European Stars and Stripes (Newspaper) - September 22, 1994, Darmstadt, Hesse Travel tips trains by James t. Yenckel the Washington Post forget All those jokes about la Gardly trains in Italy. They actually Are remarkably prompt a or at least that was my experience this Spring when i boarded a dozen different trains two connecting buses and two Lake ferries in a two week tour to eight cities of Northern Italy. And More Good news ticket prices Are a real bargain. I crisscrossed the country from Milan to Bologna Venice and Back for Only about $85, and mostly in first class seats. A rental car would have Cost hundreds of dollars More. To be sure i m a train enthusiast when i m in Europe. I almost never rent a car because Public transportation is so Good and so convenient and i be rarely had a problem getting anywhere i wanted to go. On this trip i plotted an itinerary to several historic cities with full Confidence that Public transportation would get me there. The Only mishap was on one of the buses which snapped a fan Belt that brought it to a halt. We flagged Down a passing taxi and made it to our connecting train on time. To Aid the doubting or the hesitant i be compiled a personal guide for Independent travellers touring Italy by a my italian journey took me to Milan and the nearby towns of Bergamo and Bellagio to Bologna and the neighbouring cities of Parma Ferrara and Ravenna and to Venice. I made Advance lodging reservations mostly by picking hotels from an excellent guide called charming Small hotel guides Tay edited by Chris Gill Hunter $12.95. For the train tickets i usually waited until departure Day to buy them. In Spring seats always were plentiful. In travelling by train i was spared the congestion of italian roads and the terror of High Speed traffic. I also never got lost trying to find my hotel in the tangled streets of the old cities i visited and i never had to look for a parking place. At each destination the train station was centrally located on arrival i caught a taxi to my hotel usually for no More than $5 to $8 one Way. The scenery from the train window frequently was quite Beautiful and i found it interesting to watch the italians around me. Every train provided sufficient nonsmoking cars. Besides being inexpensive the trains proved a relaxing hassle free Way to travel. Italian trains definitely Are user Friendly even if you Don t speak italian. Alt but the smallest stations on my itinerary boasted computer Type devices that answered my questions about schedules in English. A few even provided a computer print out in English a Monk makes his Way across a train station lobby in Padua Italy. A amps j. King Cruger listing the most convenient departures to my next destination. When there was no computer 1 consulted the Large yellow signs displayed on the Wall of every italian railway station. Updated on a regular basis the signs list All the Day s departures from the station. The computer and the poster information proved Complete and accurate. The Only exception was the number of the track from which the train was leaving which often was incorrect. Usually a to screen listed the right number for the track. To read the poster you need to recognize Only a few italian words a Sinario track 7 a Arrivi arrivals a Partenzo departures a Ore times literally hours Adest Nazione destinations Independent travel has a Way of expanding your vocabulary. Once you know what train you want to take you must then approach a ticket window big Letteri which can be. Intimidating in a crowded station with Long lines. Very few of the clerks spoke English but after a single initial misstep i got exactly the tickets i wanted. To Bridge the language Gap 1 always Drew a Small diagram to Point to As i attempted to speak a few words of italian. For example to buy my ticket from Parma to Ferrara i wrote the word Quot Parma Quot and Drew an Arrow to the word beneath Quot Parma Quot i wrote the departure time and beneath Quot Ferrara Quot i wrote the arrival time. No ticket clerk Ever misunderstood these instructions. Because first class. Compartments tend to be less crowded i bought first class tickets when possible by asking for Prima Classe which even my Tongue could manage. First class tickets Cost about two thirds More than a second class ticket. All of my tickets were one Way a Dat which i expressed with a sweep of my hand in one direction. Round trip is Ritorno. A variety of rail passes is available but i was t travelling Long distances or with the frequency that would have made them worthwhile. I flubbed Only once with this system on my first visit to the ticket window in Milan. My intention was to buy a ticket for two Days in Advance but i forgot to specify this and the clerk a who displayed no patience with a stumbling foreigner a sold me a ticket for immediate departure. I Only noticed the limited Validity period after i left the station. Next time i wanted an Advance ticket i wrote the Date on my diagram and pointed to it. Because i was travelling mostly Between Small cities i took local trains that required no seat reservations. Reservations pre Notarione Are required on some High Speed and International trains. Generally you must Reserve seats at a different window from which you bought your ticket which Means standing in two i Jues. When reserving Don t forget to specify Fuma Tore smoker or non Fuma Tore nonsmoker and Finestra window or Porta door. As for the practicalities station and train restrooms were reasonably clean a although it is Wise to carry your own Supply of toilet paper a and the savvy rail traveler packs As lightly As possible. On most trains you will have to hoist your suitcase onto a High overhead rack. In larger cities such As Milan and Bologna you May have to tote your suitcase for a substantial distance from the train platform to the taxi stand. A a suitcase with wheels is a big help. A Light suitcase also enables you to get off the train quickly which is important. At some stations the trains Stop for Only two minutes. A hitch a ride Pavarotti under Channel by Donna Miskin new Day so what would you say while Riding through the English Channel Tunnel on a train pulled by a locomotive named after a famous opera Singer How about aria there yet be shuttle car and passenger service through the Tunnel is naming All 38 of its electric locomotives after opera singers living and dead and the first one is Luciano y Pavarotti. Why opera singers because they re world renowned and they stand for an International level of Quality and excellence be shuttle says. Selected for the Honor so far Are Kiri the Kanaka Monserrat caballe and Dame Joan Sutherland. Invitations have gone out to others asking permission to use their names but they Haven t responded yet a spokeswoman said. Meanwhile you la have to wait to sing Nessus Dorma while Riding the Pavarotti until Quot october or november Quot says be shuttle giving its latest word on Start up of its regular service through the Tunnel Between Folkestone England and Calais to it France. Euro Star the passenger train service that will whisk riders Between London and Paris through the Tunnel now says it won t be on track with its regular service until Spring of 1995. Euro Star says it does t have any plans at this time to name its 31 locomotives. Phone service aids business travellers by Kathleen Nelson St. Louis Post dispatch business travellers might want to Check out world i us at amp to s new voice recognition service with multilingual calling capacity. For a $70 annual fee and charge ranging from $1.99 per minute to $10.75, customers receive the following a a personal Mailbox for sending and receiving voice and fax messages worldwide 24 hours a Day. A International directory assistance. A customer service. A itemized Billing a great at tax time a Speed dealing a sequence calling making a series of Calls without re entering the account number. A three party conference calling. For More information Call 1-800-3825612 inside the states. From inside Germany Call toll free at 0130-81-5501 from Belgium 0800-19901 from the Netherlands 06022-4692. Customers in Spain Norway and Italy can Call collect at 44 71/925-8416. Don t forget to add your Long distance Access code before the country code 44. by Scrippa Howard Nawa Sarvice september 22, 1994 stripes Magazine 21
