Paris to Kaiserslautern
Day 45. We got up this morning fairly early, and I went off to get us some breakfast. I stopped at the front desk to arrange for a taxi for us. Then upstairs to eat and pack. We were ready to go well in advance of our 11:30 taxi, and headed down to the lobby to wait. I went to a little shop down the road and got a pin and an Eiffel Tower miniature while we were waiting.
The taxi took much longer than expected. It was only a little over a mile and it took almost half an hour. That traffic was terrible. But we got there, got our stuff out of the taxi, and headed in. It was far too early to get a platform number but we found out the general vicinity of where it would be and found a place to sit.
While we were waiting, we started talking to another couple who were traveling with their daughter. They are from Singapore, the parents are older than we are, and the daughter is around our kids' age. We had a wonderful conversation with them. They were going to be on the same train so it made for a pleasant wait for all of us.
Right on time the platform number went up on the board so we headed to our train. We had bought 1st class tickets so our car was the closest one, and we had no problem finding stowage room for our stuff since we were pretty early getting there. The seats were nice and comfy and we were able to relax and take it easy. Unfortunately, no wifi, so we spent the trip talking and sight seeing.
It was a very nice trip. This was on an ICE train, which is the German high-speed rail. The top speed of the train is 320 kph, or almost 200 mph. It was very fast, and there were times one of us would see something but not have time to point it out to the other. Still, it was very smooth and a great trip.
At the stop in Saarbrucken, the train was only in the station for a couple of minutes, so thankfully I noticed that and was then prepared for our stop in Kaiserslautern. So we were both at the door with our stuff ready to go when we pulled in. I got the stuff out on the platform quickly and we were able to make it out of the train without a problem.
Then off to the station, and a quick conversation with a station agent who had almost no English (my prewritten card came to the rescue again!) where we found out that the hotel was only about 100 meters away. So we started walking there. I wasn't sure exactly where it was so I stopped and asked someone and got pointed in the right direction, and then we saw the hotel and made it there fine. Then we got checked in and up in the room.
Figuring out the wifi was a real challenge. I'm still not sure why it's now working but my computer was definitely not happy at the start. Now it's up and running though and that helps a lot. After I got that sorted out I went out walking some to see the area a little. I walked by where my grandfather lived, but didn't know it at the time because I had the number wrong. Tomorrow I'll go back and take pictures. I also did a little scouting and saw a Vietnamese restaurant really close. Then up to the room to relax a little.
When we got hungry we decided to head to that restaurant. It was a nice easy walk and we were there. The manager has almost no English but the other wait person speaks very well so she waited on us tonight.
Those who know me well know I lament the closing of Cafe Yulong in Mountain View and the loss of the orange chicken. Well, I've found something I like just as much. This restaurant has a crispy duck in orange sauce that is completely amazing. I'm so glad we went there and I had it. Kathy had a duck curry that she liked just as much. So it was a great dinner for us.
Now we're in the room, exhausted again, and getting ready for sleep.
The taxi took much longer than expected. It was only a little over a mile and it took almost half an hour. That traffic was terrible. But we got there, got our stuff out of the taxi, and headed in. It was far too early to get a platform number but we found out the general vicinity of where it would be and found a place to sit.
While we were waiting, we started talking to another couple who were traveling with their daughter. They are from Singapore, the parents are older than we are, and the daughter is around our kids' age. We had a wonderful conversation with them. They were going to be on the same train so it made for a pleasant wait for all of us.
Right on time the platform number went up on the board so we headed to our train. We had bought 1st class tickets so our car was the closest one, and we had no problem finding stowage room for our stuff since we were pretty early getting there. The seats were nice and comfy and we were able to relax and take it easy. Unfortunately, no wifi, so we spent the trip talking and sight seeing.
It was a very nice trip. This was on an ICE train, which is the German high-speed rail. The top speed of the train is 320 kph, or almost 200 mph. It was very fast, and there were times one of us would see something but not have time to point it out to the other. Still, it was very smooth and a great trip.
At the stop in Saarbrucken, the train was only in the station for a couple of minutes, so thankfully I noticed that and was then prepared for our stop in Kaiserslautern. So we were both at the door with our stuff ready to go when we pulled in. I got the stuff out on the platform quickly and we were able to make it out of the train without a problem.
Then off to the station, and a quick conversation with a station agent who had almost no English (my prewritten card came to the rescue again!) where we found out that the hotel was only about 100 meters away. So we started walking there. I wasn't sure exactly where it was so I stopped and asked someone and got pointed in the right direction, and then we saw the hotel and made it there fine. Then we got checked in and up in the room.
Figuring out the wifi was a real challenge. I'm still not sure why it's now working but my computer was definitely not happy at the start. Now it's up and running though and that helps a lot. After I got that sorted out I went out walking some to see the area a little. I walked by where my grandfather lived, but didn't know it at the time because I had the number wrong. Tomorrow I'll go back and take pictures. I also did a little scouting and saw a Vietnamese restaurant really close. Then up to the room to relax a little.
When we got hungry we decided to head to that restaurant. It was a nice easy walk and we were there. The manager has almost no English but the other wait person speaks very well so she waited on us tonight.
Those who know me well know I lament the closing of Cafe Yulong in Mountain View and the loss of the orange chicken. Well, I've found something I like just as much. This restaurant has a crispy duck in orange sauce that is completely amazing. I'm so glad we went there and I had it. Kathy had a duck curry that she liked just as much. So it was a great dinner for us.
Now we're in the room, exhausted again, and getting ready for sleep.