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01 Feb - 28 Feb 2010Links
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Stuff
» Ratatouille
One of the cool things about Paris is that whenever you go somewhere it's almost guaranteed that you will fine something you've previously only seen or heard of in books or movies. This happened to me again today (a few times) but here is a shot of the most memorable scene from a recent Pixar movie:
» September 2009
As you can see, I'm a little less stressed these days and have time to upload new pictures. Here are the ones from our trip to Berlin and another trip to Schiermonnikoog
No comments | ¶
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| September 2009 in Berlin and the Netherlands |
» August 2009
Here are some pictures from our August 2009 travels
No comments | ¶
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| August 2009 in the Netherlands and Germany |
» Train trip of Horror
Yesterday I tried to get from Groningen to Paris by train, a seemingly easy trip of approx. 6 hours with one change at Schiphol airport near Amsterdam.
Here is what happened instead:
Monday
16:00: Bringing my sister to the train station. Some announcement that there will be no Thalys trains to Paris. Strange...
17:00: Back home, I found out there was a huge train accident in Belgium. All trains to and from Amsterdam to Paris are stopped for the day and the day after.
19:00: I call the Thalys hotline (15min in waiting loop + 5 min talking = 6.80EUR (9.70 $CAD). The guy tells me that a) I can get my money back for free (except for the 6.80 of course) or b) I can exchange my ticket but have to pay the difference in price. Loss: around 60EUR-80EUR. He also tells me that maybe the train will go after all and that I should wait. Ok, actual loss: 6,80EUR.
20:00: I'm trying to find an alternative, cheaper route. The Deutsche Bahn website is the only one that is able to print an alternative route without Thalys involvement. I find a connection through Antwerpen and Lille to Paris.
Tuesday:
08:00: Trying to buy a ticket in Groningen to Paris via Lille. The international ticket office doesn't open until 10am. Buying a ticket at the national ticket office to Antwerpen (26EUR).
09:00: On my way to Schiphol - everything works as expected. At Schiphol buying a ticket to Antwerpen (56EUR). Train to Antwerpen, however, does not run (broken), so I am sent to Amsterdam Centraal to catch the IC to Belgium from there.
12:30: Announcement at Amsterdam Centraal: Train to Antwerpen does not run. Am sent to Rotterdam to transfer there to a train to Antwerpen.
13:30: On train to Rotterdam, hearing that the Belgian train drivers will go on strike
14:00: On train to Antwerpen. Hoping to somethow still get to Lille at least
15:00: Strike starts, nobody in Antwerpen knows what to do. I am sitting on my suitcase staring at an empty departure screen waiting for my train to Lille to show up. Starbucks gives out free drinks to people affected by the strike. Nice :)
16:45: My train shows up (40mins delay). Yeah. Getting on overfull train to Lille.
17:00: Train leaves station, gets stuck and drives back to Antwerpen. Some "traction" problem.
18:45: Train leaves station. By now 1h 40mins late.
20:00: We arrive at Mouscron in Belgium. Everyone has to get off the train. The train now stops here and goes back to Antwerpen.
20:05: About 100 annoyed people storm the little ticket office to get information how to get to Lille. Employees know nothing, are not willing to organize a bus or taxis (we're 45km from Lille)
21:00: A train is organized to get us to Lille with a stopover in Tourai. It arrives so late that I miss my last train to Paris. Floh organizes a hotel for me.
Thursday
06:00: Getting up - no shower because the hotel has no hot water at 5:30am. Train from Lille to Amiens to Paris is the plan.
07:40: Arriving at Amiens 6mins late. Missing my connection to Paris
08:30: Next connection to Paris - direct and everything is ok
10:00: Arriving in Paris. Line to get refunds for Thalys tickets is about 1h long. Deciding to go some other time when I'm in a better mood to stand in line.
10:45: Arriving in my new home in Paris. Water is hot and some food is there as well. Hopefully things should get better now
two comments | ¶
Here is what happened instead:
Monday
16:00: Bringing my sister to the train station. Some announcement that there will be no Thalys trains to Paris. Strange...
17:00: Back home, I found out there was a huge train accident in Belgium. All trains to and from Amsterdam to Paris are stopped for the day and the day after.
19:00: I call the Thalys hotline (15min in waiting loop + 5 min talking = 6.80EUR (9.70 $CAD). The guy tells me that a) I can get my money back for free (except for the 6.80 of course) or b) I can exchange my ticket but have to pay the difference in price. Loss: around 60EUR-80EUR. He also tells me that maybe the train will go after all and that I should wait. Ok, actual loss: 6,80EUR.
20:00: I'm trying to find an alternative, cheaper route. The Deutsche Bahn website is the only one that is able to print an alternative route without Thalys involvement. I find a connection through Antwerpen and Lille to Paris.
Tuesday:
08:00: Trying to buy a ticket in Groningen to Paris via Lille. The international ticket office doesn't open until 10am. Buying a ticket at the national ticket office to Antwerpen (26EUR).
09:00: On my way to Schiphol - everything works as expected. At Schiphol buying a ticket to Antwerpen (56EUR). Train to Antwerpen, however, does not run (broken), so I am sent to Amsterdam Centraal to catch the IC to Belgium from there.
12:30: Announcement at Amsterdam Centraal: Train to Antwerpen does not run. Am sent to Rotterdam to transfer there to a train to Antwerpen.
13:30: On train to Rotterdam, hearing that the Belgian train drivers will go on strike
14:00: On train to Antwerpen. Hoping to somethow still get to Lille at least
15:00: Strike starts, nobody in Antwerpen knows what to do. I am sitting on my suitcase staring at an empty departure screen waiting for my train to Lille to show up. Starbucks gives out free drinks to people affected by the strike. Nice :)
16:45: My train shows up (40mins delay). Yeah. Getting on overfull train to Lille.
17:00: Train leaves station, gets stuck and drives back to Antwerpen. Some "traction" problem.
18:45: Train leaves station. By now 1h 40mins late.
20:00: We arrive at Mouscron in Belgium. Everyone has to get off the train. The train now stops here and goes back to Antwerpen.
20:05: About 100 annoyed people storm the little ticket office to get information how to get to Lille. Employees know nothing, are not willing to organize a bus or taxis (we're 45km from Lille)
21:00: A train is organized to get us to Lille with a stopover in Tourai. It arrives so late that I miss my last train to Paris. Floh organizes a hotel for me.
Thursday
06:00: Getting up - no shower because the hotel has no hot water at 5:30am. Train from Lille to Amiens to Paris is the plan.
07:40: Arriving at Amiens 6mins late. Missing my connection to Paris
08:30: Next connection to Paris - direct and everything is ok
10:00: Arriving in Paris. Line to get refunds for Thalys tickets is about 1h long. Deciding to go some other time when I'm in a better mood to stand in line.
10:45: Arriving in my new home in Paris. Water is hot and some food is there as well. Hopefully things should get better now
two comments | ¶
» New Year's
An here are finally the pictures from this year's fireworks over Steinenberg:
No comments | ¶
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| Silvester 2009 Steinenberg |
» On travelling in Europe
Now that I'm traveling around here quite a bit there are some interesting things to note:
* Buying a train ticket between Germany and the Netherlands is almost guaranteed to be cheaper from the Netherlands. It seems that the cheap tickets are not sold as fast as on the German site.
* The German website (www.bahn.de), half of the time, is unable to calculate the actual price between a German city and a Dutch city - whereas the Dutch website (nshighspeed.nl) is always able to name a price (and a cheap one, too).
* Other Germans seem to have noticed this because it is not possible to buy a train ticket on the Dutch website without a Dutch bank card, or a Dutch credit card. On the German website I never had the problem that I couldn't pay with my Canadian credit card.
one comment | ¶
* Buying a train ticket between Germany and the Netherlands is almost guaranteed to be cheaper from the Netherlands. It seems that the cheap tickets are not sold as fast as on the German site.
* The German website (www.bahn.de), half of the time, is unable to calculate the actual price between a German city and a Dutch city - whereas the Dutch website (nshighspeed.nl) is always able to name a price (and a cheap one, too).
* Other Germans seem to have noticed this because it is not possible to buy a train ticket on the Dutch website without a Dutch bank card, or a Dutch credit card. On the German website I never had the problem that I couldn't pay with my Canadian credit card.
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