Train was cancelled to Karlsruhe from Baden Baden so waited another hour with die welt und seine Frau…had to stand all the way but it was only an hour so no problem.At Karlsruhe a train came but the one I had selected for my Interrail ticket was five minutes later( even though the Interrail phone app is very flexible you still need to punch up the correct train time) anyway I was being a smart arse letting everyone squeeze on to this train and I’d have a train to myself.No I wouldn’t.The train wasn’t five minutes later,it was an hour and five minutes later.They’d put the wrong time up on the board.A bad day for Deutsche Bahn…believe it or not I was quite chilled about the whole thing.I wasn’t in a rush and I knew I’d get to Stuttgart at some point as it isn’t really that far from where I started from…
Imagine having the sweetest chocolate cake topped off with beautiful cream.That was Freiburg,all relaxed,smooth with a satisfying “ahhh” ease about it all…then imagine following that with anchovies dipped in marmite.That was Stuttgart.A total shock to the system.Mad dashing about,people bumping into each other etc…a totally different vibe,not better or worse just different…the walk alone from the station platform to the main U-Bahn station must have been half a mile.I don’t think it is normally but there’s such a massive building operation going on around the station that that’s the detour.
Pretty chuffed with myself for working out the ticket machine,payment,train & finding the platform all in about three minutes.Job done.Sat down in a single seat but hadn’t noticed the pram sign saying it’s for women( or men) with prams but got told off when a woman with a pram got on.Kein problem,I was in the wrong.Then halfway through the journey remembered to validate my ticket.It can be a hefty fine if you don’t.So that bought a few raised eyebrows…
I’m a bit out of town in a part of Stuttgart called Mineralbäde so obviously some kind of local spa.Infact my hotel is the other side of a park from the U-Bahn stop where there’s a few indoor & outdoor swimming pools but no eggy natural spa smell so maybe they’re all dried up and only the name survives…
Found the hotel no problem.All closed up with another guy waiting outside.The booking had said check in was after 3pm and it was about twenty past so no worries.Had a smoke and tried to chat with the fella.Italian with no English and crucially no German either cos on the door was a phone number to call to get the code to get the key in only those two languages.Did that and explained the situation with the other chap and got his keys too.Poor bloke would still be there otherwise…noticed a bar restaurant next door but not open monday but there’s also an Indian restaurant just up the hill,closed for refurbishment.Damm,but a promising start…nope,that’s it,oh there is a Pilates place two doors away but unless they do curry wurst & Weißbier it’s not for me…it’s a lovely area but not much around.
Never mind I could probably do with a day off the booze and as the local transport app accepted I can afford a ticket I’ll get a three day pass tomorrow and explore Stuttgart.
Did I mention I’m on the top floor with no lift? German‘s and stairs? It’s a definite thing…
Goodnight all…
No comments:
Post a Comment