Across Europe by train

After four excellent stops, in Hong Kong, Singapore, Cairo and Istanbul, I touched down at San Marco Airport in Venice this morning to begin the second phase of my SpinFirst.com Around the World Spin! From here, I'm taking the train via Zurich, Bruges/Brussels, London and a final stop in Paris.

This is a different trip style, with 96 hours from first stop to last, less time at each destination, just flying visits along the way. As I've already discovered in Venice, you could take a long time to explore this place, but I have to stay focused, I have a train to catch! I have kept to about 24 hours more or less in each destination and will include each of them here as they are completed. In this section, scroll down to discover, with me, Venice, Zurich, Bruges, London and Paris...

3 p.m, MAY 8, 2010 - Venice

The only way to arrive in Venice for me was the rather expensive water taxi. It's a beautiful ride well worth the cost and dropped me direct at the Hotel American Dinesen, a quiet, boutique hotel near the Accademia Bridge. The hotel, and it's excellent canal view lived up to my expectations. It was wonderfully relaxing, a spacious room with 3 windows that opened to let in cool evening air.

View from room 306, Hotel American Dinesen

My first forage into the maze of alleys that make for main thoroughfares in Venice was an adventure. Around every turn a fantastic photo opportunity. One thing to note: Don't be too proud to carry a map -- you will need it! I tried to guess my way from the Rialto (Rialto Bridge) to San Marco Square, which is well sign posted if you look hard enough, but one wrong turn and you'll find yourself back where you started or worse! It didn't help much to ask for directions, as locals like to give you the entire trip in one sentence very fast, which is next to useless!

The easy thing to do is simply follow the busier streets, these are busy for a reason: they are the way to go from one main landmark to another. San Marco Square is everything I thought it was, not too packed with tourists, wonderful light and enough of the square was free of construction and scaffolding to allow some decent pictures. There's no shortage of beautiful buildings, many in crumbling decay adjacent to those wonderfully preserved. It's amazing this place is still standing considering how often it floods.

I was a little surprised to see so many 'entrepreneuers' generally from west Africa selling knock-off hand bags and suitcases on the streets -- pretty much every major street between the Rialto and San Marco Square. I suppose I thought this sort of thing would not be tolerated in such a beautiful place. Likewise grafitti is all over the place, which serves to remind me that this is a real city, with people, schools, shops and lives, and not just a tourist attraction at which you can park your cruise ship to buy stuff. Well, it is that too, but it is, first and foremost, a very beautiful city.

My favorite in Venice was the small and medium-sized squares you come across as you walk around. These are just as beautiful as San Marco Square, but so much less crowded and more peaceful. Around one corner, three church doorways opened to a small square. In another, an opera was taking place, the music flowing out into the streets. These smaller piazzas and squares all have nice restaurants and terraces to enjoy, as well. The streets around these smaller piazzas were often deserted, which was fantastic. Eventually you end up at a busier street which help you find you way, but the quiet streets are well worth exploring.

It is very expensive, which I expected, and as this is just the first stop, I had to take it easy. First, I located a supermarket, about 5 minutes walk from the hotel. Picked up some supplies and goodies to eat same day, as well as on the train while I write this. My hotel stay included breakfast (something I always try to take advantage of), so my only splurge here was the water taxi. Nice!

Getting to the train station the following morning was a breeze. I took the water bus from the Accademia Bridge all the way to the steps of the train station. It only cost about 6 Euros, and was a really pleasant ride along the Grand Canal. This service is very frequent, and I'd recommend it to anyone trying to get from anywhere near the Grand Canal to anywhere else near the Grand Canal. It's a great way to get your bearings, as you can see more from the Canal, and plan your walking routes from there. The same service will also take you directly to the airport from many of the stops along the way.

As evening falls in Venice, it seems to come alive in a wonderful way. There's not much of a hurry, just a quietly gathering buzz. Obviously bars and restaurants start to fill up, but also, in every store of any kind, I saw shopkeepers drinking and socializing with their friends. It looks like a wonderful friendly community they have here, no matter how tiresome we tourists can be!

My stop here was just enough to give me a little taste of Venice, I think it deserves more exploration. I've taken some nice photographs of some of the most famous places, and some quieter corners, but I'm more interested in experiencing life as I travel, not just seeing the stuff everyone sees. I'd like to come back here one day and get to know Venice like locals do.

10:50 am, MAY 9, 2010 - Venice

Train 9714 Venice - Milan, then Train 20 to Zurich. Looking forward to returning to Zurich. Of all the places I've been on this trip, it's the only one I've spent time before. It'll be like catching up with an old friend. I wonder if he'll have a place I can do some laundry... Windows on the train are too dirty to shoot through, was hoping to get some nice scenery shots for this blog. Train departed right on time. Beautiful day for a train ride. TranItalia is quite a good service, not too expensive either. Another useful thing to note: the buffet at Venice San Lucia Train Station is really cheap, and offers a wide variety of food and refreshments at prices much more economical than the neighboring restaurants and hotels.

7:30 pm, MAY 9, 2010 - Milano Centrale - Zurich Hauptbahnhof

Milano Centrale is a magnificent train station, built in 1931, about the same time as Grand Central in New York. Fantastic art deco details and soaring arched ceilings, also features a shopping mall beneath it, though it seemed to be primarily expensive underwear shops. Did I mention that the girls here are beautiful? Wow. Enough said. The train from Milano Centrale to Central Zurich takes about four hours and is a beautiful trip through Swiss and Italian countryside that is unique to this part of the world. Steep cliffs reach up to snow covered peaks. Many twists and turns of the track reveal picture-perfect valley views of alpine villages, hilltop churches and stunning scenery. One particular hilltop church the train appears to pass by three times, due to the winding of the track in that section. I didn't have time to take pictures, I was too busy enjoying the view. The train also provides a tantalizing glimpse of the beautiful Lake Como, just before the Swiss Border, and Lake Lugano's spectacular lake valley appears from nowhere just across the border. It's a lovely train ride, one of the most picturesque in the world.

8:00 pm, MAY 9, 2010 - Zurich

Well, hello again, old friend. Zurich is a wonderful and beautiful city. I love how things work here, how the trains are perfect and always, but always, on time. Beneath Zurich Hauptbahnhoff (main train station), like any good European train station is an entire level of shopping and convenience stores. In front of the station in Bahnhofplatz, you're at the heart of Zurich and the heart of Europe. Straight ahead is Bahnhofstrasse, the most famous shopping street in Europe. The most expensive, too. This is the home of Hermes, Burberry, Tiffanys, Rolex, and countless other luxury brands. I bought some socks.

To the left of the train station is the River Limmat, over which you cross to climb the hills toward Zurich University. In between Bahnhofplatz and the river -- as well as spilling over the river to the other side) is Zurich Altstadt, Zurich Old Town. It's one of the largest old town centers remaining in Europe, and is a fantastic maze of small winding streets full of shops, bars and restaurants. This is a very lively section at night, with the bars all spilling out into the streets. It's also really wonderful to explore in the early morning (my favorite time), when shops are just opening, and only locals share the deserted streets and alleys.

Only a short walk from the train station along the river bank's west side, you'll find one of the best views in Zurich, looking out over the River Limmat from Limmathof, an ancient hill in the heart of Zurich that has been occupied for almost two thousand years. You can see all of the east side altstadt or Limmatquai as well as the magnificent gothic Grossmunster from here. Keep going along the riverbank and you reach Fraumunster, a lovely church with the largest clock face in Europe.

My first stop was at the Hotel Zum Storcher, they have nice cheap appetizers there, and great view of the river. Then, a climb up the limmathof to shoot the limatquai at night. Didn't get the best of shots but good enough for this visit. Once you start photographing Zurich, it's hard to stop, it is such a beautiful city, around every corner a fantastic new sight.

My hotel choice in Zurich was the Helmhaus Hotel Q, a Swisshotel boutique brand that I found exceptional. It's a very simple, modern and stylish place, where everything works just right, the rooms are sparse but perfectly comfortable and the breakfast, included with the stay was a very tasty spread. It's location in the shadow of Grossmunster in the heart of Limmatquai is excellent. I had previously stayed at the Zurich Marriott, primarily for it's brilliant city views, but Helmhaus Hotel was half the price and much more conveniently located for walkabouts. I'd definitely recommend this one for value and convenience. Alas there's no 'room with a view' picture from this hotel, just a few old town windows across a narrow street from mine. So far, it's the one exception to my usual 'view' rule in picking hotels.

12:00 pm, MAY 10, 2010 - Zurich Hauptbahnhof

An early start today, first stop at Cafe Sprungli, perhaps the best chocolatier in the world. It's a wonderland of chocolate and confectionery delights. I stocked up on neoplitians (I have a long train journey ahead!).

Next stop, coffee at Cafe Press Club in Fraumunster square. It's a quiet, out of the way little coffee shop that I'm rather fond of. I stop for coffee a lot in Zurich, in fact anywhere in Switzerland. Of all the coffee in all the countries I've visited, it's the Swiss style I love best (it's what I have at home!). Always a good frothy cup of strong coffee. Turkish coffee is great, but you can only drink one or two a day, and I like to drink a little more coffee than that! Next a walk over the river to the Marco Lorenzi store, a very nice place to buy from a fantastic selection of Swiss Army knives and high quality kitchen knives. I bought some nail clippers. Seriously, you have to consider these things when traveling for two weeks or more!

Another favorite for coffee is any of the cafes in the main hall of Zurich Hauptbahnhof. It's always busy, and sitting there watching the world go by is a wonderful way to pass the time before your train is due to depart.

1:02 pm, MAY 10, 2010 - TGV - Basel, Strasbourg, Paris, Gare De L'Est.

Departing on time to the second, it's a nice express ride to Paris so I can organize some photos for this blog, and catch up on a little work that I can upload when I get to Bruges. The trains all have power outlets, which is very convenient to getting work done. I have a short walk from Gare du Nord to Gare De L'Est when I reach Paris, doesn't look too far to walk, it'll be my first time in Paris, albeit briefly. I'll be stopping there for the night at the end of this trip -- which is coming soon, just four more days and I'm homeward bound!

I do miss my dog. The further north you get in Europe, it seems it's more and more dog/pet friendly. The Swiss love their dogs, and it's that fact (and the fact that they allow them in cafes) that still has me wanting to move to Zurich or Geneva one day, my dog (Shadow) would love it!

Another thing I'm noticing as I travel north is the weather cooling and turning to rain. Istanbul was perfect, Venice nice with cooler evenings, Zurich raining but warm. Bruges is considerably cooler according to the forecast this morning. I hope I've packed enough cool weather layers. After all the hot places, I am out of warm weather clothing completely, so I am actually looking forward to a fresh spring wardrobe!

Every time I cross an international border my telephone service provider politely reminds me with a text message that I don't have data coverage here. I did look into data roaming, but it is so expensive, it really is counter-productive for me. In fact, while on the train, the only way I know I've crossed into another country is when I get the text message beep, quite handy actually.

3:30 pm, MAY 10, 2010 - TGV - Strasbourg-Paris

It's heavy rain outside, nice in here. Running out of power though, train seat power doesn't seem to work with my adaptor. Nap time. Next stop: Paris.

6:00 pm, MAY 10, 2010 - Gare du Nord, Paris

Well, just a few minutes walk from where I arrived in Paris is where I leave Paris, for now. That was easy. Very comfortable train, and if the free wi-fi holds up, I'll be posting this before we get to Bruges. Of course if I have Internet access, I'll find some work to do, too! Well, I spoke too soon. Internet access is good. I do recommend this train, the Thalys service from Paris to Ostend, via Brussels and Bruges.

Very, very nice train, dinner served, work to do! Thank you AT&T for your, like clockwork, text message letting me know I just crossed over into Belgium. Much appreciated. Now maybe you can help them stabilize this Internet connection so I can post this article from the train, it'd be a first for this blog!

I'm happy to announce a first for SpinFirst.com's Travel Blog! This page was posted live from the train to Bruges. The image upload, however, hasn't been so smooth. Going to keep trying, so do reload, I'll get them up there eventually. Thanks for reading! SpinFirst.com GO!

7:45 pm, MAY 10, 2010 - Brussels

I'm hoping the Eurostar to London is as nice as this tomorrow. More travel notes from Bruges soon.

7:30 am, MAY 10, 2010 - Brugge (Bruges)

What a wonderful place. Fabulous gothic buildings, picture-perfect canals. Chocolate Museum. Fries Museum (Yes, history of the french fry).

The hotel I chose here is another winner. Martin's Relais Oud Huis Amsterdam is a lovely canal-side setting, a hotel converted from four vintage merchant's houses. The rooms are, as described in their brochure, huge. All the dining and meeting rooms here are exceptional, lovely antique decor and a really peaceful setting in the heart of such a great little city.

The welcome here made me feel like I was staying at somebody's home, so nice and warm, makes me want to get in the kitchen and help cook something! Price is great too, one of the cheapest hotels I've booked on this trip, a great value anywhere, and an excellent choice in Bruges. Belgians are wonderful hosts, very friendly, very helpful and just a pleasure to meet.

The receptionist at the hotel was very helpful in providing a map (which you really don't need in Bruges, as long as you can see one of the church towers, it's not too hard to navigate by) and things to see and do. I mentioned that I'd like to just see the old town. She said 'it's all old.' Fair enough. It is. She also pointed out an apparently very nice art museum which unfortunately had no art left, it was stolen last year in one of the greatest art heists on record.

I've explored a fair bit of Bruges, about a square mile radius from my hotel, the market square and any canals I could find, and there's a lot to see and photograph. It's known, apparently as the Venice of the North. It's canals and colder weather living up to that description. A lot of bicycles here, seems that's the mode of choice for transportation.

The churches are really beautiful, soaring gothic cathedrals full of works of art. The Church of Our Lady has the only Michelangelo sculpture outside of Italy, the Madonna and Child , below. The Church of San Salvador also has some amazing classical paintings. Admission to all the churches is free.

There's a Salvador Dali Museum adjacent to the famous church tower in the market square. I didn't have time to visit, but the museum, and the tower are on my list for the next time I'm here! I've thoroughly enjoyed Bruges, a peaceful, inspiring stop after such busy places. I was inspired to travel here after watching the film In Bruges (2007. Colin Farrell, Ralph Fiennes, Brendan Gleeson.), a fabulously dark comedy that was wonderfully shot here. I watched the film again on the plane returning home, and noticed they filmed in most of the locations I shot, which made the experience all the more complete!

Heading to the train station soon for a half hour trip to Brussels where I catch the Eurostar to my next stop: London. One more thing about Belgians. Their chocolate is wonderful, definitely gives the Swiss a run for their money. But lavender flavored chocolate? Odd. Tasted like, well, tasted like lavender in chocolate. That's just one of the wacky flavors they are proud of. Maybe I'm a bit of a purist, chocolate should taste like just chocolate for me.

2:30 pm, MAY 11, 2010 - Brussels

Brussels Central/Midi Train Station is a large, cold and busy place, with none of the character or charm of others I've visited on this trip. I suppose it's functional and massive because it has to be as a major hub, but compared to the grandeur of Milano Centrale and the classic style of Zurich, it's a bit of an ugly affair and not as much fun.

Traveling through the Belgian (and yesterday, the French) countryside, I keep finding myself wondering if I'm looking out over battlefields, or ground hiked by the allies on their hard-fought progress toward Berlin. I'd like to spend some time visiting the battlefields of Europe, it just feels like something I should do. While speeding through France yesterday, I thought of Agincourt, Waterloo and other great battles of history. I need to work on my geography so I can actually know what I'm looking at.

Eurostar looks to be leaving just about on time. Looking forward to being back in London, it'll be the first time I've stayed there for years.

7:41 pm, MAY 11, 2010 - LIVE from London!

Back at the Hotel (Marriott County Hall, across from Houses of Parliament) after a nice long walk. Very chilly in London, great to be back here, though. I walked by Downing Street on my way back at the same time that Gordon Brown was giving his resignation speech. No good photos, unfortunately, just blur and peoples heads, which is why I'm a travel photographer, not paparazzi! Still, it's great to be here and there's lots of London to see. More soon!

9:00 am, MAY 12, 2010 - London

Well, another bust for my paparazzi career. I stopped outside Downing Street this morning to catch Mr. Cameron's arrival for his first day on the job as PM. After a short while a polite policeman tipped me off that he'd sneaked in the back entrance. I did photograph the decoy car, though!

London is physically and mentally exhausting. It's an overload of sights and sounds, all world-famous, all familiar. I've been coming here since I was a kid, and it's amazing how many corners and places bring back old memories. My instinct is to see something, then remember other things nearby I want to see and then more, and more, and before you know it, you're way off the path you were working on and somehow finding yourself way up Holborn High Street having to flag a taxi back to the hotel. But that's just me.

Fact is London is a wonderful and vital city alive with masses of tourists and fast-moving locals alike. Like New York, it's a major world business center that is also a major hub for hoardes of tour groups following flags of their own nationality. It is very tiring, but after running around shooting everything in sight for a while, I calmed down and settled on enjoying the places that were reasonably close to my central location. Of course the location, across the River Thames from the Houses of Parliament at Westminster Bridge, doesn't get more central, surrounded within less than a square mile with Buckingham Palace, Trafalgar Square, Covent Garden, Whitehall, the list goes on and on.

So I focused on the less overwhelming itinerary of things I wanted to do, and did them. To be honest, after all my travels, I was a little tired getting here, but the buzz of being here always keeps me going. Being outside Number 10 Downing Street, during a historic resignation, and when the new PM arrived to take office, was exciting, you could feel it in the air. Quite cool.

Early morning here is great - like most places I've visited - seems the tour groups don't get out before 10 am and if you want to walk and photograph the streets, morning is the best time. There's a lot changed in the years since I've been her, seems like construction everywhere, and new, wider sidewalks in many places as well as highly visible new security measures such as traffic blockers on most roads. One thing that hasn't changed at all is good British Pub Grub! Awesome stuff!

There's tons of great pubs in London, generally, if there's room, go for it, they're all busy! If it looks busy at lunchtime with the business crowd, it's a good bet it'll serve decent food. Prices are a bit steep, but then they always have been in London. Once again I took advantage of the Marriott's executive lounge for a good breakfast and snacks/coffee during the day, saves a lot on the hotel bill and in general walkabout costs, too.

Covent Garden is a lovely place, still much as I remembered it from my college days. Lots of sidewalk cafes, markets selling just about everything (antiques on Mondays) and a generally fun atmosphere to be around. Another wonderful thing about London, is again a sense of place in history. Cairo, Istanbul are both rich in the same, but London's is a signature experience all of it's own. Often, you could be standing at a historical landmark without even knowing it, they are everywhere! It's worth getting a guidebook to really study the areas you'll be exploring, it makes the experience so much richer. Lonely Planet Travel Guides are about the best out there.

London Marriott County Hall next to the London Eye; Tower Bridge from the River Thames

Another good thing about the convenient location of the Marriott County Hall is it's proximity to the river, and the many river taxis and tour boats available. Seeing London from the river is a great way to fit in many of the best sights and learn a little more of it's fascinating history. On this trip, is was a perfect finishing touch. In London, there's so much to take in, you just have to come back for more!

11:37 pm, MAY 13, 2010 - Paris

Paris. City of light. Finally, the last stop on my world tour. I wish I had the energy to go out and experience the famous nightlife of Paris. But, after a long day, I got as far as Notre Dame, and watched the grey evening light turn to magical illumination along the River Seine.

What a wonderful way to bookend this trip. As expected, I wish I'd had more time to explore Paris. I stayed at a small hotel (coincidentally called the Little Palace) just off Boulevard Sebastopol about halfway between Gare du Nord and the River Seine.

From my window, I could see the Sacré-Coeur Basilica at the top of Montmartre hill over the rooftops of Paris. One of my goals was to get a nice shot or two of Notre Dame and the river and this location was perfect. Notre Dame is located on the Île de la Cité, the heart of Paris, and it's oldest quarter.

Paris skyline from Pont Neuf

Arriving here by Eurostar from London is definitely one of the best ways to do so. Exiting the train station, Gare du Nord, you are immediately surrounded by wall to wall French bars, cafes and restaurants, all offering quite reasonably priced coffee and menus. The walk from the station to my hotel took a short 10 minutes, the walk from there to Notre Dame about another 15. Once I'd got my bearings, I explored a bit either side of the main Boulevards and discovered a hive of busy side streets.

Either side of Boulevard Sebastopol, lively sidestreets are full of restaurants and bars. Likewise just across the river from the Île de la Cité, the Latin Quarter begins, with even livelier sidestreets and alleys full of clubs, bars and restaurants. The river itself is crowded with sightseeing boats, some of the largest I've ever seen. As I was shooting around sunset, many of the boats were dinner cruises and through their glass ceilings, it looked like quite a tasty and refined experience! Many of the larger boats are lined with floodlights either side, which obviously make the view quite convenient for those on board, but for the thousands of expensive apartments that line the river, that must get really annoying after a while! It also makes shooting low-key evening shots a little tricky, as you can only shoot after the barges have passed on to a new section of river to blast with light.

The hotel was just about right for the cheap price I paid: decent room, great location. it's tiny elevator is typical of Paris buildings, so you can't fit more than two people in with luggage, but at least it worked! I asked the front desk about an airport shuttle I'd read about for 15 Euros, but she said she would only call their aiport taxi, for a cost of 55 Euros. Way to spendy for me. So next morning, after a pleasant walk back to Gare du Nord, and a couple of stops for coffee at some of the hundreds of great French Cafes I passed, I got a ticket on the SES Line B, Platform 41: Direct to Charles du Gaulle airport for just 8 Euros 50. Fast, and very convenient.

This last stop on the round the world trip was a delightful little taste of Paris, definitely a place I'll have to come back to.