So, as the character Tom Haverford would say in the TV show "Parks and Rec", here are the deets (as in "deetails") from our 2022 trip to Europe:
Using 19 trains, 3 airplanes and a handful of automobiles we traveled to 8 countries, visited 19 places in 55 days. Tiring to be sure but what an experience!
Countries and major cities visited:
Austria: Salzburg
Czech Republic: Prague
Denmark: Copenhagen, Roskilde
France: Paris
Germany: Hamburg, Hohenfels, Munich, Nurnberg, Regensburg
Netherlands: Delft, Gouda, Utrecht
Norway: Oslo, Flåm, Bergen
Sweden: Stockholm
Transportation:
Air Travel: We used British Airways and their partner American Airlines for flights between the US and Europe and KLM for our one-way flight from Bergen to Amsterdam.
Automobiles: We rarely used automobiles but did rely on Uber four times: twice in Grand Rapids to and from the local airport, once in Munich and once in Prague. Uber was not available in Denmark. We did use a taxi to get to our AirBnB from the train station in Munich. Oh, and our host in Bergen kindly picked us up in his car at the train station (it was raining which precluded our walking to the apartment).
Trains: This was our primary source of travel between countries and cities. We both had senior Eurail passes (15 days in two months) and arranged for our required seat reservations well before the trip. We used the mobile passes which allowed us to upload tickets with the QR code directly to our phone.
Local transportation: We relied on local public transportation nearly everywhere we traveled, including getting to and from airports and train stations. And getting from one town to another by train, especially in the Netherlands, was easy, simple and inexpensive.
Accommodation:
We used Air BnB for apartments, and Expedia, Hilton and The New York Times for finding hotels.
Four hotels: Hamburg, Stockholm, Flåm and Gouda. Reichshof Hotel in Hamburg was very nice, Hotel Slussen in Stockholm wonderful, Weeshuis R & C in Gouda less so.
Six apartments (Munich, Prague, Copenhagen, Oslo, Bergen, and Paris). The shortest stay was in Copenhagen (4 days) and the longest in Paris (14 days). The quality was generally good with some relatively minor issues (see notes for Munich and Prague).
Communication:
Nearly everywhere in Czech and Scandinavia the preferred language was English. Curiously, nearly everyone we came across assumed by looking at us we were locals and began by speaking their language until we looked blankly at them and said "English please".
Food:
We ate quite a few meals in our apartments -- we love going to local grocery stores and small markets; for us it's always been part of the experience of traveling. Also, eating out for nearly two months straight would have been prohibitively expensive and not great for our health.
Transportation.
Eurail passes. Slick interface and with two exceptions worked surprisingly well. Customer service virtually non-existent, however. No way to get immediate help while on the road.
Also, a question remains for us regarding reservations. Eurail drives you to another part of their website and many reservations can only be mailed. In any case, all require some cost, ranging from $3 or $4 up to $30 and higher per. When we had to make reservations at the station in Oslo for our next leg (to Myrdahl) the ticket agent informed us that because we had 1st class Eurail passes reservations were free!
Our few Uber experiences generally worked fine where available, but the company is not allowed in Denmark. We didn't use Uber in Sweden or Norway.
German local train service was fine and very useful.
Czech metro was nice with pretty much all escalators and/or elevators but it was the tram system that won us over: widespread through the city, very accessible and free to everyone over 65!
Copenhagen metro also nearly all escalators and elevators, very modern and fast.
Stockholm metro showed its age compared to the other previously visited cities but very extensive. Plenty of escalators and elevators available at the stops we used.
Download local city metro apps (free and in English), allowing you to see station locations, plot our journeys, etc.
Trains and stations.
German train system is DB
Czech system is CD
Danish is DSB -- app COPENHAGEN CARD
Swedish is SJ and metro is SL - apps
Norwegian is Vy - app OSLO PASS
Dutch train system is NS
French system is SNCF
German and Czech trains ran on time and were generally clean and comfortable. The Munich station was largely a mess with new construction. Hamburg station was huge with massive crowds of travelers but easily navigable with lots of facilities and amenities.
The Czech station was large and we thought oddly laid out, with no taxi stands, and little or no signage assisting the traveler in finding the tram stops. In fact, one had to walk several hundred meters to get to the tram system. Alternatively, the metro was clearly marked within the terminal.
Danish train from Hamburg was a half hour late getting into Copenhagen but quite comfortable and only one so far to provide snacks and coffee in 1st class.
Copenhagen station easy to navigate at first glance but the relationship to the metro system was awkward and it took us some on-the-ground research to find our way from the underground into the station without wandering around outside aimlessly.
Swedish train system sent me an email the day before our journey explaining how to find our high-speed train for Stockholm -- pointing out that it was on a track not easily discovered through the existing track layout.
Stockholm station is easy to navigate and well-connected to the metro system.
Oslo station is perhaps the most modern and well-appointed station so far. Very helpful TI office, plenty of restaurants in a lovely indoor courtyard environment as well as a grocery store (COOP)! Location is ideal and very close the waterfront attractions. Check out the SKYSS APP.
Norwegian trains ran a bit slow off and on but generally arrived at their destinations on time. Clean and lots of room in 1st class; 2nd class (Myrdal to Bergen) would be quite cramped when full.
Bergen station is small but centrally located to the waterfront.
Dutch train stations very modern and well-run, most using the turnstile method for checking tickets in (and out). All well-located to the center of the city.
Generally, the trains were very busy and mostly full in 1st class.
A good reason going 1st class is the use of the various station lounges, managed by that country's national train system. Clean, comfortable with free drinks and snacks they also have departure boards and are easily accessible and provide wifi. There is always an attendant to ask questions (which we often had to do). Note that general seating in most stations is often severely limited if not nonexistent.
City passes.
Most provided discounts for seniors (typically over 65).
Copenhagen City Card. Cannot revisit an attraction.
Stockholm transport pass.
Oslo Pass. Can revisit attractions.
Bergen card. We opted to "pass" on this. You get free transport but only discounted admissions to most of the key attractions.
Masking and vaccination.
Germany required masking on trains and public transportation.
Austrian border patrol only ones to check proof of vaccination.
Czech seemed indifferent.
Denmark also seemed indifferent.
Sweden and Norway generally indifferent to masking.
Except for Austria no one asked to see proof of vaccination.
Currency and money.
Each Scandinavian country and the Czech Republic each had there own currency. Credit cards widely used in all countries but AMEX not so much.
Used ATMs infrequently for incidental cash.
Language and translation programs.
Czech and Scandinavian languages challenging but Google translate helped in certain circumstances. English widely spoken through Scandinavia.
Odds and ends.
Bathroom facilities - requires a nominal fee to use; one even took a credit card (contactless).
Grocery carts - a nominal fee to use but coin is returned upon returning the cart
Overall:
This was a once-in-a-lifetime experience notwithstanding my getting Covid and almost not getting to return home with my wife. It was made even more special being able to reconnect with old friends and spend quality time with family. Even so, it was tiring to be sure. Until we got to Paris we were never anywhere long enough to really get into a rhythm, a genuine feel for a particular place. But we did go and see and do. Time to catch one's breath now.
If we had to chose a favorite, it would have to be Norway. It was stunningly gorgeous.
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| cruising the fjord, Bergen to Mostraumen |
After we returned home we we given the wonderful opportunity of seeing Bob and Carol, our familiar Sandhill cranes, with their newborn, Teddie. Seeing those three and finally getting to sit out with our neighbors for a warm conversation to catch up on the local news is something worth writing about.
Now it's your turn to go and have an adventure. . . big or small, it doesn't matter just go. Life is short.
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