Wednesday, April 13, 2011
Paris, Fance to Nurnberg, Germany
Up at 8:00am, Jan cleaned up apartment, I took out the garbage and returned they key to the rental company office. Very pleasant experience, would rent from 'www.parisvisit.com' if/when we pass this way again.
Taxi to airport from taxistand at Rue du Louvre and Rue du Rivoli, a female chinese driver who spoke chinese to someone on her cell phone as she negotiated the clogged Paris streets on the way to Gare de l'Est train station (the Eurostar comes and goes from Gare d' Nord). We bought tickets on the ICE train, the InterCity Express, fast trains where your coach number and seat numbers are reserved. This one was operated by SNCF, the French train company. It left at 11:24am, platform 17, train number 9573, coach 17, seats 45 & 46. Just like airplane travel. We were scheduled to have one hour to change trains in Stuttgart, more than enough time.
A coffee (Americano, espresso and milk) and a croissant later, we found platform 17, our coach, and our seats, boarded, and were outta there precisely on schedule according to the platform clock. Asked questions about handicapped travel, while on board, of the ticket checkers who came by. Very helpful, wheelchairs travel in the first class car, with assistant also, at second class fare, as the first class cars have mechanical lifts to take care safely of lifting the chair and occupant. Ask for 'Acess +', and reserve at least two months ahead.
Changed trains at Stuttgart and left for Nurnberg at 4:07pm, arriving Nurnberg at 6:15pm on time. This one a regional train, no reserving of coaches or seats, just grab what you can. Total travel and waiting time, Paris to Nurnberg, 6 hrs and 45 mins.
On arrival at Nurnberg we went to DeutchBahn, the German train operators, and bought a ticket for Friday morning from Nurnberg to Furth-im-Wald where we will meet Shane and Sonja. Now we know the time and track number, and where exactly to go in the station, for our Friday morning journey, and our time here in Nurnberg can be totally relaxed.
An under-the-street passage way took us from the hauptbanhof (main train station) to the beginning of the altstadt (Old town, or tourist area) where we found the tourist information office. It was late in the day, and the office was almost closed, but we were in time. Its nice to travel off season like this, as there has always been accomodation for us no matter the time of arrival. We wound up with a room for 65E pernight at the Hotel Keiml, a half block from the main drag, Konigstrasse. That translates to King's street, I suppose because it leads right up to the Castle at the top of the hill. The room was on the second floor and there was no 'lift' so we had to hump our bags up a spiral staircase, no small task after our busy day. Lucky we are travelling light. We checked in, dropped our bags, and headed out in the early evening for a walkabout.
We found a magical city, just enchantingly old and quaint, took a ton of pictures and went to a beer hall called the 'Barfusser' (Barfoooser) for beer and wine and a late dinner. Then home to bed, tired and happy, and knowing our way around for the morning. Breakfast was from 7 until 10, and we plan to be on the late end of the timeframe.
