Kel's 06 Trip Articles
July 24, 2006
Sleepy Stateside
I've been back in the US for five days now, but it seems like a lot longer. I've been pushing myself, ignoring the jetlag, and visiting or calling lots of family and friends. And now it is catching up with me -- I'm exhausted, and I've lost my voice. I also wake up starving at 6 am EST every day because in Europe at that hour it is time for a nice big lunch.
Sooooooo, I'm going to slow things down this week...I can't get it all sorted out at once. They say it takes one day of recovery for each hour of time difference, and if that is the case, I've got at least one more day of catch up ahead of me. So tomorrow, I will really rest. And try to keep things low key for most of this coming week.
I'll try to get back here before the end of the month with some final thoughts on five months of train travel through Europe. Be sure to ask your questions about Eurail tickets or European train travel in the comments section and I will do my best to answer them (between naps, of course :)
by Kelly Amabile | # | Comments (0)
July 06, 2006
Moving Slowly Around Italia
It's just so hot! I love it here in Italy, but I am moving at a snail's pace these days. This heat just eats at my energy...
I spent a long weekend in Asti with my wonderful cousin and extended family, then two days couchsurfing in Lucca with a great group of folks, and I am now staying with more gracious hosts here in Florence. I continue to be showered with kindness from folks all over the world.
The trains have been fine -- slow and late and hot -- but fine. The first class car I was in from Asti to Genova on Monday had no air conditioning or electricity for about a half-hour, but thankfully when we got to Genova they put a new battery in and things improved dramatically for the rest of the trip down the coast to Viareggio. That was the only major inconvenience of train travel this week.
I don't think I'll be taking another train until the very end of my trip, when I am in Rome. I'm headed to a somewhat remote villa in Tuscany this weekend for a full week away, so this may be it from the Eurail blog until the final days of my five month adventure. Stay cool and don't forget to cheer for Italy on July 9th!!!
by Kelly Amabile | # | Comments (0)
Tren Italia
Tomorrow I will take a quick train trip along the Italian coast from Asti down to Viareggio. Then I'll visit...Continue reading... | by Kelly Amabile | # | Comments (0)
Quick Stop in Genova
I took a train from Nice to Genova on Friday, and had several hours to wait for my next connecting...Continue reading... | by Kelly Amabile | # | Comments (0)
Nice is Nice BUT...
...I'm tired. I think it is about time for me to admit that things are not always so rosey when...Continue reading... | by Kelly Amabile | # | Comments (0)
Finally going to see Nice
Ten years ago when I left Barcelona with my two friends, we stayed on the train for a ridiculously long...Continue reading... | by Kelly Amabile | # | Comments (0)
Night Train to the Beach
The backtracking continues...I am headed back to Barcelona, a city I feel very comfortable in. I know my way around...Continue reading... | by Kelly Amabile | # | Comments (2)
Moving Around Madrid
Back in March I mentioned that Madridīs metro was easy to navigate, and several months later I still agree...it is...Continue reading... | by Kelly Amabile | # | Comments (0)
Berlin to Paris to Madrid
I left Berlin at 10:30 am on Saturday morning. Two days, seven trains and one amazing World Cup game later,...Continue reading... | by Kelly Amabile | # | Comments (0)
More World Cup Action
It has been an absolute blast to be here in Berlin during the World Cup. The entire country of Germany...Continue reading... | by Kelly Amabile | # | Comments (0)
Reservations:
Are they always necessary? Sometimes, especially in high summer season, but often you can wing it without one and will...Continue reading... | by Kelly Amabile | # | Comments (0)
Training Days
The night train was not bad at all. There were two other guys in my couchette, and although one snored...Continue reading... | by Kelly Amabile | # | Comments (0)
Night Nerves
I'm taking my first night train this evening, from Budapest to Munich. It will be interesting to see how it...Continue reading... | by Kelly Amabile | # | Comments (0)
Back in Buda
The long travel day went well yesterday. I slept most of the morning on the train from Split to Zagreb,...Continue reading... | by Kelly Amabile | # | Comments (0)
Another Long Haul
The weather is crummy here in Split - rain and more rain, and we just had a fierce thunderstorm. I...Continue reading... | by Kelly Amabile | # | Comments (0)
Dubrovnik to Split
It is rainy and very cold in Dubrovnik today, but the city is still swarming with tourists and bus groups....Continue reading... | by Kelly Amabile | # | Comments (0)
Survived My First Ferry Ride
We are safe and sound and on the ground in Dubrovnik. I was a little touch-and-go there when the Marko...Continue reading... | by Kelly Amabile | # | Comments (0)
Southern Italy
My aunt and I have been on a quick jaunt through the southern provinces of Campania, Basilicata and Puglia. We...Continue reading... | by Kelly Amabile | # | Comments (0)
First Plane Ride...
...is coming up on Sunday. (First plane ride since I arrived in Europe on Feb. 16.) I'm traveling with my...Continue reading... | by Kelly Amabile | # | Comments (1)
Venice by Boat
When I visited Venice ten years ago I arrived via train and stayed at a budget pension close to the...Continue reading... | by Kelly Amabile | # | Comments (0)
Europe and Eurail Travel News
I had some time today to catch up on news around the blogosphere and wanted to quickly post a few...Continue reading... | by Kelly Amabile | # | Comments (0)
A First...
How about peeing while standing up in the Trieste train station with my 25-pound pack on my back.* Yup ---...Continue reading... | by Kelly Amabile | # | Comments (0)
Perfect in Piran
Two thumbs up to this little slice of paradise along the Adriatic. If you visit Slovenia, do not miss this...Continue reading... | by Kelly Amabile | # | Comments (0)
Busing around Slovenia
It is much easier to explore Slovenia by bus than by train. The buses are comfortable and cheap, so it...Continue reading... | by Kelly Amabile | # | Comments (0)
Laughing our way to Ljubljana
We took Eurocity train 52 from Budapest to Ljubljana on Monday, passing through three countries - Hungary, Croatia and Slovenia....Continue reading... | by Kelly Amabile | # | Comments (0)
Goodbye to Buda
It has been an excellent week here in Budapest. After the walking tour I already mentioned, we did a ton...Continue reading... | by Kelly Amabile | # | Comments (0)
Walking Tours and then more walking
I love taking walking tours to familiarize myself with places, especially big cities...and Buda is BIG. I already mentioned that...Continue reading... | by Kelly Amabile | # | Comments (0)
Half Way in Hungary
Well, all the transportation stuff I was skittish about on Sunday went remarkably well and I arrived safely in Budapest...Continue reading... | by Kelly Amabile | # | Comments (0)
Bound for Budapest
Tomorrow I am going to attempt to go from Cesky Krumlov (in the southern bohemia region of the Czech Republic)...Continue reading... | by Kelly Amabile | # | Comments (0)
Europe on an Alphabet Blog
I keep meaning to mention another fantastic BootsnAll Europe website to check out. Victoria is currently traveling the continent alphabetically...a...Continue reading... | by Kelly Amabile | # | Comments (0)
Currency Craziness!
We left the Euro just about two weeks ago and it has been a daily challenge to keep up with...Continue reading... | by Kelly Amabile | # | Comments (0)
World Cup Blog
When I was in Berlin a few weeks ago, I completely forgot to mention the upcoming World Cup, an epic...Continue reading... | by Kelly Amabile | # | Comments (0)
Krakow to Prague: The Day Train
Lots of folks take night trains to save money and time during their fast-paced 2-3 week loops of the major...Continue reading... | by Kelly Amabile | # | Comments (0)
Happy Monday
Mondays are terrific travel days. Most museums and attractions are usually closed anyway, and for some reason Mondays seem to...Continue reading... | by Kelly Amabile | # | Comments (0)
The Gift of the Guide
I wanted to mention the guidebooks that we've been using for this trip. There are so many out there to...Continue reading... | by Kelly Amabile | # | Comments (0)
Goodbye Euro, Hello Eastern Europe
We stood on line (or in line, depending on where you are from) for a ridiculously long time last night...Continue reading... | by Kelly Amabile | # | Comments (0)
Goodbye Euro, Hello Eastern Europe
We stood on line (or in line, depending on where you are from) for a ridiculously long time last night...Continue reading... | by Kelly Amabile | # | Comments (0)
Comfortable and Cozy
We experienced our nicest train ride today - in the comfort of our own private room in the first class...Continue reading... | by Kelly Amabile | # | Comments (0)
The Art of the Flush
My traveling companion and good friend Christina (CJ) is a very observant traveler. She is an expert with the weather...Continue reading... | by Kelly Amabile | # | Comments (2)
Long Weekend in Amsterdam
We've been in Amsterdam since Thursday night. We are staying at a nice centrally located youth hostel that has breakfast...Continue reading... | by Kelly Amabile | # | Comments (0)
The Temps on Trains
Traveling while the season is changing can be very tricky indeed - what to wear, what to hold on to...Continue reading... | by Kelly Amabile | # | Comments (0)
R&R in Belgium
We did another marathon haul on Monday, traveling from Lyon, France all the way up to Bruge, Belgium. We passed...Continue reading... | by Kelly Amabile | # | Comments (2)
First Long Haul
Yesterday we traveled from Barcelona to Lyon, France - a pretty packed full day of travel, but not as exhausting...Continue reading... | by Kelly Amabile | # | Comments (2)
Second Class to Barcelona
Yesterday morning we took a 9:41 am train from Madrid that arrived in Barcelona at 14:44 pm. When we made...Continue reading... | by Kelly Amabile | # | Comments (0)
Madrid Metro and Train
Today my traveling companion CJ and I went to the Atocha train station in Madrid (one of two main stations...Continue reading... | by Kelly Amabile | # | Comments (0)
Wednesday Nights at Cafe Madrid
If your travels ever land you in Madrid on a Wednesday night with nothing to do, stop by Cafe Madrid...Continue reading... | by Kelly Amabile | # | Comments (0)
Remember Reservations
Even though you may be traveling with a Eurail Pass, donīt forget that you have to pay for your reservation...Continue reading... | by Kelly Amabile | # | Comments (0)
Time Out to Catch Up
Iīm treating myself to three hours of internet time. I have about 5 hours to kill in Granada today before...Continue reading... | by Kelly Amabile | # | Comments (0)
I Spy...
On my train trip from Seville to Granada yesterday I spotted at least three different men using nature as a...Continue reading... | by Kelly Amabile | # | Comments (3)
Navigating Seville
For some reason I had trouble getting my bearings in Seville. I found that taking a trip up the 34...Continue reading... | by Kelly Amabile | # | Comments (0)
Next Stop: Seville
I'll be boarding a bus in about an hour or so to head into Seville (I'm about an hour outside...Continue reading... | by Kelly Amabile | # | Comments (0)
Getting from Portugal to Spain
It is actually easier to do this trip by bus than by train, especially when travelling from the Algarve to...Continue reading... | by Kelly Amabile | # | Comments (2)
Empty Cars in Off Season
On my train trip from Lisbon to Faro, there were about 7 or 8 other people in the car. Today,...Continue reading... | by Kelly Amabile | # | Comments (0)
Queasy Ride on the Alfa
Yesterday I took the super fast train from Lisbonīs Oriente Station to Faro, in the Algarve region of southern Portugal....Continue reading... | by Kelly Amabile | # | Comments (0)
Public Transport around Lisbon
Yesterday I used Lisbonīs regional train networkto travel to Sintra, and today I used the same line to get to...Continue reading... | by Kelly Amabile | # | Comments (0)
Hello from Portugal
Iīve been in Lisbon for two days now, and am still trying to figure out how to type on the...Continue reading... | by Kelly Amabile | # | Comments (2)
Heading Out...
This is it! Less than 24 hours from now I'll fly from Newark, NJ to Lisbon, Portugal to begin a...Continue reading... | by Kelly Amabile | # | Comments (0)
Eurail Resources: BootsnAll
Start here. It's really just that simple. The BootsnAll Eurail travel resources listed here will guide you through the plethora...Continue reading... | by Kelly Amabile | # | Comments (0)
Eurail Blog Back in Business
Happy New Year Europe rail fans! We're kicking off the popular European summer backpacker season a little bit early here...Continue reading... | by Kelly Amabile | # | Comments (2)
