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Tagged With "Book the Palace on Wheels train"

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Re: United, Delta ready to retire 'Queen of the Skies'

GarryRF ·
I'm afraid to say that the changing modes of transport are a yard stick to measure your life-span. I remember with great affection travelling on a steam train. But fail to recall the hot ash that went into your eye through the open window. My favourite childhood vehicle .....
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Re: Belgium and Sweden see night-train link

Paul Heymont ·
I haven't found a definitive answer to that; the nearest I have come is speculation that DB is concerned about competition with existing conventional trains along the route; DB is the major carrier on the route, but they are clearly not doing much of a job of it as the schedule I've linked here shows. The minimum number of train changes is 2, with some itineraries requiring 8! And the ones with only 2 or 3 changes sell for nearly $200, compared to $70 with 8 changes. I'd think a direct...
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Re: 12 Countries ask vouchers instead of refunds

Paul Heymont ·
In a conversation with Travel Rob last week, I set out my minimum conditions before a bailout or other relief can be discussed: 1) All boarding to be by efficiency, no priority for anyone except physical need 2) minimum one free checked bag for all flights over 250 miles (under 250, you should drive or take a train, anyway) 3) elimination of most nuisance fees 4) minimum 32" pitch with no more than 2" recline 5) 20-year cap on exec salaries...CEO to earn max 20x full-time flight attendant...
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Re: Sweden jumps into night-train market

George G. ·
I remember taking the night train from Munich to Paris. It was very smooth and quiet. Hit the sack in the evening and wake up in Paris. I've taken Amtrak bedrooms on overnight trips, but got little sleep from the rocking and noises.
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Re: Sweden jumps into night-train market

Paul Heymont ·
I'd agree on the Amtrak experience: fine trip, but not sleep-friendly on the Sunset Limited or the Coast Starlight. But I also found the Catania-to-Naples night train not the smoothest either, but it did come with the excitement of the entire train being loaded onto the ferry for the crossing to the mainland!
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Re: France Train Service, SNCF, Expands Low Cost Trains and Buses

Travel Rob ·
It's great news for budget travelers. I took the Ouigo train from to Marseille in 2013 and loved it.
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Re: Expedia lifts the veil on airline fees

DrFumblefinger ·
I like transparency and think this is welcome news for travel consumers. Also a smart move on the part of Expedia, I think.
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Re: Money Saving Tips, for your Big Trip – Part 2

Travel Rob ·
Another great set of ideas!
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Re: Where in the World is TravelGumbo (#288)

Travel Rob ·
Gumbo gets on the train and sees some low tech.
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Re: Where in the World is TravelGumbo (#288)

Travel Rob ·
Does the art work on the train help?
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Re: Where in the World is TravelGumbo (#288)

Travel Rob ·
Since this is a hard puzzle, Gumbo is showing you Sundays clue early for extra time to solve it!. This clue is of a train along the line
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Re: Gallery: Transport, Rural South China

Paul Heymont ·
What an amazing variety! I like to look around in Europe for "oddballs" like small pedal-powered trucks and other small delivery vehicles, but these take the cake. I'm especially fascinated by the front-wheel drive truck that appears to be friction-driven (power applied to the surface of the tire, rather than to the axle).
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Re: Where in the World is Gumbo? #11

PortMoresby ·
And what possible good is a puzzle without a bit of chicanery - by definition, I should think. I haven't seen the arena at Arles, though it's already on my list for the next visit to France. I have walked past the arena in Verona as it was between the train station and the garden I'd come to photograph. Likely why it came to mind just after the Colosseum.
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Re: Gumbo's Pic of the Day: Jan. 16, 2014: Liverpool Victoria Gallery

GarryRF ·
My favourite time to visit attractions is May-June-July. Before the little monsters are released on school vacation. Liverpool has hundreds of things to do - no exaggeration ! Here's 128 to go on with http://www.tripadvisor.co.uk/A...seyside_England.html Liverpool makes a good hub for visiting nearby Chester with its 2,000 year old Roman Walls and Tudor Buildings. The River Dee and North Wales. All using local public transport - mostly trains. You can get a flight, Liverpool - Dublin from...
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Re: The Worst Train in the World

PortMoresby ·
Thanks FlashFlyer. The thing about adventures like this is you have no idea what an adventure it'll be until it happens and you can't get out of it even if you want to. So, no guts required. Yes, Burma will certainly change, has already. Currently not enough infrastructure for those wanting to visit but if you've traveled in Asia you know the entrepreneurial spirit is alive & well and it won't be long, I suspect, before it will come to resemble other parts of the region. So, good news as...
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Re: The Worst Train in the World

GarryRF ·
I hope that wasn't your last venture into third world high speed travel. Reminds me of Austria on the Zillertal Bahn Valley Railway. The Train went so slow that passengers would lean out and pick wild flowers from the trackside. Each carriage had warning notices - in English - not to do this. But ....
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Re: The Worst Train in the World

PortMoresby ·
If I live it won't be my last. Just prior to that one, same trip, I'd gone from Guilin to Nanning, then after lunch got on another, overnight to Hanoi. Later overnight again, Hanoi to Hoi An. Now that I think about it I realize they got progressively worse as I went along, culminating in The Worst. I hadn't thought about it until just this minute, hindsight is a wonderful thing that way. A great disappointment to me several years ago was the apparently permanent cancellation of the Hanoi to...
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Re: The Worst Train in the World

John Howard ·
My brother says that he would love to travel to countries like this. He says it would be really cool to travel on a train like this. I think I'm more of a Europe guy, but it would be a really cool experience to go on a train like that.
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Re: The Worst Train in the World

GarryRF ·
It isn't cool to travel on a train where you get thrown around in the carriage because the tracks are warped with age John ! Many journeys take 24 hours of hanging on like a Roller Coaster ! That's just in Asia. You'll be fine in Europe.
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Re: The Worst Train in the World

Jill's Scene ·
Fascinating read! If I do take this train trip, and it's currently included in the plan, for our hoped for trip to Mynamar later this year, I can't say I wasn't warned. Coming from a country that shakes, rattles, and rolls pretty much every day there were two things about the earthquake that worried me. First, it was big enough to produce screams!! Second, it seems that no-one bothered to check the tracks before the train left the station. And so as I was reading I expected a derailment -...
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Re: Capital of Culture Series: Liverpool

Paul Heymont ·
No offense taken...your remark just started me on a train of thought that stopped at a new station!
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Re: Paris-Barcelona Now Linked by High-Speed Train

DrFumblefinger ·
Great thing about Europe, especially for travelers, are the many options they have for getting around. Train is often the best option for those going from the heart of one city to the heart of another. I'm glad to her this route is now open to people.
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Re: Hotels.com: Most mobile bookings are last-minute

DrFumblefinger ·
That actually makes a lot of sense. The beauty of smartphones and the like is their ability to let you get things done at the last minute -- complete with price comparisons, etc. I know that a lot of hotels offer deep discounts the last day if they have a lot of spare inventory, but you're taking a risk at a busy time in a busy place. I tend to be more of a planner and to save my travel time for traveling and not looking for hotels. But to each his own.
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Re: AAA Premier a Good Idea for Budget Travelers

Former Member ·
AAA seems to choose their contracted towing services very well. I have always had good luck with them. I used the coverage when I had a break down with a rental car in a small town. The rental car company suggested that I call AAA for towing to their office in a nearby larger town to exchange the car. The rental car company had a contract with the same towing company that was under contract to AAA in that area. So that was very easy. If the tow goes over the 200 miles, they charge something...
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Re: Walking through New Orleans...nibbling

Paul Heymont ·
Sorry, but we had a train to catch! Next time, come along...
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Re: Jama Masjid, Delhi (Where Gumbo was #256)

Professorabe ·
Delhi has a lot to offer in terms of interesting sites. HOWEVER, the air pollution is appalling, particularly in the winter. We will be in Delhi in March - when things should start to get a little better - but we have cut our stay there to a mere 24 hours. We would have liked to re-visit some places like Humayun's Tomb or the Jama Mosque, but in the end decided that we could not face the atrocious smog again. We will now leave on the earliest convenient train south.
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Re: Italian town bans barking

Paul Heymont ·
Calling Dr. Pavlov! We need you back to work on some other aspects of dog behavior. Seriously, it should be possible to train dogs not to bark; the question is what other behaviors would be affected?
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Re: Italian town bans barking

DrFumblefinger ·
You might be able to train dogs to bark less, but the only way you can get them not to bark is to surgically transect the nerves that go to their vocal cords, or to surgically mutilate the cords so they don't work any more. Sounds very compassionate, doesn't it?
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Re: July 22, 2017: Comic statues, Bratislava, Slovakia

Professorabe ·
When my wife and I revisited Bratislava a couple of years ago, our last visit there had been some 30 years previously. What a difference! Our memories were of a drab, grey place and what we found this time was a pleasant, vibrant city with lots of interesting corners. We are going to Vienna in a couple of weeks' time. There is a good (and very cheap) train link from there to Bratislava and we will probably go back.
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Re: No more TGV: France says 'Oui' to new name

inOui ·
Why would they want to name it something that sounds like "boredom, difficulty, tedium, obstacle?" I don't get it. Seems strange. Or were they going more for, "Je m'ennui de toi" so I'm going to hop on a fast train! Also reminds me of, "Gimme a ticket for an aeroplane Ain't got time to take a fast train. Lonely days are gone, I'm a-goin' home My baby, just-a wrote me a letter" In any event, still not getting it for the TGV's new name. I know the pronunciations are a bit different but reminds...
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Re: Udawalawe National Park, Sri Lanka

Professorabe ·
Sorry about the delay in responding - I have been on an Indian train for what seems like eternity! Yes, George, Sri Lanka is a good-value destination and it is changing fast. So now is a good time to go. As to Udawalawe vs. Yala, we prefer the former. Yala seems to be the one which everyone knows about, but we were a bit disappointed when we went (admittedly a long time ago).
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Re: In Egypt: Up the Nile

Ron B. ·
Back in 1989, when TWA still existed, took their 14 day tour. I believe there were 35 of us. We started in Cairo - 4 days staying at Mena House opposite the pyramids A huge WOW! During our stay there we traveled to Sakkaha and Memphis. Boarded a bus that took us to Alexandria - 2 days staying at Montazah Sheraton. From there we took a train to Aswan (dirty dishes - everyone sick). In Aswan, we stayed on Elephantine Island's Loews Aswan Oberoi. Went to Temples of Philae and flew to Abu...
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Re: Kettering, Northamptonshire: Where Gumbo Was (#38)

GarryRF ·
When I was researching the history of the land my house is built on I opened up so much information. During WW1 the land was used for a temporary Army Camp. Many new soldiers were from Wales - 20 miles away - who spoke no English ! But on the 8th June 1917 Capt. (later General) Patton arrived in the Port of Liverpool England on his way to France. He took a train to Litherland Railway Station and stayed here in my garden until he left to catch a Train from Liverpool to London. I often find...
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Re: Where in the World is TravelGumbo (#59)

Travel Luver ·
It kind of reminds me a train station....Maybe one of the Paris stations.
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Re: Where in the World is TravelGumbo (#59)

MAD Travel Diaries ·
I knew I'd seen this so went through all my photos. at first I also thought train station in Europe but your most recent clues helped. It's the Harold Washington Library in Chicago?
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Re: Heads Up for Travelers: Iceland's Volcanoes May Disrupt Travel Again

PortMoresby ·
There can be an up side to travel during an eruption. My plans proceeded during the 2010 eruption and the first result was a southern route to Rome and a spectacular view of the Pyrenees, flying parallel to them. I learned how big those mountains are, had had no idea. After arrival in Rome I immediately booked sleeper compartment tickets from Budapest to London (already had Rome-Budapest), to replace the flight I'd booked. As it transpired, the flight ban was over by the time I got on the...
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Re: Gumbo's Pic of the Day, February 22, 2015: Machu Picchu

DrFumblefinger ·
Beautiful photos, Grand Escapes! I'm especially fond of the one of the llama roaming the streets of Machu Picchu. They are the official "lawn mowers" of the park. Machu Picchu after the tourist train leaves and before it arrives is a totally different experience than during the peak of the day. If there's one travel spot you'll want to spend a night or two so that you can enjoy some tranquility before it gets overwhelmed with people, then I'd say this is the one.
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Re: More WiFi in NYC Subway...soon...maybe.

Paul Heymont ·
Transit Wireless is a company formed for this project; it's owned by the phone and data carriers, which have paid part of the costs. The other revenue stream is the potential for advertising, and also sponsorships ("WiFi at this station is sponsored by...") Everything here seems to be a big to-do; we've been on lots of European systems that have had full service, including tunnels, for quite a while. We're also way behind on "train will arrive" signs, because the NYCTA way is to design from...
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Re: Gumbo's Pic of the Day, Dec 4th, 2014: A Ride to Paradise

Paul Heymont ·
A favorite with my kids when they were young (and with me!) Nearby, there is the Pennsylvania state railroad museum and the National Toy Train Museum, as well as all the attractions of Lancaster County "Amish Country." Thanks!
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Re: New Eurostar Service, London - Provence

Paul Heymont ·
And if you fly to Marseille and take the train to London, you avoid Heathrow and the British APD!
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Re: New Eurostar Service, London - Provence

GarryRF ·
Sorry Paul but you've lost me ! If you fly to Marseilles and take the 760 mile train journey to London you'll avoid the APD. True. But that will cost you more than the APD and you'll waste a day. You dont see much from the window on a train doing 186 MPH. Be aware that the nation with the most heavily taxed European passengers is France, where over 60% of airport and passenger charges are in the form of state taxes to be paid by the passenger.
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Re: Dublin, Ireland's Trinity College: Where Gumbo Was #29

Andre Pur ·
Amazing Library, very inspiring, if i would go to college there i will be at library every day ( at my college i go to library only at the end of the semester )
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Re: Dublin, Ireland's Trinity College: Where Gumbo Was #29

DrFumblefinger ·
Thanks for the note, Andre. It is a great library, but like many college students those at Trinity College like to party as much as study, so you'll likely not see them there much before the end of the semester either. What you might find even more amazing is that every student has the right to sign out any of those books (with the exception of the ancient ones like the Book of Kells). Despite how historic it looks, it is still a university library for students.
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Re: World's 10 Best Airports? Maybe...

DrFumblefinger ·
These are all important international hubs, but I'm inclined to agree with TravelRob. Most of these airports are massive and far from user friendly. Maybe they have a large assortment of restaurants from which to choose, etc. But I like short lines, a quick security screen and a reasonable walk to the gate not requiring a bus or train to get there.
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Re: Where in the World is TravelGumbo? (#39)

DrFumblefinger ·
The photo looks too idealized -- almost not real. Is it perhaps something from the land of Thomas Kinkade? Or a model train set?
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Re: Where in the World is TravelGumbo? (#39)

Mac ·
Ah ha! Either an interesting camera technique or it is indeed a wonderfully detailed model train set, I suspect the latter. Oh, but where?? There are many big boys out there in the world who would love to have a Union Pacific loco running around in the loft. I have seen reports of some fantastic layouts in Germany but it could be anywhere methinks.... I tried to take a photo of just such a loco coming towards me in Canada and stood by the track in readiness. Thinking to be friendly, I was...
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Re: Where in the World is TravelGumbo? (#39)

DrFumblefinger ·
PHeymont can be such a tease at times... I'll go out on the limb and suggest these are the "truths" 1) It is a model train set -- very nicely done, by the way 2) It is in a formal display somewhere. Mac said " I have seen reports of some fantastic layouts in Germany". A model trail museum in Europe, possibly Germany? Anyone else have any ideas?
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Re: Where in the World is TravelGumbo? (#39)

Paul Heymont ·
Sorry, Mac...but it's not Northlandz. Sorry, DrF...it's not the National Toy Train Museum Sorry, JonathanL...it's not the annual display at the Bronx Botanical Garden But you are all in the right country!
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Re: Gumbo's Pic of the Day, Sep 15, 2015: Pit Lane, Mdina Grand Prix

GarryRF ·
I was having lunch in Mdina. Our waiter was a boy about 8 years old. He asked if I'd ever seen a train. "Of course I have. Maybe 4 a day" "When I save enough to leave Malta I want to see a train" he said. Then he asked my Mother in Law if she was my sister. She slipped him a few dollars. He'll soon have enough - I thought - to see a train - even at 8.
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Re: Air Canada Launches Free Layover Program in Toronto

DrFumblefinger ·
I'm not sure why they're limiting it to people from the USA. Vancouver to Toronto is a 5 hour flight. A layover might be enjoyed by people traveling overseas. A few months ago a dedicated train service from Pearson airport to downtown Toronto began and this has greatly improved access to the city. And also reduced the cost of reaching downtown dramatically. http://www.metrolinx.com/en/pr...press/upexpress.aspx
 
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