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greenbagjosh · 9 months

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Late July - mid August 2003 to former Yugoslavia and two dance parades

EN Hi everyone! It has been twenty years since I first visited two of the former nations comprising of Yugoslavia, as well as Munich, Milan and Zurich. It was a unique experience to travel so far by train, going in a new direction this time. I will give the story mostly in English, but also a short summary in German, French, Slovene, Croatian and Italian. I hope you will enjoy the next two weeks of travel.

DE Hallo allerseits! Es ist zwanzig Jahre her, seit ich zum ersten Mal zwei der ehemaligen Staaten Jugoslawiens sowie München, Mailand und Zürich besucht habe. Es war ein einzigartiges Erlebnis, so weit mit dem Zug zu reisen, diesmal in eine neue Richtung. Ich werde die Geschichte hauptsächlich auf Englisch erzählen, aber auch eine kurze Zusammenfassung auf Deutsch, Französisch, Slowenisch, Kroatisch und Italienisch. Ich hoffe, Sie werden die nächsten zwei Wochen auf Reisen genießen.

FR Salut tout le monde! Cela fait vingt ans que j'ai visité pour la première fois deux des anciennes nations comprenant la Yougoslavie, ainsi que Munich, Milan et Zurich. Ce fut une expérience unique de voyager si loin en train, en prenant cette fois une nouvelle direction. Je raconterai l'histoire principalement en anglais, mais aussi un court résumé en allemand, français, slovène, croate et italien. J'espère que vous apprécierez les deux prochaines semaines de voyage.

SI Zdravo vsi! Minilo je dvajset let, odkar sem prvič obiskal dve izmed nekdanjih držav Jugoslavije, pa še München, Milano in Zürich. Edinstvena izkušnja je bila potovati tako daleč z vlakom, tokrat v novo smer. Zgodbo bom podal večinoma v angleščini, kratek povzetek pa tudi v nemščini, francoščini, slovenščini, hrvaščini in italijanščini. Upam, da boste uživali v naslednjih dveh tednih potovanja.

HR Pozdrav svima! Prošlo je dvadeset godina otkako sam prvi put posjetio dvije bivše nacije koje su činile Jugoslavija, kao i München, Milano i Zürich. Bilo je jedinstveno iskustvo putovati tako daleko vlakom, ovaj put ići u novom smjeru. Priču ću dati uglavnom na engleskom, ali i kratak sažetak na njemačkom, francuskom, slovenskom, hrvatskom i talijanskom. Nadam se da ćete uživati u sljedeća dva tjedna putovanja.

IT Ciao a tutti! Sono passati vent'anni da quando ho visitato per la prima volta due delle ex nazioni che comprendevano la Jugoslavia, oltre a Monaco, Milano e Zurigo. È stata un'esperienza unica viaggiare così lontano in treno, andando questa volta in una nuova direzione. Darò la storia principalmente in inglese, ma anche un breve riassunto in tedesco, francese, sloveno, croato e italiano. Spero che ti godrai le prossime due settimane di viaggio.

I had planned, in late May 2003, to go on vacation in late August 2003, as I had not returned to Zurich, Switzerland, for Street Parade, since August 1998. I wanted to take the advantage at that time. I guess it was a mistake to try to book a bed at the Youth Hostel in Zurich, as those fill up fast, and it takes a minimum of three or four months in advance planning, and I had none. It was also the time when I had paid off the car loan for my first car, a 1997 Volkswagen Jetta III with diesel engine. But I was still able to book just about everywhere else. I managed to visit Munich, Stuttgart, Lausanne, Montreux, Geneva, Martigny (VS), ride the train from Montreux to Lausanne, Zurich, Villach, Jesenice and Ljubljana, Zagreb, take the night train from Ljubljana to Trieste and Venezia Mestre, on to Milan, Zurich, via Bregenz and Lindau-Insel to Munich, and flying home via Frankfurt to SFO. I flew mostly with United Airlines, but went from Munich to Frankfurt Rhein Main by Lufthansa.

Timeline Wednesday 30.07.2003 SFO - IAD - MUC Thursday 31.07.2003 Landing in Munich Franz Josef Strauss, train to downtown Munich, obtaining new ATM card at bank, afternoon train to Stuttgart, visit to Mercedes Benz museum, dinner in S-Bad Cannstatt and stroll in downtown and ride on the U-Bahn Friday 01.08.2003 Breakfast at hostel, Cisalpino train to Zurich via Horb, Rottweil, Tuttlingen, Singen (Hohentwiel) and Schaffhausen, train to Montreux via Biel-Bienne, Neuchatel and Lausanne, checkin in hostel, evening in Geneva before the festivities of the Lake Parade Saturday 02.08.2003 Breakfast at hostel, train to Geneva, riding to Meyrin for some foodstuffs, Lake Parade from 2 PM to about 6 PM, train to Martigny VS Sunday 03.08.2003 Breakfast at hostel, train to Lausanne, storing luggage in locker, train to Fribourg and Düdingen across the "Röstigraben", return to Lausanne, taking luggage to Zurich, boarding the night train to Ljubljana via Villach. Monday 04.08.2003 Arrival in Ljubljana, buying a bus pass for Ljubljana, checking into youth hostel, taking bus rides around Ljubljana and city center, going to supper in the old town Tuesday 05.08.2003 Breakfast at hostel, encounter with Slovenia's Jehovas Witnesses selling "Vatchtover", train to Zagreb, buying a bus and tram day pass, riding through Zagreb, getting lost and finding a nice pizza place in the eastern part, going back to Ljubljana, checking out about 1 AM for the 3 AM late train to Venezia Mestre, as there was no guarantee of a daytime train from Ljubljana to Milan. Wednesday 06.08.2003 Arriving at 2:30 AM at rail station (no JW's about), boarding the train, no A/C even in first class, crossing the Italian border with a Bulgarian passenger, eating breakfast at Mestre before the Frecciarossa arrived for Milan, adventure on the metro and in the Duomo. Ride on Passante to Dateo and trolley bus back to city center. Thursday 07.08.2003 Breakfast at hotel. Laundry day. Ride to Sesto San Giovanni by M1. Ride to Gessate by M2. Shopping near Duomo including Miss Sixty. Shopping for food and Chinese food for supper. Friday 08.08.2003 Breakfast at hotel. Cisalpino train to Zürich and S Bahn train to Baden CH in Aargau, evening in Baden Saturday 09.08.2003 Breakfast at youth hostel. Sunday 10.08.2003 Breakfast at youth hostel. Train ride to Thalwil and Pfäffikon SZ. Train to Arth-Goldau, then Altdorf, Flüelen, Zürich for supper and Baden Monday 11.08.2003 Breakfast at youth hostel. Train to Zürich, short tour of Zürich before Eurocity train to Munich via St. Margrethen, Bregenz, Lindau-Insel, Memmingen and Buchloe. Ride on the new busses. Tuesday 12.08.2003 Breakfast at hotel. Ride on the U-Bahn to Olympiapark (Georg Brauchle Ring), visit to the BMW Museum and ride to the top of the Olympiaturm. Ice cream from a vending machine, that has a Louis-Armstrong-like voice saying "everybody loves ice cream". Dinner at the Hofbräuhaus am Platzl. Wednesday 13.08.2003 Breakfast at hotel. Checkout from hotel, take luggage to Franz Josef Strauß airport by S Bahn (I think S8). Fly to Frankfurt am Main, buy a bottle of Äppler, fly to SFO and return home Some time between 14.08 and 16.08.2003 go with mother to see an asteroid spotted at the Foothill Community College Observatorium Stay home most of the time until November 2003 (Hong Kong, Macau and Tokyo's Narita)

EN Well that was pretty much the timeline for late July to Mid-August 2003. Each day we will tell something about what happened. Hope you will enjoy reading. Until next time!

DE Nun, das war so ziemlich der Zeitplan von Ende Juli bis Mitte August 2003. Jeden Tag werden wir etwas darüber erzählen, was passiert ist. Ich wünsche Ihnen viel Spaß beim Lesen. Bis zum nächsten Mal!

FR Eh bien, c'était à peu près la chronologie de la fin juillet à la mi-août 2003. Chaque jour, nous raconterons quelque chose sur ce qui s'est passé. J'espère que vous apprécierez la lecture. Jusqu'à la prochaine fois!

SI No, to je bil približno časovni načrt od konca julija do sredine avgusta 2003. Vsak dan bomo povedali nekaj o tem, kaj se je zgodilo. Upam, da boste uživali v branju. Do naslednjič!

HR Pa to je uglavnom bio vremenski okvir od kraja srpnja do sredine kolovoza 2003. Svaki dan ćemo reći nešto o tome što se dogodilo. Nadam se da ćete uživati u čitanju. Do sljedećeg puta!

IT Beh, quella era più o meno la sequenza temporale da fine luglio a metà agosto 2003. Ogni giorno racconteremo qualcosa su quello che è successo. Spero che ti divertirai a leggere. Fino alla prossima volta!

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greenbagjosh · 1 year

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Tuesday 19 November 2002 - long journey home - three flight segments - change of gauge to SFO with a “jiggance clause”

19 November 2002

EN Hi everyone! Twenty years ago today, I ended my vacation in Germany and returned to the United States. It would be the longest day in 2002 that I would remember, topping even the 9th January 2002 and 7th June 2002. Luckily Portia de Rossi was not around to shout "Jiggance!" at me that day. More will be explained later about that. I was sad to leave Europe for the last time for 2002, but also happy to return to the USA with gifts.

DE Hallo allerseits! Heute vor 20 Jahren beendete ich meinen Urlaub in Deutschland und kehrte in die Vereinigten Staaten zurück. Es sollte der längste Tag im Jahr 2002 werden, an den ich mich erinnern würde, und sogar den 9. Januar 2002 und den 7. Juni 2002 übertreffen. Zum Glück war Portia de Rossi nicht da, um „Jiggance!“ zu rufen. bei mir an diesem Tag. Dazu wird später noch mehr erklärt. Ich war traurig, Europa 2002 zum letzten Mal zu verlassen, aber auch glücklich, mit Geschenken in die USA zurückzukehren.

DK Hej allesammen! For tyve år siden i dag afsluttede jeg min ferie i Tyskland og vendte tilbage til USA. Det ville være den længste dag i 2002, jeg ville huske, og den toppede endda den 9. januar 2002 og 7. juni 2002. Heldigvis var Portia de Rossi ikke til stede for at råbe "Jiggance!" hos mig den dag. Mere vil blive forklaret senere om det. Jeg var ked af at forlade Europa for sidste gang i 2002, men også glad for at vende tilbage til USA med gaver.

SE Hej allihopa! För tjugo år sedan idag avslutade jag min semester i Tyskland och återvände till USA. Det skulle bli den längsta dagen under 2002 som jag skulle minnas, och toppade till och med den 9 januari 2002 och 7 juni 2002. Lyckligtvis var inte Portia de Rossi med och ropade "Jiggance!" på mig den dagen. Mer kommer att förklaras senare om det. Jag var ledsen över att lämna Europa för sista gången för 2002, men jag var också glad över att återvända till USA med gåvor.

FR Salut tout le monde! Il y a vingt ans jour pour jour, je terminais mes vacances en Allemagne et retournais aux États-Unis. Ce serait le jour le plus long de 2002 dont je me souviendrais, dépassant même le 9 janvier 2002 et le 7 juin 2002. Heureusement, Portia de Rossi n'était pas là pour crier "Jiggance!" à moi ce jour-là. Plus sera expliqué plus tard à ce sujet. J'étais triste de quitter l'Europe pour la dernière fois pour 2002, mais aussi heureux de revenir aux USA avec des cadeaux.

Guten Morgen! Good morning! It was the day to return back to the USA. My almost two week long journey in Germany, Scandinavia and Switzerland came to an end. I had to fly from Nuremberg to Frankfurt Rhein-Main airport, then to Washington Dulles, and finally to San Francisco. It would be a long day but it would feel good to return home, and see how well the paint dried on my car after it had been in the repair shop.

It was about 6 AM that I woke up. I took a shower, packed my suitcase, and went downstairs for one final breakfast at the hotel. I did not eat too much, just enough to last until I arrived at the airport. Then I checked out. I took the line 38 bus from Lenkersheimer Straße, changed to the U1 at Maximilianstraße, changed to the U2 at Plärrer, was easy because it was a simple walk from the platform, and I had to alight at Ziegelstein because the train terminated there. In ten minutes another train would arrive. Ziegelstein is unique because it has lights that will turn on when the train is at the station platform. The lights will be animated when the train arrives and departs, and shuts off when the train has left. Another train to the airport arrived, and I boarded. It was a DT2. The train went through its single tunnel and ended at the airport. I alighted and went inside the terminal building to the departures desk.

At NUE, the airport, I went to the departures desk on the second level. I was about three hours early for the flight. I checked in my wheeled bag, and it would be a long time before I would see it again, likely in Washington DC for customs inspection, and again in San Francisco. Then I was free to go through the security post. At the time, they did not check luggage for any liquids over 100 mL, and it was not necessary back then to take off shoes or belts. Mostly it was about electronics. I had just my radio, camera and Siemens S40 phone that I did not use until I arrived in Washington Dulles.

After going through security, I stopped by the souvenirs shop. I bought some more Nürnberger Lebkuchen, as I did not know if there would be any in Frankfurt. I sat around the gate to the flight to Frankfurt which would leave about 11 AM, and arrive about 12:15 PM. The flight was operated by Lufthansa, and I would receive airline miles to my United Mileage Plus account, I think, 500 in total. At 10:20 AM, the flight boarded, and I was in the Airbus A320 coach / economy class. The plane closed its doors at 10:55 and pushed back and went to the takeoff formation about 11 AM. The flight left Nürnberg for Frankfurt am Main. It landed about 12:05 PM and arrived at the Concourse A part of Terminal 1, about 12:10 PM. Everyone alighted from the aircraft. My wheeled bag would be on its way to Washington Dulles. I had about 45 minutes to get one last bottle of Apfelwein, so I left the secure area, went to the grocery store close to the Regionalbahnhof, and came back through security. In 2022, this might have been impossible, because I would require access to my checked bag.

The United Airlines flight to Washington Dulles would not depart until about 2 PM. I was in the Terminal B part of the airport. I had to check my passport with the German customs agents, and I received my Schengen exit stamp for the year, with "Frankfurt/Main" and 19th November 2002 as the exit date. Then I was free to explore the Concourse B Duty Free shops and buy more booze %) I could not drink it on the plane until I crossed the US border. About 1:15 PM, the flight to Washington Dulles started boarding. I had my ticket ready. I think I was in group 4 or so. My seat was sort of in the first third of economy class, though I could not say exactly where. The plane I boarded was a Boeing 777. The plane closed its doors about 1:50 PM and pushed back shortly thereafter. The safety demonstration was live, as the screens on the seatbacks were too small to properly show a safety video, in comparison to the 2010s onward with larger screens. The plane took off about 2:10 PM, and that was the last time in 2002 until August 2003 that I would set foot in Europe.

The plane flew sort of on a path north of Wiesbaden, sort of south of Boppard am Rhein where I stayed in July 1991, then over Trier, Luxembourg City, Arlon in Belgium, south of Brussels, Lille, Caterham in the UK, the extreme south of Ireland and onwards past Iceland and Greenland. About the time the plane left continental Europe, the flight crew served lunch. Beer was free, so I ordered Heineken. They did not have any proper German beer unfortunately, but lunch was good. I had the beef and potatoes.

The inflight movies included "Who is Cletis Tout" which starred Christian Slater, Tim Allen, Richard Dreyfuss, Portia de Rossi and RuPaul. It was quite bizzare. It was a film about an ex-convict reuniting with his elderly cellmate, sharing the spoils of a heist, and having to share it with the elderly cellmate's adult daughter. The daughter added a so-called "Jiggance clause" where he had to behave a certain way, otherwise there would be a reduction in his share of the diamonds. If he failed, the daughter would shout "Jiggance". The movie is meant to be a comedy.

The flight went on for a while, the skies were sort of getting dark, but the sun did not quite go down until around 4:30 PM, when the plane landed in Washington Dulles. Before landing, we were given a small snack and extra drink. Also we had to fill out the customs declarations forms. I put in my purchases that I had made, and it totalled $500 at most, not enough to send me to the "goods to declare" red lane. Everyone alighted from the plane, upon landing at Washington Dulles, and I had to follow the purple lane, for connecting flights, as opposed to the yellow lane which was for passengers collecting their luggage at the main terminal, taking a mobile lounge from Terminal C. The purple lane did not take too long. For me it was fairly straightforward. I was allowed to go into the line for US Citizens, and would have my passport checked quickly. I handed in my passport and the customs declaration card. My passport was stamped and the agent told me "Welcome home".

Once my passport was stamped, I went along to pick up my wheeled bag. I had to make sure that I could open it for inspection. However, when I gave the customs declaration card, the agent took it and he said "thanks". I walked to the connecting flights luggage area, and gave my wheeled bag to the agent, and I would collect it at SFO. I left the customs area and went upstairs to the regular part of Terminal C. I found the flight to SFO. The flight to SFO was delayed due to an aircraft issue with the Boeing 767 plane, scheduled for that specific time. United would find a replacement at about 7 PM. Until then, everyone had to wait.

The ticket agents at the podium had asked some passengers to take an even later flight, as if the flight was not late enough. There would be one to San Francisco at 9 PM, but I could not do that, because I was on an international flight already, so my body clock was six hours ahead of the current time at Washington Dulles, namely -5 GMT, as opposed to +1 GMT where I was for over a week. A replacement flight was found, a single-row Boeing 757. Most of the affected passengers were those with seats in the "L" position, namely if you were in a 767, there is AB DEF KL seating, there would be in a 757 a ABC DEF seating arrangement. Luckily I was not affected, and was allowed to fly to SFO on the 7 PM flight. At 6:10 PM, the flight boarded, and I was in my seat, ready to take off. The flight closed its doors at 6:55 PM and it pushed back. The safety demonstration was on the CRT monitors, complete with Gershwin's "Rhapsody in Blue". The flight took off about 7:15 PM, as there was congestion.

About 8:30 PM, the flight attendants served supper. I had the chicken and pasta, and a white wine. After supper, the inflight movie started. It was on the overhead CRT monitors, and sound would be from the electronic headphone jacks. They played "Who is Cletis Tout?". I got to see it a second time but on a larger screen. I did not watch all of it as my body clock said it was past 4 AM. I slept the majority of the journey back. The plane arrived about 9 PM in San Francisco airport, so it was like 6 AM for me. I felt a bit groggy waking up after the plane landed at United's Terminal 3 at SFO, San Francisco International. I used both travel movers to the escalator at security where I would go to baggage claim.

My mother was at the baggage claim at SFO. I was happy to see her again. We went to go find where my wheeled bag would appear. It took twenty minutes for it to roll along the caroussel. Then we went to the parking structure and found the Jeep, and we drove to my apartment in Foster City. It felt good to be home. I would give the presents meant for my family, the next Sunday, I think the 24th, when I went to visit and do my laundry. The car was sitting in its spot, I think it was spot 104, nothing had happened to it, thankfully. I did not dare to check it until the morning. I went to sleep in my own bed, the first time since 7th November.

Well, that pretty much ends the journey from the 7th to the 19th November 2002. Or does it? Maybe not. I had to go to work the next day, so please tune in for one final episode, to hear how my colleagues reacted to my gifts of delicious food.

Gute Nacht! Good night!

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