Bob on BAC Trans Alps 2008

Please visit August 16 - 18 slideshow

Ann drove me to SFO. We got there in plenty of time. I had checked in on UAL's website, so all I had to do at the airport was to check my bags. The bag check line was very short. The other lines were very long. I'll be doing the same procedure in the future when we go on our travels.

I met Jeff at the gate and we were soon off to Calgary. Our flight was uneventful and we landed in very warm and clear weather.

Our connection to Air Canada was a little confusing because we had to pick up our bags and then re-check them for our flight to Frankfurt. We were a little worried about timing because our bags took a long time to come down the carousal. We made it to the gate in plenty of time even though we were sniffed by the narc beagle.

We boarded the plane and had to sit at the gate for an extra 45 minutes so that they could repair the co-pilot's seat belt. After we were in the air, our flight was reasonably smooth. The airplane had a very good entertainment system with touch-screen technology. It took a while for the crew to get it to work, though. They served us both dinner and breakfast. We managed to watch some movies, read and doze.

We got to Frankfurt with minimal time to make our connection to Salzburg. Jeff ran ahead to our gate while the security people were hand-scanning me for metal. I passed the check, but when I reached the gate, our gate had just closed and we had to reschedule our flight to almost 5 hours later. We got to know the Frankfurt airport pretty well in that time, passing through passport control and security twice while finding an ATM and getting something to eat.

Hotel Stadtkrug

Even though we missed our connection, things worked out well for us because there were 4 other BAC travelers on the same flight who had made arrangements for a ride to our hotel. We piggy-backed on their shuttle and got to Hotel Stadtkrug at about 19:00. We checked in, had dinner in a nearby cafe (pasta and beer) and were in bed around 22:30.

Both of us slept very well and got up at 6:30. After our good breakfast buffet, we did a walking tour of Salzburg along a route recommended in Rick Steves' tour book. The weather was perfect - clear skies and around 80. We had lunch at a restaurant/hostel high on the bluff overlooking the old town. I had wiener schnitzel with potatoes and a salad while Jeff had a grilled sausage with fries. We both had a beer.

Our Lunch Restaurant

After lunch, we walked through the park on top of the bluff and then back down to the old town, through the main tourist street past Mozart's birth place, across the river, and back to our hotel. Our hotel is very clean and quiet.

Our room is plenty large enough for the two of us. It has tissues which raises it one star according to Ann's rating.

Roasted Pork with Sauerkraut and Dumplings

I spent a while putting my Bike Friday together. Then we used the free wireless connection in the lobby to check email and the Olympic results. We went for an early dinner at Restaurant Gabler.I had roasted pork with sauerkraut and a dumpling while Jeff had spinach crepe with a tomato sauce. We both had a beer.

Our first group meeting for the ride was on the top floor terrace of our hotel at 19:00. We met everyone on the tour and had the normal talk about safety that BAC insists on. Then Norbert, our guide/driver talked about tomorrow's route.