14: Amsterdam and Environs in VS .NET

Paint ECC200 in VS .NET 14: Amsterdam and Environs

newsstands, post offices, tobacconists, and train stations confusingly, different types of cards are required for the orange-andgray phones in train stations than for the green phones everywhere else While talking, watch the digital reading: It tracks your decreasing deposit, so you know when your card is out For directory assistance, call % 0900-8008 To charge a call to your calling card, dial AT&T (% 0800-022-9111), MCI (% 0800023-5103), or Sprint (% 0800-022-9119) To

call the United States from the Netherlands direct, dial 00-1 followed by the area code and number Transit Info Amsterdam s public transportation system is operated by GVB Amsterdam (% 09009292; wwwgvbnl) You can visit the GVB Tickets & Info office on Stationsplein, in front of Centraal Station

15

Getting to Munich Checking out Munich s neighborhoods Discovering the best places to sleep and eat Exploring the city s highlights Heading into Bavaria with stops at Neuschwanstein and Dachau

unich (M nchen, pronounced Mewn-shin, in German), the capital of Bavaria, is a town that likes to celebrate Oktoberfest, which yearly draws some seven million revelers, starts in September and lasts for 16 days From January through February, the city goes into party mode again and celebrates Fasching (Carnival), a whirl of colorful parades, masked balls, and revelry Throughout the year, people gather in the giant beer halls and beer gardens to quaff liters of beer, listen to the oompah bands, and have a good time Oom-pah-pah aside, Munich is also a rich, elegant, sophisticated city, with an unparalleled array of artistic and cultural treasures World-class museums, palaces, concert halls, and theaters are part and parcel of life in the Bavarian capital If you believe the polls, Munich is the Germans first choice as a desirable place to live Many Germans especially the 15 million people who live in Munich think of the city as Germany s secret capital Munich offers so much to visitors that we recommend you give yourself at least three days here

With one of the most modern airports in the world and one of the largest train stations in Europe, Munich s status as a major travel hub means that you ll have no trouble finding your way there

The ultramodern Flughafen M nchen (Munich Airport; % 089-97-500; wwwmunich-airportcom) is 29km (18 miles) northeast of Munich At the information desks on levels 3 and 4 of the main concourse, you can make hotel reservations for Munich and the surrounding area The desks

Lake M rit (M ritz)

Brandenburg Aller BERLIN Frankfurt Hannover Havel Potsdam an der Oder Braunschweig Hildesheim Oder Magdeburg Hameln Goslar Wittenburg L bbenau Bad Pyrmont H A R Z Dessau G ttingen

ER Bad Nauheim Hof WA LD Koblenz Bad Homburg Coburg Wiesbaden Bad Frankfurt BernkastelKissingen am Main Kues Mainz Bayreuth Aschaffenburg Main LUXEMBamberg Darmstadt BOURG Trier Taub W rzburg Worms er

B (SC LAC Rhi ne HW K F AR ORE ZW ST AL D)

are open daily from 6 am to 11 pm A 24-hour Internet point is in the airport s center area, and ATMs are located throughout the airport Near Terminal 1 or Terminal 2 you can catch the S8 S-Bahn (light-rail train), which leaves the Flughafen (airport) stop every ten minutes for the 45-minute trip to Munich (880 /$14) The Lufthansa Airport Bus (% 089-323-040) runs between the airport (the stop is in front of the Central Area) and Munich s main train station; the trip takes about 40 minutes and costs 10 ($16)

Trains to Munich arrive at the Hauptbahnhof, on Bahnhofplatz near the city center It s one of Europe s largest train stations, with a hotel, restaurants, shopping, and banking facilities A train information office, on the mezzanine level, is open daily from 7 am to 8 pm Connected to the rail station are the city s extensive S-Bahn light-rail system and the U-Bahn subway system For help or tickets, skip the lines and head to the private EurAide agency (wwweuraidede), a travel agency staffed by English-speakers and geared toward helping rail-pass holders by selling tickets and supplements and helping you plan rail journeys from Munich (Room 3 next to Track 11) The office is open June through October 3 daily from 7:45 am to noon and 1 to 6 pm; in winter, hours vary