INTRODUCTION - Europe by Eurail 2015: Touring Europe by Train - page 35

• Tip the attendant on a sleeper for his or her services; the appropriate time to do
so is when breakfast is served.
Not by Bread Alone
Oddly enough, the reader who exists on hamburgers and milk shakes back home
will find such a diet expensive to maintain in Europe. Europe abounds in good,
wholesome food. Practically every major railway station has a cafeteria where the
food is displayed along with the prices. “Order the spaghetti Bolognese,” was the
advice of one tourist official in Switzerland. “You can't go wrong,” he declared, and
he was right.
Many of the railway stations have cafes and dining-room facilities, and some
even have gourmet restaurants. Most European restaurants offer a tourist menu at
a fixed cost. Look for the menu sign, posted outside, showing the prices and food
selections.
If you are puzzled by foreign menus, take heart. Many European restaurants
have menus that have been translated into your language. Although the translated
versions may take some of the “adventure” out of eating in a foreign country, they
may save an embarrassing moment—such as ordering the poulet and ending up
with a whole roasted chicken!
To help hold the food price line, determine whether your hotel includes breakfast
with the accommodations and, if so, what kind of breakfast and how much the
room is without it.
On day excursions, pack a picnic-style lunch. Bread, cheese, pastry, cold cuts,
fruits, soft drinks, and beer or wine—all are available from local shops. If you give
advance notice, perhaps the hotel will prepare a basket lunch for you.
For the most part, meals served aboard the trains are, naturally, on the expens-
ive side. In many cases, though, the food is excellent and well worth the premium
you pay for enjoying it as you speed along through the scenic countryside. Many
trains provide buffet and cafeteria services, and you can usually count on a food
trolley being aboard for drinks and sandwiches. On some premium trains, such as
the TGV, gourmet meals are served at your seat—airline style. One fact remains:
The least expensive food aboard a train is that which you brought. Again, plan
ahead and save.
Dos & Don'ts Safety Tips
• Picking pockets is an art that is seemingly practiced throughout the world and
most commonly occurs in crowded public places. Be leery of being bumped or