Day 2--Zurich, Switzerland to Donaueschingen, Germany

Leaving on a fast train

Thursday, Jun 26, 2008
Zurich to Donaueschingen, Germany

Judy and I caught the Swiss flight out of Boston at about 10:10 pm and got to Zurich at about 11 am the next day. I bought a jersey scarf in the airport thinking it would be cool in the evenings. Not to be. Sigh.

After retrieving our luggage—I had a duffel, a backpack, and was wearing a fanny pack; Judy had a large suitcase, a wheeled backpack, and a fanny pack—we bought train tickets to Donauschingen—about 35 Euros (50 dollars) each. The dollar is in bad shape, worth only a little more than two thirds of a Euro.

Judy face to face with the Grinch painted on our Swiss train

After we boarded the train, the ticket master found us in first class. We could either stay where we were an pay an additional 13 Euros ($20) or move to the second class coach. We walked back about three cars to second class. We had no problems changing trains in Constanz at the Swiss border with Germany. No customs really in the EU countries though we walked through where they’d been.

When we reached Donaueschingen, three hours after we'd left the airport, I got off the train, turned around to get back on because I’d left my backpack in the overhead storage, BUT the doors shut and locked. Judy and my backpack sailed away, Judy with a look of panic on her face.

After several moments of “Oh no!” I asked a half drunk touring cyclist on the platform to please use his cell phone to call the hotel. My message to the front desk: “Please tell our tour leader that two ExperiencePlus riders have an emergency at the train station.” After about 15 minutes, Philipp Schmitt, our tour leader/translator arrived. He conversed in German with the station master, who called the train. The conductor on the train located my backpack and called back saying that I could pick it up at 8:18 that evening. I was to knock on the locomotive door, and the engineer would hand it down. This I did, and all was right with the world again.

While Philipp and I were arranging things with the station master, Judy—with the help of a very nice young boy—caught a train back to Donaueschingen at the next station. They did not charge her.

Donaushingen houses from our Hotel zum Hirschen window;
the Hotel zum Hirschen sign with the Hirschen (stag) in it

Philipp took us to the Hotel zum Hirschen (Hotel of the Stag). Over drinks of our choice outdoors under the hotel’s umbrellas, we were introduced to the ExperiencePlus staff:  Stefania Casadei , Phillipp Schmitt, and Rick Price. Stefania is Italian and was the through ride leader. She had planned the route and would be with us for the whole ride. Stefania described herself as like an  “adopted” daughter of the Prices, Rick and Paola, the couple who own the touring company. Stefania lives in Italy on “The Farm”—the Price’s farm that has on it a vineyard, apple orchards, cherry trees and a large number of buildings that are for the Ex+ European part of the business. Rick Price will ride sweep on the group until Budapest, when he will then fly back to Colorado (the American part of the business). Philipp will serve as our Germany/Austria tour leader/translator. He was raised in Afghanistan and now lives in Spain. I liked all of the staff immediately.

(L)Rick, Stefania, Marion, Carolyn at introductory meeting; (R) Barbara, Bob, and Steve

Me, Marion's husband, Fred, to my left, and behind him Rod Ulrich, Philipp, White-bearded Rick, Stefania, Marion, Carolyn, Harold, Barbara's husband, and David (back of head)

The riders then introduced themselves: Carolyn & Harold Martin from Centerville, UT; Marion & Fred Shaw from Nyack, NY; David & Barbara Kahn from Truckee, CA, Rod Ulrich from Alberta, CAN; Bob Poelstra from Denver, CO; and Steve Henderson from Menlo Park, CA. Nancy Andreae (an ABB alumna I knew) was supposed to also be on the ride but a week before had fallen and broken her collarbone. Steve, whose wife was expecting a baby, was going to ride only to Vienna. 

Before dinner, Rick Price talked about safety, route finding, and some of the logistics of this tour. Basically we are on our own all day and merely follow chalk arrows. The two ride leaders alternate putting down the arrows, so we will leave around 9am to give the “arrower” a chance to mark the first part of the route. Then the ride leader with the van loads the luggage and drives to the arrower. Thereafter the two lay down the remaining arrows together from the van.

The van does not run up and down the group of riders as we do with ABB. There are no rest/SAG stops. Dinners on rest days will be on our own. There will be a packed lunch provided when there will be no opportunities to buy lunch on the route (about 80% of the time). Sometimes we will be allowed to make a sandwich and take a piece of fruit from the breakfast buffet to make our lunches. If we need to get in touch with the ride leaders, we will have a card with “Please help me call my tour leader” in the language of the country we’re in, and we’re to find someone who can make the call for us. This card also contains “hello,” “please,” “thank-you,” and other basic translations with phonetic pronunciations that we may need along the way.

We had dinner this evening in the hotel restaurant with the group:  Weinerschnitzel (fried pork) and ff, corn and carrots. Cake for dessert. (Dessert was a part of each evening meal.)

My bike fit has to wait until next morning. I got my backpack back too late and all my bike gear was in it.

Judy and I were so tired and so jet lagged that we could not get our minds straight to organize ourselves. We stood and sifted many times through our suitcases with no plan or intent. All we needed to do was set out a riding outfit for the next day, but this simple task eluded us. Finally we brushed our teeth, set the alarm for 6:30 am, and fell into bed at 11 pm. I had been awake since 3 am the previous day.