There’s a French festival going on down by the river at the moment because they probably haven’t had a festival for a few weeks and were getting a bit angsty about it,now of course it’s an idealistic rural version of France,much like a German themed one would be Lederhosen,Umpah music and busty fraus in Drindls and a Uk one church bells,poundshops and farmboys getting pissed on sheepdip cider but man alive when you see the cheese and wine with Edith Piaf yammering away in the background it makes you wanna go all middle class and recreate “A Year in Provence“
Had a bit of a heart stopping moment earlier.As is my way as soon as I get somewhere I check up on my leaving arrangements.Don’t know why but it’s got me out of a few tricky situations by dealing with them early…as I’m leaving for London on Wednesday I checked my paper reservation tickets( essentially my boarding passes to both Cologne- Brussels and Brussels-London) couldn’t find them.I had paperwork but not the correct paperwork,Off to the HBF to see if they could help.The fella there was incredulous,it’s probably the most un-German thing he’s ever heard! No they could’nt help and he wished me well much like a parent does when their five year old decides to run away from home…
Let me explain.When I first printed this stuff off months ago there were reams of it,all in very very small print.The kind of small print that even terms of agreement fine print would say “Jeez give the bloke a chance” so i kept it all then Eurostar changed the Cologne-Brussels times which resulted in yet more…still here? Good.So time for a coffee and a smoke and a good think about what to do…went through the complete works of War and Peace again to see if I had missed anything and found the updated Cologne- Brussels ticket complete with the crucial QR code.One bit sorted…never found the Brussels-London stuff so decided to really give my Interrail app a good long look,found the automated help line and they talked me through it and the upshot is I now have an email of my ticket( sent to my junk mail naturally) now all I need is to get it printed off.I may ask the hotel,find a shop on monday or wait until I get to Brussels.They have the facilities at St Pancras so maybe they have it too.Mad that you still need a paper ticket…one way or another I’ll work it out…oh and I might be a day over my Interrail limit too on Wednesday! Hahaha Will sort that out if or when the need arises…
On the subject of stupidity.Never order a local transport ticket on your phone when not completely sober.Did one last night,only going one stop and ended up buying god knows what…let’s say I spent more on the ticket than six Alt Biers!
We all like to think we’re a good judge of people on first impressions and my first impression of the hotel manageress was that she was a bit of a harridan.Just got back from an all day session and was having a smoke outside.She came out and I thought “here we go” she said i could smoke on the balcony outside my room( i am on the top floor) that even though i have’nt booked in for breakfast i can have free coffee when i want and she also gave me a free bottle of Alt Bier as a night cap.I could’nt be more wrong about her…
In a while crocodile…
Ps I also managed to buy the correct U-Bahn ticket even though I have had considerabley more than six Alt Biers…
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