Monday 23 May - Innsbruck

Having gained an appreciation of the things to see in the city, and with our Innsbruck Cards ready for use we set out in the morning to look at the things we had made a note of earlier.  The clouds were over the mountains so we thought it would be best to do the in town items first in the hope that the clouds would lift later in the day.

Many of the city lamp posts are covered with vegetation - at times this obscures the road signs.

The Court Church was first on the list.  Quite impressive with a large mausoleum built for Archduke Ferdinand.  It took 100 years to complete and has never been used, his bones are at Wiener Neustadt.  This is a typical example of the excesses and arrogance of the monarchy.

The Museum of Tyrolean Folk Art exceeded our expectations with many well thought-out displays.  We were particularly impressed with the reconstructed rooms.  All in wood, and presumably all original.

Next on the list was the Hofburg, the Imperial Palace.  This bore a resemblance to Versailles with its hall of mirrors.  Another example of the incredible excesses of the monarchy.  The palace is well maintained and preserved.

Our final visit was St. James' Cathedral.  Again, this was well maintained.

The Innsbruck Card certainly made it easy to obtain entry, no line-ups and the automatic ticket readers speeded things up considerably.

The Hungerburgbahn bridge over the River Inns

There were still clouds at the top of the mountain but we decided to go up around midday.  The first part is a modern cable railway, the Hungerburgbahn, with a bridge over the Inns river.  It is partially in tunnel and there are stops at the river and also the Alpenzoo.  We transferred directly to the cablecar to Seegrube and again directly to Hafelkar.  It was still cloudy at the top but breaks in the cloud gave us some good views of the mountains.

We came back down again to Hungerburg which was in full sun.  Lunch was a beer with goulash soup/soup with a bacon dumpling.  Both dishes were local specialties.

Soup with a bacon dumpling.

The Innsbruck card also allowed us to enter the Alpenzoo which, in many ways was a mistake.  For at least half of the cages we couldn't find anything.  Many of the areas were heavily overgrown and had many dead trees in them making it extremely difficult to see the animals.  The vultures and eagles looked very sorry for themselves in their cages while the bear was pacing back and forth in the same part - a sure sign of stress.  The moose had a very small, hillside area and this for an animal which spends much of its time in water.  There were two beavers, one of which just swam round and round and round - obviously stressed.  In a word the Alpenzoo is disgusting.  It should be closed, or left just for the farmyard animals who are used to being cooped up in small areas.

Hungerburgbahn at Alpenzoo station

We sadly made our way back to the Hungerburgbahn and returned back to Innsbruck.

Later in the early evening we took tram #1 to the end of the line close to the Inns River and walked along a very pleasant riverside path back into town.  The Imperial Gardens were well worth a visit.  In one part a number of people were playing chess with giant pieces against a backdrop of yellow Iris.  By the pond, a family of ducklings was settling down for the night.

Imperial Gardens

Ducklings getting ready for the night - the mother had already settled down, invisible in the grass a short way away.

We found an out-of-the-way restaurant not five minutes from the main tourist area.  We each had a beer and Tyrolean Grostl - beef heated in a pan with potatoes and onions.  There was a side salad.  It was excellent but very filling.  The waiter told us it was a typical dish of this area.

We leave Innsbruck tomorrow so need to get out all our information on Salzburg.

Sunday 22 May - Innsbruck - Stubaitalbahn and bicycles

Amazing - we found out today that we are staying in the room next to the room used by Wolfgang Mozart when he stayed here.

The hotel breakfast is very good and the great thing about being in this location is that we can get around early before the tourists come out.

In the restaurant

The Golden Roof

Clock maker's sign

We took a quick look around the old town and realized that it can be seen quite quickly.  We then went to the Tourist Office and worked out that a 48 hour Innsbruck Card would enable us to go right to the top of the Nordkette, give us what entrances we want to the other sights and free use of city transport until we leave for Saltzburg.

 The first order of business was to ride the Stubaitalbahn up to Fulpnes.  This is a narrow gauge tramway that is now run by the city.

Standard city trams are now used on the Stubaitalbahn - outside the Hauptbahnhof

We started off running on city streets.  When we reached the STB car barns, however, we went right through the yard and immediately started climbing.  The grades are severe as is the curvature in places.  The line serves small communities but it also goes through dense forests and there are several tall curved viaducts.  Four lads got on with their bikes for a ride uphill.  When it came time for them to get off, they pressed the door open button, got on their bikes inside the tram and rode straight out on to the platform.  They have great confidence in platform heights being close to car heights.

The first tram took us to Kreith which is a little way from the end of the line. 

We had no idea where Kreith was but it seemed to be in the right direction so we went out on the tram anyway.  Each tram has a number of screens which give the next station and the next three stops so it was easy to find out when we were getting close to Kreith.  We had to wait 30 minutes for the tram to take us to Fulpmes which is quite a large village but there was very little open on a Sunday so, after an ice cream, we decided to return to Innsbruck.

Tram for Fulpmes arriving at Kreith

Fulpmes

Fulpmes

On the return to Innsbruck

Lunch was a pretzel and shandy in a church car park.  The owner was very pleasant but a bearded model started operating every so often.  Someone was watching motor racing on TV inside.  There were large umbrellas which had just been taken down when a heavy wind storm came in.

At the tram stop for Igls

We got out at the Stubaitalbahn station and walked to the terminus for the tram to Igls, stopping for a shandy at a bar which had been set up at a church parking lot and close to the cemetery.  Waiting for the tram we noticed a great number of people with bicycles, about 20 in all.  Then a substitute bus turned up.  We got on board and sat down to enjoy the fun.  There were four bicycles and two large dogs in the bus and four bikes on the rack outside at the back.  After some frantic calls over the radio, a city pick-up truck arrived with a trailer to carry the excess bikes.  All the passengers scrambled into the bus which felt as if the heating was on full bore.  A tram would have been more useful but we eventually got to Igls.  By this time it was raining so we decided to stay on the bus which brought us back to Innsbruck and a connection with a tram back to the hotel.

Saturday 21 May - Paris to Zurich

Today went very easily - much easier than I had anticipated.  The Metro was quiet at this time on a Saturday morning although we had our longest wait for a train at Barbes Rochechouard - 5 minutes!
0824 TGV Paris Est to Zurich 1324.

Today there were no soldiers with automatic weapons hiding in the flowers of Gare de l'Est

 

Our train left on time and stayed on time right through to Zurich.  After Basel there were very few people in first class but we stopped at several places before Zurich and picked up some local passengers then.  Zurich was very busy but we found a snack and some chocolate and it was time to board the RailJet to Insbruck.
1440 Zurich to Insbruck 1806

The train was practically empty.  All through the cars there are screens like the one above giving the schedule and the actual times achieved.  At each station the connections with other trains as well as local buses are shown.  The speed was also shown.  This allowed us to keep track of our progress and knew precisely when we would arrive at Insbruck - on time of course.

Around Reichenburg, still in Switzerland, I saw some tank traps in the grass next to the railway line.  Haven't seen tank traps for many years.

The section through the Aarlberg pass to St. Anton was an amazing climb.  We passed over some high viaducts and saw the snow on many mountain peaks.

We walked to the hotel in Insbruck.  It is in a great location in the old city and Mozart, among others stayed here.  I wonder which room he had!

After checking in we went for a walk through the old town.  It was pretty busy and there were some crazies, the most notable being a man with a hat shaped like a pink pig and carrying a blow-up naked woman.   We decided to have a drink and a meal at a quiet place on a side street.  We sat outside.  It started fine but the rain came on and we had to finish inside.  We had rabbit and Wiener schnitzel.

Friday 20 May - Our last day in Paris.

There are so many boulangeries close to us that it is very difficult to know where to shop.  I went out early thin morning to buy croissants at three locations so that we could compare them.  These are the bakers I went to.

Rue Legendre

Rue des Dames

Rue de Levis

From left to right - Levis, Dames, Legendre

We enjoyed all three of them.  Levis had less salt and, for that reason we preferred it, but all were excellent.

We went to the Bastille this morning and walked along the canal to the Seine.  We came across two old men who appeared to be brothers, identically dressed and carrying identical folding chairs.

Tweedledum and Tweedledee

Clock strung out from the side of a church tower on the Isle de St. Louis.

It was then on to the Isle St. Louis where we had lunch at a place we have been to before.  In spite of the constant bickering between the husband and wife running the place we had a good meal although we were the only people in for lunch.

Stained glass in the restaurant.

 Dessert was an ice cream from Berthillon.

We had intended to walk through the Cite flower, market across and past the Louvre, through the Tuileries and Place de la Concorde.  However it was so full of tourists that we gave up just after the Louvre and came back.  A quick visit to Monoprix for food for the train tomorrow and we came back to the apartment.

Late this evening we had finished our packing and were just getting into bed when there was a sound as if from an accordion right outside our window.  We saw an organ grinder with a hurdy girdy singing away to his heart's content.  All the neighbours were hanging out of their windows, laughing and singing along.  What a send off!

Thursday 19 May - Bois de Vincennes

This was the first time either of us have been to the Bois de Vincennes.  It is a park for all interests and is as vast as the map would make it out to be.

We started off at Lac Daumesnil watching a heron which perched for some time on one of the rowing boats.

The lake is very large and includes two large islands

The lack of rain was evident and Paris really needs rain soon - and lots of it.

At one point there were a lot of crows on the ground.  It reminded us of the Hitchcock movie.

Getting from Lac Daumesnil to the Parc Floral was a bit of a chore, not only because it was such a long way but also because some critical directions had been missed out.  We were ready for a drink and a salad by the time we found the Parc and the entrance.

There is an excellent collection of bonsais in the Parc Floral - the oldest we noticed dated back to 1896.

 

The Mistletoe shows up against the lighter green foliage.

Chateau de Vincennes

Click below to see all pictures taken here.

This evening we went to Square des Batignoles which was very busy indeed.  The children were playing with their parents and the ducks were seeking places to spend the night.  We watched a mother and father play with their small boy floating sticks down the water and through the tube under the footpath.  I wonder how many generations of parents have done this.  The beautiful old plane trees are quite a sight and we like the way the gardens are very informal.  Dinner tonight was at an Italian restaurant close by the Square Batignoles.

Tuesday 17 May - Valencay and Romorantin on the Blanc a Argent Railway

0656 Paris Austerlitz to Les Aubrais 0750
0808 Les Aubrais to Salbris 0845
0905 Salbris to Valencay 1057
1338 Valencay to Romorantin 1431
1611 Romorantin to Salbris1705
1710 Salbris to Les Aubrais 1747
1800 Les Aubrais to Paris 1859

This was the schedule that the SNCF computer was reluctant to agree to, particularly the five minute connection at Salbris on the return.  Somebody should tell the SNCF computer that this connection is used by about 20 school kids every day.  It all worked out very well and I arrived back in Paris precisely on time at 1859.

The Paris Metro is always a pleasure to be in early in the morning.  The platforms sparkle and everything is spotlessly clean.  One great advantage is that one always knows how long one is going to have to wait for a train.  This takes out the uncertainty and allows one to relax.

One of the advantages of making this trip at this time of the year is that it is done in the light.  This meant that I could observe the concrete guideway that was built for the Bertin Aerotrain.
From Wilkipedia:
In 1969, a third, 18 km test track was built to test Aérotrain prototype I80. This test track was in Loiret, France, north from Orléans, stretching between Saran and Ruan, a location that would enable it to be used in a future Paris-Orléans line. The track was elevated 5 m above the ground, was supported by pillars and allowed speeds of 400 km/h. A platform stood at each end of the line to reverse the train, while a hangar on the central platform at Chevilly housed the test vehicle. This line, while abandoned, became a famous landmark subject to cosmetic disputes after the end of the Aérotrain programme, but it still exists today, and is clearly visible to the east of RN20 and the Paris-Orléans railway line.

On the comfortable electric unit out of Les Aubrais I caught a quick glimpse of the Hotel Tatin home of the Tarte Tatin and arrival at Salbris gave me plenty of time to wander into the freight yard, now only used for work equipment and the Blanc a Argent trains.  There was no train there but plenty of people waiting which is always a good sign.  Soon a train appeared and we all piled in.

BA train arriving at Salbris.

We waited expectantly for the off and finally the Salbris station mistress turned up, flirted with the driver, removed the red light, blew her whistle, waved her white baton with a green stripe and we were off.  Straight away it became evident that the trains have been slowed down considerably.  The maximum speed is now 40 kmph and it is much slower than that in many places.  The track has always been bad.  It has been relaid on most curves but the straight sections are very very rough indeed.  I took a look at a 2009 timetable when I returned to Paris and found that  Valencay to Romorantin has been increased from 50 minutes to 63 minutes while Salbris to Valencay has been increased from 77 minutes to 112 minutes.  The only good thing is that the trains can easily keep the published timetable.  A good feature is that the lower speeds will be better for the unique X74500 articulated units which are the mainstay of the service.  I only went for the ride so I enjoyed the slower speeds but it is not so good for anyone wanting to use the railway for real transport.

Smoke break at Ferte Imbault

Ferte Imbault is the first stop and here we passed a train headed for Salbris.  There was much kissing of the station mistress, shaking of hands and an opportunity for the driver to take a smoke break.  Many of the stations are staffed and this ritual applies all down the line.  The station mistress comes out equipped with a white baton with a green stripe, having wound down the level crossing gates if necessary.  There is much flirting and eventually the red flag or light is removed, the whistle blown, even though the doors are shut and locked, the baton is waved and then there are a series of secret hand signals passed along with kisses blown before the train can leave.

There was even more flirting at Selles St. Denis.

We slowed to give a rabbit a chance to clear the rails while a pheasant poked its head up out of the grass to observe proceedings.  We finally made it to Romorantin by which time I was the only one on the train.  Most people got out at Faubourg Orleans in the outskirts of Romorantin where there is a large high school. I was joined by a man who was only going to Pruniers and had the front seat to myself for the rest of the entire trip.

Leaving Romorantin we run alongside standard gauge tracks.  There can't have been a standard gauge train in Romorantin for at least thirty or forty years yet there are many rails that the SNCF has yet to pick up.  The diamond crossing between the two gauges has been replaced with straight track on the narrow gauge but there is still a double road crossing with barriers across standard and narrow gauges.

There are still a number of freight cars at Pruniers although freight traffic ceased in 1989.

X74505 at Valencay

I arrived at Valencay depressed and convinced the BA is on its last legs, which it has been for as long as I have known it (about 35 years) and wandered into the town to see what happens here on market day.  The main street is closed and traders set up their stalls (converted motor vans now).  There are a couple of interesting items but most are selling cheap clothing or houseware.  The market building was busy with a great selection of local produce and a couple were selling the Valencay chevre cheese, shaped like a pyramid with the top cut off.  I had a glass of red wine at le Bar des Sports and wandered back towards the station.  One of the problems with the new timetable is that now you have either 30 minutes or 2 and a half hours for the train out.

I wandered into this place and ordered a ham and cheese sandwich.  It was the biggest one I have ever seen.  The bread was about six inches wide and 15 inches long and was filled with ham, Cammembert and cornichon.  I only ate the bottom half of the bread.

Disconsolate, I walked around the BA yard at Valencay.

Two wagon turntables were still in place.

The old engine shed.

Then I started to look at the track and was amazed to find five new (three were dated 2009) SNCF heavy rail switches had been laid in and nicely ballasted.  The present service doesn't need a switch at all as the trains just come in and reverse. I cannot figure out why they would have put a new switch into the engine house or the freight yard.

Looking towards Lucay le Male which is not used any more.

Three new main line switches.

The Valencay station house has been repainted and fitted with doors that open by motion detectors when you approach them - not that very many people do.

A pleasant flower bed has been installed at the station front and the track to the freight yard has been retained

An incredible amount of money has been spent at Valencay alone for a railway that carries very few passengers.

I went back to Romorantin.  The young lady conductor dutifully inspected my ticket even though she had seen me on the way in.  Much of this section has no ballast and even 40 kmph can be quite lively.  A deer scrambled away in front of us at Varennes.  There was more flirting and secret hand signals at Chabris.  The bridge over the River Chere is now 15 kmph.  The water weeds in the river have small white flowers and the river looked white from a distance.

The freight cars at Prumiers.

Romorantin was its usual attractive self but it seems to have been very badly hurt by by the recession and practically all of the specialty shops, traiteurs, patisseries, charcuteries etc. have  gone out of business to be replaced by employment agencies and real estate agents.  The restaurants have been taken over by north African and Lebanese.  I quickly returned to the station. 1983-built railcars X241 and X242 have received new paint but are not used very much.

BA 13 was built in 1953 on the frame of a 1901 steam locomotive.  It is used on work trains.  Another locomotive, BA 14, is still in existence but not used.

BA transition joint bar.

X74504 is out of use

We waited for X 74501 to arrive and were off on our return to Salbris.

There were not very many passengers from Romorantin but about forty schoolchildren joined at Faubourg Orleans.  They were all standing very close together on the platform because there is only one door on these trains.  I was expecting lots of noise and fooling around but they were very well behaved and just sat in their seats and spoke quietly to each other.  Surprisingly about twenty of them transferred at Salbris to the SNCF train as far as Lamotte Beuvron.

During the short layover at Les Aubrais I saw that the Orleans trams have now reached out as far as Les Aubrais station but I decided to leave this investigation for another day.

Click below to see BA images taken this day