The Valley Hostel at Lauterbrunnen was good for a hostel, BUT there was shared bathroom & toilet facilities (all in the same room in our section) plus they didn't supply towels. I carry a towel for emergencies - but we decided to forgo showers this morning, and went for the quick wash (Bryan is in the shower now - 7.25pm at At Anton). So we ended up ready to go and find breakfast or leave - decided to take the 7.33 train back to Interlaken Ost. Arrived at 7.54 - another €11.60 lighter. A couple of other passengers were grumbling about the charge too - I could tell them that it was right as I'd checked eurail.com last night. After the bit about 1st class, 2nd class, bikes, etc it said 'train not included'! How bizarre. Eurail pass holders get a 25% discount.
Saw the train to Luzern arrive as we were 'disembarking' - so a quick down the stairs and up again
. Off again- breakfast can wait.
Golden Pass train, the Interlaken-Luzerne Express: - departed Interlarken Ost at 8.04; then Brienz at 8.25; Meiringen at 8.36/42; Brunig-Hasliberg at 8.52; Lungern at 9.05; Kaiserstuhl OW at 9.11; Giswil at 9.19/22; Sachseln at 9.29; Sarnen at 9.35; and Luzern at 9.55 (now I can throw away the train timetable.) This train was fabulous - had the panorama coach, wide seats, the tech stuff (speed, stations, temperatures etc). Plus it runs every hour - so very easy to stop off for an hour or two, and still know the timetable.
Our plan was to get off at Meiringen - the Sherlock Holmes town! We knew the museum was closed, but there was a statue to see, the Falls (the death of Sherlock place) and the Aare Gorge - plenty. However it was raining. So we carried on to Luzern. On arrival, grabbed 2 rolls with the last of our Swiss francs on our way to catch the train to Zurich at 10
.10 (on platform 6 - I remember the oddest scraps of information!) Arrived in Zurich about 11.00 am.
Ah Zurich - I remember this station. It has a First Class Lounge with free coffee (and beer, and juice). We had 2 cappuccinos each (from a serve yourself machine) - so nice. [I might be a pleb as far as coffee is concerned, but I'm not fond of the short expresso: and 'cafe au lait' is NOT a latte!] And free wifi.
So we caught up on emails and Facebook in the lounge for an hour, then caught the Railjet RJ167 at 12.40 and arrived at St Anton am Arlberg at 15.03. The conductress spotted that we'd been to Mont Saint Michel - we ended up giving her the name of the place we stayed at, as she wants to go there (we showed her the photo from our bedroom window). [Zurich 12.40; Sargans 13.35; Buchs (border town) 13.48; Feldkirch 14.09; Bludenz 14.26; Langen am Arlberg 14.52; St Anton am Arlberg 15.03.] The OBB trains are fabulous. This train didn't go too fast - didn't get over 146 kph, that I noticed anyway
. We met an Asian couple (not Japanese as I'd have recognised the language). They spoke English. They were seasoned travelers - had a cucumber, cheese, ham, and bread roll for their lunch. I used to do that - but this year in Paris, after I got the bread I couldn't find anywhere to buy the rest! Lousy picnic that day!!
Still raining when we arrived at St Anton. Walked the 500metres - all uphill, and in the rain. Took us 18 minutes, including stops under shelter to check the map (and our breathing). Finally spotted the discrete door bell and got inside - and the heating was on!
The room here is fabulous so we just spread ourselves out. Then walked down to the village for dinner. The cafes and restaurants open at 5pm (maybe because it's Saturday?) so we had time to walk around. Decided to eat at Restaurant Maximilian. A good choice as Sabine, the waitress and co-owner with Nick the cook, worked in Australia for quite a while (one season at Coolum) and spoke good English. She explained some of the Tyrolean dishes and we ate Tyrolean - excellent. We shared Tyrolean Bacon Dumpling soup and then had the first two dishes on the menu (photo attached).
The free village bus started today, so we caught it back up the hill. Maybe the summer season starts this week? On TV it looked as though the chairlifts (or one of them) starts up on 24 June.
Sometimes Plan C is even better than A & B
Saturday, June 20, 2015
St. Anton am Arlberg, Austrian Alps, Austria
Other Entries
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1A lot of walking
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2Another day in Paris
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35 trains today!
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4Les Eyzies
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8Le Mont Saint Michel
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13Picture postcard scenery today
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19Our last day
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2025-02-15