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Thread: Palermo, Venice, Paris in October

  1. #21

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    Re: Palermo, Venice, Paris in October

    Actually I meant my 2 x 3 Graflex SLR with the big hood and waist level focus. But the idea of a 2 x 3 Crown isn't so bad - they're available pretty inexpensively and I already have a 4 x 5 version that I like. If someone steals it it isn't a huge loss financially.

    And I ALWAYS take my Minox B when I travel.
    Last edited by Jim Andrada; 25-Mar-2018 at 20:59.

  2. #22

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    Re: Palermo, Venice, Paris in October

    The basilica of St. Denis is close to a subway even though it is in a high crime area. But it is the home of the tombs of royalty, early gothic and has a fantastic crypt which was very tripod friendly when I was there as was the upstairs.

  3. #23

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    [off-topic and long digression, sorry] Combining cycling + trains in Europe

    From Thomas:

    Do you know if a ticket can be purchased by bicycle tourists that allows one to disembark at scheduled stops and continue on a different train a day or so later with his bike? I've done a couple of month long bike tours in Europe but cycling and using the train is more appealing to me at this time in my life.

    Sorry for a long digression wth respect to the Venice-Paris train cruise

    Well, regarding the Russian federation, I have absolutely no idea! I have even no idea of the availability of paved roads close enough to the trans-siberian train line, so that you can leave the train for a while, travel by bicycle, and board it again. In Russia, distances are formidable!

    Regarding Western Europe, not all trains allow to board a train with a bicycle loaded with personal camping equipment, but combining cycling plus train is common for many European cyclo-tourists.
    At the end of the last century, in 1991 (actually, this was a short time after the collapse of the Berlin Wall) my wife joined a party and went to the Czech Republic by train and did a nice combined tour with her bicycle and local Czech trains. The tour was organized by non-profit French cyclo-tourist association.
    I have no idea of the availability of commercial package tours organizing everything for you for cycling + train.

    Many years ago, I had heard about a very special package cycling tour in the South West of France, organized by a Dutch tour-operator: this was a combined wine-tasting and gastronomical cycling tour . The tour-operator provided a van to carry most of the luggage, and the cycling itinerary connected wine cellars to farmhouse accomodation with traditional French food served "like at home" every night. But no mention was made regarding taking a train with a bicycle in this very special tour.

    In Europe, as you probably know, there exist several dedicated long-distance cycling routes where car traffic is prohibited on a substantial part of the route.
    https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/EuroVelo
    One of them, EuroVelo#6, connects the Atlantic Ocean near Nantes, France to Budapest, Hungary and this route about 3600 km (2270 mi) long goes through Besançon, my hometown. Since people traveling along this route come from anywhere, cyclists, most often, take a train to join the cycling route and go back home by train at the end of their travel.

    The Netherlands and Belgium being countries where people travel a lot by bicycle, I'm sure that many trains can be boarded with a bicycle.

    In France, high-speed train (TGV) cars are probably not convenient to carry a bicycle (to be checked), but conventional trains are suitable for this. Modern French regional trains are designed to combine train + cycling conveniently.
    France offers a real paradise of small, well-paved secondary roads in the countryside, this network is very dense; but the regional train network is nowadays gradually loosing many small lines. Profitability is the keyword, I prefer not to comment; this is a major issue for regional trains in many parts of Europe.
    Cycling on the secondary road network, you can cross all France in many directions combining regional trains. Travel possibilities combining cycling and regional trains in France will allow you to cover a major part of the country.
    And train travel planner web sites (e.g. the French SNCF web site or the German Bahn web site) will give you all the details about existing train schedules and connected buses operated by the French National Railways Company (SNCF). Small French regional trains (TER) are second-class only and seats are always available, there is even no reservation system available for those trains. So you only have to know the train timetable in advance, to plan ahead for camping or accommodation, and your are almost all set without need of a tour-operator or special combined ticket.

    Regarding monthly rail passes and other kinds of discount prices for train tickets, the commercial offer is a bit complex and absolutely not unified from one European country to another, hence the help of a tour-operator could be useful. I'm not sure if it's worth taking a monthly rail pass, if you do not take the train every day between several cycling days.

    Switzerland maintains a very dense network of regional trains with frequent connections, one train each hour in every direction, this is somewhat unique in Europe. Trains and buses will carry you almost everywhere in the Swiss mountains, including up to the highest glaciers (ahem, at a nominal cost: the price to go up the Matterhorn rack-and-pinion train is frightening, but this very special mountain train is probably not the best idea for a combined cycling + train travel ).
    Many of the Swiss trains allow to board with a bicycle, but I have no experience about cycling + train in Switzerland.

  4. #24
    http://www.spiritsofsilver.com tgtaylor's Avatar
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    Re: Palermo, Venice, Paris in October

    Emmanuel - Thank you for the in-depth reply with links - what a wonderful source of information for long distance cycling in Europe! On my last trip I had supper with a couple from Vienna on holiday. They told me about a 600 mile bicycle trail along the Danube that I later planned to incorporate in a bicycle trip I envisioned following the Silk Road starting from the Danube's origin (rumored to be from people's water taps) near Zurich to the Black Sea. The Danube, as you know, was the traditional invasion route into Europe and the Silk Road extended all the way around through Turkey, Iran, and Afghanistan into China and I even fancied biking through northern Afghanistan where, I fancied, I would pay the warlord Ahmad Shah Massoud for an armed escort across Afghanistan and hire a vehicle to transport me and the bike across the Taklimakan Desert to China where I would continue to Bejing. Fanciful trip but I believe that the first stage of it, along the Danube to the Black Sea and to Istanbul is doable as is hiring a vehicle across the desert. But Iran and Afghanistan pose a security problem unless, possibly, by train, and Northern China is too dangerous unless by train. Part of the fun is in the planning and the information you provided above opens up many possibilities.

    Thomas

  5. #25

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    Re: Palermo, Venice, Paris in October

    Well, the big day is rapidly approaching - we leave on 10/9

    After a lot of head scratching I decided to take my sort of Ancient Mamiya AFD MF camera (well, ancient as digital goes that is...) I have both digital and film backs for it - the digital back supports up to a 2GB SD or CF card - wow. 23 mp/ 48 X 56 (IIRC) pixel. But quite nice results. I'm still trying to find a secret spot to hide the 2 x 3 Crown though. It doesn't weigh much and the rangefinder is set for the 150mm Xenar... Maybe I could sneak it into my wife's suitcase when she isn't looking (fat chance!!!) I also have a small tripod and a hiking stick that I modified to add a lightweight ball head - that should work in tripod unfriendly spots.


    We gave up on going to Prague - will go to Galicia instead - better seafood!!!!!

  6. #26
    http://www.spiritsofsilver.com tgtaylor's Avatar
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    Re: Palermo, Venice, Paris in October

    Enjoy your trip Jim!

    Thomas

  7. #27

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    Re: Palermo, Venice, Paris in October

    Thanks Thomas. It's been a while since you and I got together. I got a metal back and a new knee so the last two years I haven't been traveling much. I just started a new job with a Tech startup in Tokyo and I've been in San Jose every other week for a while. I'll be there next week as a matter of fact. Not sure if I'll have time to run up to the city, but if I do I'll give you a holler.

  8. #28
    http://www.spiritsofsilver.com tgtaylor's Avatar
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    Re: Palermo, Venice, Paris in October

    Looking forward to it Jim. Too bad that Fuji threw in the towel on Acros - I'm down to my last 2 sheets. About 2 years back I experienced a (for me) serious flare-up with left knee Osteoarthritis which limited my mobility for several months. I started to get knee osteoarthritis 20 years ago (it was painful to genuflect in church) but I then discovered Glucosamine which put an end to it pronto and have taken it ever since. However after about a year or so switched from 2000mg daily to 1000mg but after the latest incident went back up to the 2000mg daily dose and started back riding the bicycle to strengthen the legs. My condition is considered as "mild" by the doctors and I am able to stand/walk all day long without the knee giving problems but I am conscious of the condition and take care not to put undue strain on that knee. Two Glucosamine tabs daily for life!

    Thomas

  9. #29

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    Re: Palermo, Venice, Paris in October

    Make that your last 22 sheets! I was rummaging in the film locker today and came across an unopened box of 2015 Acros 8 x 10. It's yours if you want it. Do you think we could meet somewhere near San Jose for the handoff? I'm not doing 8 x 10 since becoming bionic - in fact I've been restricting myself to MF about 90% of the time lately. Just not up to schlepping things around. It's hard enough schlepping myself around these days.

  10. #30

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    Re: Palermo, Venice, Paris in October (plus update on the Danube cycling route)

    Hi Jim!

    One month before departure! Thanks for the update!

    will go to Galicia instead

    Well as you guess, you can't appreciate all the beauties of Europe in a single trip, this opens a lot of opportinuties for a future travel focused on Prague and mittle-Europa!

    The North coast of Spain, as you probably know is very different from the other parts of Spain: no dry & hot areas, but instead a cool, wet & windy climate. Irish-style
    In Galicia, you'll have too many opportunities of nice photographic spots for architecture, landscape and street photography...

    And be prepared to drink cider ...
    [actually, Asturias close to Galicia is the most famous place for Spanish cider, but Galicia does produce cider as well, and excellent wine extra, something we do not have in France: Brittany and Normandy are famous for their cider, but there exist no such thing as Brittany- or Normandy-wine ]
    ... and hear people playing the bagpipe

    -------------

    And for T.G. Taylor, an update regarding ...

    ... a 600 mile bicycle trail along the Danube...

    I have a first-hand piece of information that I'm glad to share!

    One of my colleague is back home (he came back at the end of August, this year 2018) from the Black Sea in Bulgaria, after cycling from Besançon to Budapest this summer, following the EV6 long-distance cycling route, then continuing along the Danube river on a combination of cycling routes and regular roads, to the Black Sea.
    He joined a party of 3 cyclists using recumbent cycles ("bent"), my colleague considers that the "bent" is much more comfortable for such a long-distance cycling trip (my colleague is 65 years old).
    Regarding crossing big cities in Germany and Austria, there is no problem since cycling routes inside cities are very well organized in those two countries, so you can cycle downtown very safely there.
    Regarding the EV6 route, it is paved most of the way to Budapest, but not everywhere, sometimes is is a gravel road but very well maintained (''German Quality Gravel Road" )
    Beyond Budapest along the Danube, the cycling route is maintained ... but sometimes it is a simple grass track.
    My colleague was enthusiastic of his visit to Budapest, so I pass the info to the group!

    By the mere principle of closely following the river, uphill and downhill sections never exceed about 100 m of elevation along the Danube.
    To the best of my knowledge, they did not book anything in advance, except may be their return arrangements.
    They went camping almost all the way. Well, campgrounds beyond Budapest were not always five-star, but no problem actually, they also found B&B accommodation easily.
    My colleague broke his derailleur (I discover that this term is used in English) somewhere in Romania or Bulgaria, but he could easily find a spare part.

    To come back home in France, they found a company to carry the 3 "bent" equipment back home, and with a limited equipment they came back by bus.
    Long-distance buses are very affordable in Europe, but they could not carry their very special cycles on such buses.

    ------------------------

    All the best!

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