Sorry, Wrong Number
Last month's item in this space about Eventnet, the U. S. company through which reservations can be made for opera performances in Europe, contained an incorrect telephone number. The correct number for Eventnet is 800-729-8499. Eventnet's ability to book tickets, incidentally, extends well beyond opera performances. They have access to London theater tickets and tickets to most of Europe's major concert venues and music festivals. Their surcharge ranges from about 8% to 22%.
Pass Needed for Swiss Autobahn
To drive the Autobahn in Switzerland, your automobile must display a pass called a "Vignette" on the windshield. The stickers, good for one calendar year, cost 30 Sfr. ($20) and can be obtained at border crossings and Swiss post offices. Cars rented in Switzerland carry the pass, those rented in other countries only carry them if a previous renter has purchased one.
Bike Trips
The free brochure Cycling Itineraries in Southern Switzerland describes 17 bicycle trips of varying difficulty. Safety was a major concern in choosing the routes which are over minor roads and muletracks well away from main highways. Contact Swiss National Tourist Office, 260 Stockton Street, San Francisco CA 94108, phone 415-362-2260, fax 415-391-1508.
Olympic Museum
A new Olympic Museum opened June 23 in Lausanne, home city for the International Olympic Committee since 1915. The museum is open every day except Monday from 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. and until 8 p.m. on Thursdays.
Lufthansa Adds Train Connections
Lufthansa, which says it is the first airline to replace domestic short-haul flights with its own train service, is expanding that service. It now offers 16 daily high-speed rail connections from its Frankfurt Airport hub north to Bonn, Cologne and Düsseldorf and four connections south to Stuttgart. Passengers travel in specially reserved, first-class compartments aboard regularly scheduled InterCity express trains. Lufthansa maintains check-in counters at the train stations where passengers obtain boarding passes both for the train and the connecting flight. Luggage is checked through to the final destination.
The connecting train tickets are free for transatlantic passengers. In addition, members of the airline's frequent flyer program, Miles & More, are credited with bonus mileage. The airline also offers special bus service between the Frankfurt Airport and Mannheim and Heidelberg.
Lech Package Deal
Lech in Austria's Arlberg has a seven-day package during July and August called "The Dream Holiday." It includes rides on cable cars and chairlifts, entrance to the city's beautiful swimming facilities, a hiking excursion to area lakes, a daily selection of guided hikes and optional mountain climbing trips, free use of a bicycle for a day, free entrance to the cinema and lodging. Bed and breakfast prices for the week start at 2,370 AS ($199) per person. Half-board at a three-star hotel is 4, 410 AS ($370) per person. Kids from seven to 12 years-old pay 50% and those under six are free. Contact Lech Travel Bureau, A-6764 Lech, phone 05583/2161-15, fax 05583/3155.
Free Bikes in Zürich
Bicycles are available free between 8:30 a.m. and 9:30 p.m. each day through October 31 in central Zürich. An identity card must be left as a deposit. The bikes can be checked-out from depots at Paradeplatz and Bellevue in the city center.
Austrian Operetta Festivals
Operetta, a musical form that requires only the merest shred of romance to appreciate, flourishes in Austria. There are several summer festivals: the June 26-September 12 Summer Arena of Baden, just outside Vienna, includes Leo Fall's Die Rose von Stambul and Lehär's Paganini; the program at the July 11-September 4 Operetta Festival Bad Ischl (Franz Lehär's hometown) includes Lehär's Das Land des Lächelns (The Land of Smiles) and Johann Strauss's Der Zigeunerbaron (The Gypsy Baron) and the July 16-August 29 Lake Festival of Mörbisch offers Lehär's Die Lustige Witwe (The Merry Widow). For more information contact Austrian National Tourist Office, 11601 Wilshire Blvd., #2480, Los Angeles CA 90025, phone 310-477-3332, fax 310-477-5141.
Bregenz Festival
For followers of more serious music, the July 20-August 22 Bregenz Festival offers some of the world's best musicians and ensembles including the Vienna Symphony and Moscow Radio Symphony. In addition, Verdi's opera Nabucco will be performed on the open-air "floating" stage at the shore of Lake Constance and Giordano's Fedora is in the Festival Hall. Contact Austrian National Tourist Office, 11601 Wilshire Blvd., #2480, Los Angeles CA 90025, phone 310-477-3332, fax 310-477-5141.
Austria Ski Expands
Travel agents and group travel planners should note that Austria Ski has introduced a new product line featuring destinations in Switzerland and France. Contact Richard Davidson, Austria Ski, 1535 West Loop South, #319, Houston TX 77027-9509, phone 800-333-5533, fax 713-960-8966.
(U.S. Dollar prices quoted in this issue of Gemütlichkeit may be inaccurate for these reasons:
* Prices in local currency have not been updated since the date of publication of this newsletter, and...
* The dollar prices shown were obtained by using exchange rates in effect at the time of publication.)
June 1993
