Danube - Heading to Germany

 

Had a lovely visit with Sofia!  And did one last birthday celebration with Jess!

Up early (really early as neither of us slept well) w/ enough time for a coffee with Sofia, Jess and Jack before our taxi to St. Pancras arrived. Thought we’d have plenty of time to make our 10:24 departure with a 7:00 pick up, but prime London commuting time on the first day back after a half-term week made for a tense journey. We made it to the Eurostar terminal in time and just a tiny bit early.  When one of the guards saw our enormous tandem box, he waved us right up to a desk and we were able to skip a massive queue!  We also were early enough to get on the 9:30 rather than the 10:24 train, making the transit time from Gare du Nord to Gare de l’Est a bit more comfortable - a French coffee and baguette stop perhaps?!

The walk to Gare de l’Est was as promised, short and no steps!  Found a baguette and coffee place, didn’t find a bathroom or euros.😬 There is a new policy on Paris - if we’re going through it, we must stay overnight! 

Made the train on time, pushing the very big box!  Off to Germany for a change in Karlsruhe and on to Triberg.  Very short connection, hope we make it!

The trains in Europe are so fast, think this was the fastest one we’d ever been on!

 

We missed the connection!  Darn!  There was a passport check on the train from Paris to Karlsruhe and some people were ‘de-trained’. That made the arrival 15 minutes late and we only had 17 minutes to make the connection - even with being first off the train, no luck!  Oh well, sorted it out with the hotel and they seemed okay so we arrive in Triberg at 20:45.

Hotel Central Garni was amazing, sorting out restaurants and taxis (or trying to).  Finally the hotel owner himself came to the station, met us on the platform, helped carry the big box and stuffed our whole business in his tiny European car.  If he hadn’t come to get us, we would have had to walk a mile uphill pushing the big tandem box and, quite frankly, would have been a bit cranky at that point.  Writing the best review ever!

Dinner was at an Italian restaurant, La Cascata, which we never complain about.  And very happy to get back to our room after a very long day, and the comfy German beds, and the sound of the Wasserfall outside our window.  Ahhhh!

Comment from Steve:

Long day but we made it intact I think. This (Triberg) is a great place, it’s still out of season so it is quiet, just us chickens in the hotel I think. The sound of the waterfall, great start. Had the good fortune to meet some really helpful people today, we love Europe. Tomorrow is “build the tandem” day, well morning.

The day after is day 1 of the peddling. We are at 2000 ft (last few miles of the train ride were a climb out of the Rhine Valley), by mile 8 on day one we will be at 3600 ft then it’s basically downhill all the way way 😁😁😁. Well, not quite but I think Day 1 will be the hardest of the tour. Pleased to report German beer is still very good, maybe tomorrow we will find some traditional German food? Bring it on.