European Stars and Stripes (Newspaper) - January 12, 1995, Darmstadt, Hesse Europe a grueling Agenda in t for the weak or timid by Jayne Clark Pittsburgh Posl Gaza fee it was a hit and run grand slam european tour. Eight Days eight cities eight nights spent sleeping on a train 1 bulletin toward yet another City on an if this is tuesday it must be Belgium itinerary accelerated to maniac Speed. A. A a a a a a a a a a a �.���. Except in this Case on tuesday if was Warsaw. The other seven Days it was Paris Amsterdam Copenhagen Berlin Budapest Prague and Munich. It in t a trip i d recommend to anyone without tons of stamina and a total Lack of common sense. Butt did have its advantages. First travelling by night allowed me to cram As much touring into eight Days As a Secretary of state could manage in twice the time. It also saved Money. A $498 eur Alpass supplemented by a $185 european East pass accounted for almost All my land transportation costs. Space in a Couchetta a Low rent Sleeper Cost an additional $24 a night a cheaper than Many youth hostels though a lot less private second class Couch ettes Are about the size of a walk in closet and sleep six. If they were prison cells amnesty International would raise a ruckus. As for the drawbacks the slap dash Pace left me with hazy mental snapshots rather than Sharp images of the places i visited. The niggling tasks of travel a getting oriented negotiating the subway and changing Money for instance a took up a disproportionate chunk and Effort since i awoke each Day to a different language transportation system and currency. Personal encounters rarely got beyond queries such As Quot where s the baggage Check a the bathroom a track no 3?&Quot and after several Days of having no place to Roost i began to feel like a homeless person albeit a homeless person with a first class eur Alpass. I took to hanging out in the lobbies of Good hotels when i needed a respite from the streets. A a a but All in All this rogue s rail tour of Europe enabled a a me to see a lot More. A and a lot less a -. Don t ask me about the louvre Tivoli Cardens or the Nieuwe Kerk. There was too Little Lime to do Justice to important places. So i mainly sought out inconsequential ones. \ a a. Thus i can direct you to the world s skin Niest House in Amsterdam Europe s busiest Flea Market in Warsaw Eastern Europe s first Coin operated laundry in Prague and a popular tavern based on a toilet theme in Berlin .1 i also have become a connoisseur of train stations. I can direct you to some of the finer Public showers and give you tips on Sweet talking the bathroom matrons generally a formidable lot even when you Don t speak the language. /. As for european epicurean delights i Haven t a clue. The determining Factor when dining on the Fly is can the food be eaten while you re in motion i can heartily. Recommend the French Fries in Amsterdam and the pizza in Paris and i advise you to avoid at All costs the hot dogs in Warsaw. A. A the night before embarking on the great train. A Odyssey i checked into a hotel i. Gorged on mtg and can. T took two Long hot showers. 1 used up All the complimentary toiletries Early the next morning i headed for the care do Nord in Paris the routine was similar in each City. The train would pull in Between 6 and 8 in the morning i d disembark s4s Deate the nearest currency Exchange and change Money to pay for a Shower a a commodity that became As valuable to me As food. Then i d find the Luggage storage locked Sta a my bag and hit the streets. Usually i d take a generic tour to get oriented and see the major landmarks if Only through the smudged windows of a tour bus. Then i d seek out some offbeat spot that was Peculiar to the City v first Stop Paris and a Mere 10 hours to see it. But first i travelled 20 Miles East to see if euro Disney recently renamed Disneyland Paris was As sadly bereft of customers As i d heard. It was. Arriving Back in the City at dusk i took in the View from atop the arc Detriomphe then strolled around Montmartre the 19th-Century artists Haven. Montmartre is both Lovely and cliche Ridden. Artists in berets really stake out the cobbled streets offering to paint your portrait. Live jazz seeps out of Corner cafes. And busloads of japanese and american tourists line up outside the Moulin Rouge to plunk Down an exorbitant $130 for the dinner show and a half bottle of Champagne. At 11 22 . Train no. 1289 pulled out of Paris and i was on Board. So was Jerry from California a Good matured surfer boy with an edgy almost manic Energy Quot american Quot he asked edging into the compartment. Quot Good he continued without pause Quot my eur Alpass is Good for two months but if i really have a killer time i la stay longer Quot a he travelling Light. A bulging Duffel bag dangled from one hand a skateboard was tucked under the other Arm. Quot when its All said and done in a Gonna be Able to say i skated through Europe Quot he said though i had t asked. Fortunately we were the Only two in the compartment leaving plenty of his stuff i took the top right bunk he took the Bottom left. Quot going to Amsterdam Quot Jerry waiting for an answer Quot a lot of prostitution there. A Guy i met told me not having sex in Amsterdam would be like not having a Beer at f turned out the Light. Amsterdam was a blur of Small Container gardens narrow streets crowded with bicyclists and women of negotiable virtue posing in storefront windows. Across from the train station i plunked Down the equivalent of $6.50 for a boat tour. As we cruised the web of Waterways that make Amsterdam Only slightly More difficult to negotiate than Pittsburgh a recorded voice repeated uninteresting facts in four languages. Later wandering through the weave of narrow streets that thread Over Amsterdam s canals a better Way to see the City than by boat i came to Oudekerk site of the City s oldest Church. Ironically it sits smack in the Middle of Amsterdam s red Light District. An establishment called a Perch on the Eiffel Tower offers this nighttime View of the arc be Trio Mph in Paris. S&3 Michael Abs Drej 8 stripes Magazine january 12, 1995
