Part 1 - LP native takes us on European trip

Editor’s note: East Carroll Banner is starting a new feature in this issue – a travelogue, written by Trey Phillips, who grew up in Lake Providence and has worked as a lawyer for 33 years in solo private practice and in public service roles.

His public service includes a stint as Assistant District Attorney, Sixth Judicial District (East Carroll, Madison and Tensas Parishes), from 1993 through 2001. Additionally, Phillips served as First Assistant Attorney General, State of Louisiana, from 2009 through 2016.

This travelogue will probably not be a typical accounting of taking a cruise or joining a guided travel tour, although there’s nothing wrong with that kind of travel. Phillips likes to be a bit unconventional.

He says he probably caught the travel bug while frequently setting out on adventures in the family Jeep and pickup trucks crossing Thrill Hill into Bunch’s Bend, and the surrounding countryside, beginning at age 13. He also recalls a celebratory excursion up to Greenville, Mississippi, on the day he received his driver’s license, from Mr. Bagbey, at age 15. Other than one embarrassing wrong-way turn into a one-way lane, near the Greenville Mall, all went well that day.

A few months after the Greenville trip, Phillips ventured out West to visit family in Dallas, Texas, after first tackling the “insane” freeway system on the East side of Dallas.

Now he’s an older traveler, but it hasn’t necessarily slowed him down. We hope these stories will be filled with observations, tips, history, and humor. East Carroll Banner will be sharing these stories online, too, along with more pictures. Got questions? Email us at news@eastcarrollbanner.com and we’ll pass them along for Phillips to answer.

After recently traveling to Europe with several North Louisiana friends, I found myself in Ulm, Germany (near Stuttgart), with free time and no travel plans. Our travel group had just completed a river cruise up the Rhine River from Amsterdam through Germany, touching France and ending in Basel, Switzerland. At the conclusion of the cruise, we had parted ways, each heading to different destinations.

I’ve always enjoyed unplanned, spur-of-the-moment travel, so I was in my element while in Ulm with no plans. That was in contrast with the well-planned passenger movements and tight scheduling we had experienced on the river cruise. Ask me sometime about my first trip to Rome years ago when I had no firm plans and no hotel reservations until after my flight had landed in Italy.

Considering my open schedule for the next couple of weeks in Europe and that I enjoyed traveling by train, I decided to purchase an Unlimited Eurail Pass. It allowed me to ride as many trains as I desired throughout the European Union, plus the United Kingdom, for 15 consecutive days.

I had heard of the Eurail Pass and had hoped to give it a try someday. Upon discovering that Eurail considers anyone over age 60 to eligible for their “senior discount,” I was all in. I proceeded to purchase the Eurail pass over the internet while sitting in the well-appointed cafe/coworking area of my hotel – the “Me and All Hotel.” Funny name for a hotel but it’s a seemingly new Hyatt property apparently designed with business travelers in mind. I was impressed with the coworking aspect of the cafe’s many dining and work surfaces with ample, well positioned electric receptacles available for charging smart phones and laptops and other devices. The café’s WIFI was also fast and reliable. Mainly due to the coworking space of the Me and All Hotel, it was one of my favorite hotels stays while in Europe.

Decisions, decisions

With my Eurail Pass now downloaded to my iPhone, I was anticipating an exciting journey and set off for the train station next door with my luggage in tow. However, I was still not certain of my destination.

While ambling along, I recalled a previous visit to Strasbourg, France, just a few days earlier. That prior visit to Strasbourg had been one of the planned stops of our river cruise (Viking Cruise Line) while traveling up the Rhine River.

I recalled Strasbourg being a beautiful old French city with buildings that appeared to have survived WWII with little serious damage unlike some German cities we had visited. Buildings in Germany looked “new” or at least seemed to have newer roofs and windows compared to the buildings in Strasbourg with their moss-covered, thick shingled roofs. During WWII, the allies reportedly relied on “indiscriminate bombing” (military and civilian targets) of cities in Germany in part to destroy German civilian and military morale. However, the Allies relied on precision bombing of Strasbourg, France, to destroy transportation centers and factories used by the Germans but not areas primarily civilian in nature.

Strasbourg Cathedral which opened in 1439 (53 years before Columbus sailed the ocean blue if I recall my grade school lessons correctly) was a beautiful, imposing structure standing 367 feet tall at the tip of the spire. Reportedly, it was the world’s tallest building for about 200 years until 1874 when a church in Hamburg, Germany, claimed that crown. Strasbourg Cathedral is still the tallest surviving building in the world that was built during the Middle Ages.

The cathedral’s enormous and magnificent stainedglass windows were dismantled on the orders of Adolf Hitler during WWII and stashed in salt mines, much like other priceless art looted by the Nazis. After the war, American soldiers discovered the hidden stainedglass windows and returned them to Strasbourg where they reinstalled in the Cathedral. I thoroughly enjoyed my visit to Strasbourg Cathedral and found its history fascinating.

Another plus for Strasbourg was the food. The best meal of my trip was served at a Strasbourg restaurant, the “Aux Armes De Strasbourg,” a casual brew pub-type restaurant that’s been operating since 1870. Located on Gutenberg Square (named for Strasbourg resident and printing press inventor, Johannes Gutenberg) which is a short walk from Strasbourg Cathedral, the Aux Armes had positive reviews on both the Google Maps and Yelp apps. A simple entre of meatballs in red wine sauce, roasted potatoes and green salad caught my eye. It was excellent, and the chocolate mousse dessert was even better. I also found the prices reasonable. Upon my arrival, the manager had offered to charge my iPhone for me in the kitchen when I wasn’t able to locate a table near a receptacle.

Setting off

So, I decided to return to Strasbourg. Relying on guidance from the Eurail app newly downloaded to my iPhone, I entered the train station and saw it filled with people rushing in every direction while dragging luggage to or from the trains. Except for the rushing part, I was one of those people. Since I wasn’t following an itinerary, the word amble is a better descriptor for my movements throughout Europe. My friends and family will likely confirm my tendency to amble instead of rush.

Although I had packed light for a month-long trip to Europe, I still struggled with my luggage at times due to left rotator cuff surgery back during the summer. Per doctor’s orders, I could only use my right arm to handle my rolling bag and messenger bag. My left arm and shoulder were still encumbered with significant weight and motion restrictions.

Relying solely on my right arm for luggage seemed doable until I was trying to pass through a ticket turnstile at the train station. I won’t even describe the awkward scene that ensued from my attempt to kick my rolling bag through the turnstile while I was passing through. My reluctance to lift things led me to believe that my rolling bag would need to roll through the turnstile. Getting tangled up in a ticket turnstile with my luggage happenedonmorethanone occasion during the trip. I finally picked up some handy turnstile tips while pausing to observe more seasoned train travelers pass through that gauntlet gracefully and unscathed.

Once safely onboard the train to Strasbourg, I found the seats very comfortable. And they had handy individual power outlets for charging devices. Also, the train was one of the high-speed models. Heading West from Ulm to Offenburg, Germany, the train was traveling 150 miles per hour or more at times. The distance from Ulm to Offenburg was approximately 140 miles and required about two hours to complete, counting several stops along the way. Once in Offenburg, I transferred to a regular (slow) train for the remaining half hour trip to Strasbourg.

My hotel for the evening was about 40 minutes away from Strasbourg’s center. Normally I wouldn’t stay at a hotel so far out from a city, but having few reasonably priced lodging choices is a hazard of last-minute, unplanned travel. Using both my iPad and iPhone during the train trip to Strasbourg, I found a hotel 40 minutes out from Strasbourg that was reasonably priced.

Strasbourg arrival

It was mid-evening when the train arrived at the Strasbourg train station. When previously in Strasbourg during the river cruise, I had noticed that the city’s light rail system had attractive, modern train cars outfitted with large windows. Luckily, one of these light rail trains was available for the trip out to my hotel.

It was a pleasant surprise that the light rail station is situated in the lower level of the Strasbourg train station. After hopping from the train from Ulm at ground level, I proceeded down the escalators to the light rail platform and joined about a dozen other folks who were waiting for the next arrival. The station’s ticket vending machines, route maps and light rail schedules were easy to decipher and translate. The Google Translate app did a fantastic job during the entire trip translating to English from both French and German.

After about 40 minutes on the light rail, and its many stops along the way, I arrived at the rail stop located a short walk from my hotel. It wasn’t the nicest hotel of my trip, but I was exhausted, and the price was right. Even though the hotel was a long ride out from the train station, I found that riding for 40 minutes through the city on the light rail was a good way to interact with locals and experience Strasbourg life outside of the usual tourist area.

Paris bound

The next morning, after plenty of coffee, I decided that my next destination would be Paris. The weather in Paris was forecast to be sunny for several days and that was good enough for me. Also, I had visited Paris briefly on two other occasions, so it felt somewhat familiar. I had also grown weary of the cloudy weather that had been the norm in Germany and Switzerland for the past several days.

However, a late afternoon or evening arrival in Paris wasn’t something I desired. Therefore, I looked for a town with decent hotels that was located west of Strasbourg and was also within an hour or so train ride to Paris. My plan was to arrive in Paris late morning or midday the following day. I took a quick look at Google Maps and noticed a town just west of Paris named Reims, France. I had never heard of Reims nor knew anything about it other than it seemed to have decent hotels that were reasonably priced. After a light rail trip back to Strasbourg station, I boarded another high-speed train west bound to Reims. I would stay overnight in Reims before proceeding to Paris the next day.

Next time, I’ll tell the story of what a consequential town Reims has been in the history of France and how fortunate it was that I randomly selected Reims as my next stop. Reims was spectacular, royal and mostly, it sparkled. That’s a hint – stay tuned.

See all the stories in the series Beyond Bunches Bend