussels was large and very clean. We took a taxi to our hotel, which was another of the old hotels that was not on the ground floor. However, they did have an elevator. The room was pleasant for our one night stay and we had another of the European breakfasts. We asked the clerk where was a good place to eat. He told us to just go outside the entrance and turn right. We had not really noticed the street when we checked in. Actually, there was not a street but just a sidewalk not over 12-14 feet wide with tables and chairs on each side. It was difficult for two people to pass each other. As we walked past the restaurants, each one tried to lure you with extras to get you to eat at their place. The restaurants had one row of seating outside but were large inside. This was in an old section of Brussels. The next day we wandered around just looking. We came upon a large open square with very beautiful buildings all around. Many of these buildings had dates on them from the 17^th century.

Finally it was time to go back to Paris. We had an evening high-speed train. It was like an airplane. Several attendants served a meal. Most of the people on this train appeared to be business people since they generally wore suits. Even though this was a high-speed train, we were about 45 minutes late getting into Paris. Between Brussels and Paris we saw lots of fields that were yellow. Also, we had seen many similar fields in southern Germany. Later we found out that these were mustard fields.

Our son met us and took us to his house. We were so tired from our fifteen-day trek that we just rested the next day. Our family all thought that we should not take this trip. They did not think we could physically do it. This was a TRIP OF A LIFETIME and it about killed me but I am sure glad that we did it. I would never want to do it again.

On a Saturday we all went to an open-air market in Paris. It was in the center section of a boulevard. There we met some friends that our family deals with almost every week. We had some Lebanese food that this one stand prepares. It was some kind of dough with lots of oil, herbs and spices on it. This pastry was very good. It took well over an hour before we purchased all of the items that were wanted.

Another day we took a trip out into the countryside to a very old chateau. It was interesting to visit. Another day we visited the Rodin museum. He is famous for statues like “The Thinker” and “The Kiss.”  Another day we visited the town home that Napoleon had built for Josephine. Another day we took a trip out into the countryside to visit the home of Monet. He was an outstanding painter who is best known for his “lily pond” and other flower paintings. However, it was too early for the lilies to be in bloom but the other flowers in the gardens were very beautiful and in full bloom.

One Sunday we all went to this French restaurant overlooking the Eiffel Tower. At the table next to us, there was a French Poodle lying on the floor with two ladies. This is a very common sight in France; not just in restaurants but everywhere. Also if you want non-smoking section, it is not a problem. The non-smoking section may only be the table at which you are sitting.

Here are some tidbits of information. Everywhere that we went in Europe, you would find a McDonalds and a Burger King. Also, most places had pay toilets. People everywhere were friendly and tried to help you with questions or problems.

It was nice to come back to the U. S. In the Paris airport we had to show our passports four times before we ever got on the plane. Finally we got back to Chicago and went through customs. No problem here. However, while waiting for our luggage, the Department of Agriculture had a dog checking for food products that are illegal to bring into the country. He sniffed out some cheese in a carryon bag and pulled it out. We had to stay overnight before we got our plane back to Ft Lauderdale the next morning. Our plane was late as usual. Our son-in-law met us and then after taking him home we went back to our house in Port St Lucie.

This was a wonderful trip that lasted 27 days and I am a person that does not like to be gone from home for more than seven days at one time. To me this was a trip of a lifetime but I do not want to repeat. Since then our son has moved back to his home in Silicon Valley California. I am sure that I did not cover everything but this is enough.

Submitted by . . . 

Wilbur '50 & Janelle Perkins