We did not have reserved seats for this leg of the trip and when I saw the very large number of people waiting on the platform I was nervous. The train pulled up and we bolted on, only to find pretty much every seat on that section reserved. There was much speedy jumping on and off the train before we found an empty compartment. It was my first time in a proper train compartment (i.e just 6 seats separated from the corridor with a door) and for much of the trip there were only 4 of us in there so I was very charmed.
It is an extremely scenic trip. We spent a lot of time travelling through river valleys. There were gorgeous little houses and villages and at least two castles on hill top. The time really actually flew by and before we knew it we were in Berlin. The Berlin public transport is well organised and easy to understand so it was easy to find our apartment which seems great (although is on the 4th floor with no lift).
Our timing was perfect, not 10 minutes after we got in a storm broke, but it was short lived and left a lovely cool evening.
Being Sunday there are no supermarkets open so we had to eat out. The neighbourhood we are in is lovely, lots of bars, bakeries and cafes line the leafy streets. We picked a popular looking place and I did my best to translate the menu. S had a nice meal of sausages with cabbage and potato, but my meal of veal with gorgonzola sauce and roast potato was spectacular. S ended up adding all his potato to my place to soak up the sauce.
I also had a very large glass of wine and am now feeling the effects of it and the long day. It may not have been the most action packed day but it has been lovely.
I'm glad you found a seat - and a compartment that was under-peopled. It sounds like a beautiful journey and that Berlin greated you well!
ReplyDeleteI can't quite describe the relief when we sat down - felt so good!
DeleteOh yes, the no-supermarkets-in-Sundays thing throughout Europe threw many spanners in my works! Particularly in Bruges, where the pub connected to my hostel allowed smoking inside, and I felt unwell so didn't want to go out to eat on my own... I found a small store and insanely salty ham and canned beans. It was kind of awful... but memorable. I want your potatoes back then! :P
ReplyDeleteWe at least found an open petrol station so we could get overpriced milk. But we travel with enough tea and cereal for the next day so we would have been ok even if we hadn't found the fab restaurant.
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