EURORAIL from Prague to Dresden

The Lake Zurich Swim

Zurich -- A Pleasant Surprise

    The really remarkable aspect about this trip is that I am traveling on a shoestring and  living on the edge -- sometimes not knowing when I might arrive or where I might periodically spend the night.

So with 24 hours to spare before my Air Mobility Command (AMC) flight from Ramstein, I decided to take an overnight train into Basel, Switzerland, my 10th country on this unbelievable trek from one corner of the southeast fringes of Europe where the Bosphorus Strait, strong and salty flowed into the Black Sea to the mouth of the brackish Baltic Sea in Poland.

    On the Deutsche Bahn train, I ran into a girl named Carina who called Zurich home. I informed her that I was traveling to Basel just to have a look. She seemed rather surprised, a tad bit disapointed.

"My first time to Switzerland," I said.

"You should go to Zurich," she asserted. "It's better --- way better, and more fun, too."

So there you have it. As usual, I don't like to wait for a flight, and now my trip takes another last minute unexpected twist and exciting turn for the next adventure in this European trek through some of the most exotic places on Earth.

   That's why it's normally a good idea to talk to the locals (who are experts in their community) and to be agile -- stay on your toes and be as flexible as a rubber band on a slingshot.

You'll bounce around a lot, but you'll also stick around to hear that tale and to catch that almost-forgotten story.

I would argue that Switzerland has the best tasting water in Europe. Water from the tap is probably just as pure as bottled spring water, and nothing beats the taste except probably Swiss chocolate.

Beside the statues of gorgeous, erotic women all over town and where you least expect it, there are Rock formations along the storied banks of Lake Zurich -- a difficult undertaking that only lasts until the tide comes in and takes it back to King Neptune.

    I also met a family roasting Lobsters by the Lake and not worried about a thing -- they felt so friendly, they wanted to offer me some. Everyone seems so relaxed and affable here. Strolling or sitting by the lake, the world's problems simply wash away where society and the social classes ebbs and flows and are cordial to come and chat with you or even share a bite with cheese and wine. Here in Lake Zurich, even the swans are friendly and social -- they won't disappoint, or say go away.

Beautiful model along the Lake. In Zurich, these statues are everywhere -- at the park, by the playground, near a busy street. Since these statutes are life size and represent real-life expressions, one can be easily fooled to think they will any minute get up and move.

Sauna Am See, the public pool where I went swimming in the Zurich Lake

Zurich is clearly he cultural capital of Switzerland. Filled rim to brim with museums, art galleries and film festivals, Zurich is a progressive, cosmopolitan city on the same level as Tokyo, LA, or Montreal.

So, I am so glad I decided (at the last given minute) to visit this enchanting city. This charming, elegant and once small-town village on the Lake, turned out to be one of my favorite places in my 10-country trip from Bosphorous to Baltic.

Life is full of happy surprises -- I'm glad I stumbled upon this unfound one.

Szczecin, Poland

High rise apartments seen from the train

The Odra River -- the river that I wanted to take a dip in, but decided against it when I took a peak

The train from Szczein, Poland to Zurich, Switzerland was fun and interesting. Lots of transfers.

Szczecin is a very unique, historic town right on the Oldra River that feeds into the Baltic Sea, only 15 km away.   I really wanted to take a dip in the river but I went looked over and saw the oily slime, I changed my mind.

I wanted to spend more time in Poland and eventually visit Warsaw, but for now this would be it.  I was on a time crunch and needed to be home this weekend.

So, I didn't spend much time in Poland.  Caught the next train back to Berlin and then the night train to Switzerland.

Berlin Rocks!

I'm standing in Pottsdam Platz, embracing the Berlin Wall

For 30 years, the wall stood impenetrable, so long, so tall

The wounds inflicted here were so painful, so deep

Scars that will never go away, memories that we will always keep

* Between 1949 and 1961, nearly 2.5 million East Germans left to start new lives in the West.


To stem the flow of Germans fleeting to West Germany, the German Democratic Republic erected the wall nearly overnight.  Can you imagine waking up to see a huge wall erected.  One day you have family and friends on the other side.  The next day, you are unable to see or even communicate with them.

In 1962, Peter Fechter was shot while attempting to flee to West Germany.  The tragedy was that the GDR allowed Fechter to bleed to death.  A large crowd watched and wanted to rescue him, but were scared that they would be shot also.  Fechter became a symbol of resistance against the wall.

Here we are in the center of history for Prussia and Germany, the Brandenburg Gate

Sitting on top of the Wall is the Quadriga, a symbol of triumph of peace not war and hate

In 1987, President Reagan ordered Gorbachev to "Tear down the Wall."

Two years later, citizens from both the east and west passed through, the beginning of a reunited Germany and democracy for all.

The Jewish Memorial

Alexanderplatz

On 4 November 1989, the largest demonstration in Germany

They wanted democracy now

They made it perfectly clear

The Berliner Dome

This is where many Berliners call home

It is located adjacent to Lust Garden

A sanctuary for arts and science, that's why Berliners call this Museum Island

Run in Berlin

Prague Plus Hostel -- Great Rooms, Terrible Bikes

I've definitely enjoyed the interesting experience of staying at Prague Plus Hostel.  The amenities are FANTASTIC with a sauna and pool, open in the morning and evening.  

The club house, bar and restaurant is well decorated and quite equipped with plasma screen displays, pool table, and loud music. 

The food is actually quite tasty.  I enjoyed a nice, warm authentic Czech dinner with roast pork smothered rich with tomato sauce.  Later that evening, when the munchies got the best of me, I enjoyed bruschetta bread, with heap of tomatoes, mozarella cheese and basil.

There were lots of college students, I mean tons from all continents mostly from Europe and Australia -- Big difference than the Historia Hostel where the residents were a lot older (though, much younger than me, I'm sure).

They put me again in a eight-person dormitory bunk room (coed) with only one shower and one toilet.

The staff are also very hospitable and friendly.  I was very impressed by the whole experience.  The night crew even let me stay in the lounge all night long and use their WiFi while I waited for my 0630 train to Berlin (which I decided to skip so I could finish my YouTube video).

On the second day, I checked out a bicycle from Praha Bikes at the Prague Plus Hostel.  I have to say that the quality of the bikes is quite shabby.  I know, because I checked out two bikes that day.  The first bike the chain would pop out and eventually completely came out of the derailer.  I had to walk the bike (45 mins) back to the hostel and Praha Bikes charged me about 20 Euros for the damage, which I explained to them was not my fault.  Still it fell on deaf ears.

Needless, to say, I still had time left on my rental, so I took out a second bike.  This time, the bike was better, but still needed a tune up.

Still biking was a great idea, because it gave me a chance to see a lot of the sites from Old Town, Wenceslas Square, New Town, Charles Bridge, etc.

I was also able to get a good swim at the Hostel twice today, so I was able to squeeze in a three-sport training day in Prague -- first time during this trip. Running was long, but it was rigorous. Loving this city, and glad I'm able to continue training.