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Show pwuay?y;TWWW v Travel Analysis Traoims in Huirope Cam) Be By J ANENE WOLSE Y BAADSGAARD Special to The Herald Vacations often boast the illusion of being a "time of respite from something, a scheduled period during which activity is suspended, a period of exemption from work granted for rest and relaxation." Don't be fooled by rote defini- tions. This definition just doesn't hold up especially if you've ever seen Europe via the Eurail pass. Being a tourist is hard work. Being a naive American tourist with a Eurail pass, is even harder work. But even with all the endlessly long night trains, crowded smelly compartments, forever already full first class compartments, and toilet paper that could be resold as sand paper in the States, seeing Europe the way the Europeans do, with the help of the rails, is the only way to go. But before you arm yourself with a Eurail pass and an unassuming smile, there are a few things that every prospective Eurail pass holder should know. The first thing to remember is that you might as well forget about trying to fool the natives about your real place of residence. Europeans can spot an American from two blocks away even when they're nearsighted. Overly friendly "helpers" at train sta- tions, subways and bus stops often have ulterior motives. Someone carrying your bags may seem like a wonderful native custom until someone puts out their hand and tells you how much that service will cost. So don't make yourself any more vulnerable than you already are by city park as a kid but I'd never actually depended on a train ride to get somewhere before. Trains always held sort of a romantic illusion for me. Every time I heard the whistle of a train in the distance, I would get a far away glassy glare in my eyes and start in singing, "Far away places with strange sounding names, Far away over the sea, Those far away places with their strange sounding names, Are calling, calling me." But the reality of a real live train Nke, But... ride always eluded me. It was on this, my first tour of Europe, that I had to learn the ropes of riding the rails in Europe. Even on this same trip, I'd al- ready hopped planes in Toronto, London, Tel Aviv and Rome without a hitch but my first experience hopping a train proved to be a bit more difficult. I saw my first real train station in Italy. Armed with my mighty "First Class Eurail Pass," my companions and I found ourselves double checking the train station schedule for our first train ride. We found the next connection and the track line and departure time. Then, we proceeded to dutifully carry our bags to the appropriate place to wait. A European train station is generally a dark humping series of archways covering straight black rails which are covered with passenger cars. Information booths, Continued to Page 17. putting on "airs." Remember that there are worse things than being an American tourist. It's just that the natives from foreign countries have a hard time figuring out what it is. The train system in Europe is marvelous. You can get almost anywhere you want to go via a train and it's fairly economical. You can also get to know a lot about a country and it's people by riding its trains. I had never ridden on a train before I toured Europe. I'd seen trains in old western movies and even climbed all over one at the r? Anytime Day or Night. S7 There To Help You In SPRINGVILLE o PAYSON 1$ SPANISH FORK RIVERSIDE PLAZA o DOWNTOWN PROVO n OREM GRAND CENTRAL STORE Vacation in style The classic looks of summer are at Gatsby's now. Choose from our distinctive selection of styles known for uncompromising quality with names like Pierre Cardin, Givenchy and Cant. You'll be impressed by the comfort too, with 100 natural fibers like cotton and wool. This year, vacation in style with Gatsby's. 'Tour home-owne- d, independent bank serving Utah County for over 92 years." MEMBER FDIC UNIVERSITY MALL, OREM 375-100- 0 |