World Adventure

Hi All,

We caught the train after our walk around the old town of Wursburg heading to Heidelberg. It takes a long time with the slower trains and we arrived to an average looking town. We had a few dramas with the storage lockers as they would not display english and while I was around the other side Vanessa had decided to try it anyway. A few random button presses and we had our money refunded and packs released. The lockers on the other side worked fine so we were soon on our way. The old town main street was packed with people who mostly wore black and although it was pleasant it just wasn't enough to hold us. We walked for a view of the castle which was in ruins then caught the local train back to the main station. A bit of a disappointment but with a train pass we had options and chose to head to Triberg in the Black Forest and stay the night at a hostel with spectacular views. 3hrs later and about 9pm we arrived in the dark at a tiny little station which luckily had a couple of storage lockers. We didn't have any coins but there was a shop still open and the nice old man changed 5 Euro. We stacked our packs into the lockers and then a coin got stuck as we were paying. So it was time to belt the crap out of the locker in the hope of getting back our money as we needed it and the old man had shut up shop and left a few minutes earlier. Instead of our 2Euro being returned a 1Euro popped out and despite my best bashing effort no more was returned. We moved our packs to another locker which worked properly, took a picture of the local map and headed towards town in the light rain. Town seemed to be very quiet. No. Make it VERY quiet. We walked past the worlds largest  cuckoo clock on the way and then started to head up and up and up for the next 1.2km only to find a dark hostel. I had a few words to say about that but best not to write them down. There were some lights on in the building so there was some hope but alas no one answered so we decided to head down to the cheap hotel which was along the way and next to the waterfall. We could have hand to feed and formed a human wheel and rolled down the hill If Vanessa didn't have a sore back so we walked. We got to there and there was a note saying they were on holidays for a week and the waterfall was just a cascade in a small creek. We had seen a 4 star hotel in the main street so gave it a try. Ouch.129 Euro. Ouch. No way. Well we did consider it. I said that it was 3 nights in a hostel and that snapped us back to reality. They said there was cheaper accommodation at the best western on the hill. Along the way we found another cheap hotel which was also on holidays. What? A town that goes on holidays. I want to work there. So another epic climb past the local lads in the shadows sitting on their cars and the 3 star best western had a bargain room for 119 Euro Ouch Ouch Ouch. The pleasant, traditionally dressed, bar wench in her 60s, helped us. Tip. Platform bras don't work with pancakes Granny (good image right?). She had a train time table and there was a train leaving at about 1130pm so we just had enough time to briskly walk past the waterfall, along the creek, past the 4 start hotel and briefly reconsider before continuing into the dark then realising we didn't really know our way to the train station but picked up a sign with directions and were saved. So onto the last night train and heading towards Heidelberg again as there was a 24 hr hostel 'just over the river' from the train station according to lonely planet. We had been up for about 19 hrs at that stage and were both worn out. We changed trains onto a train full of beer bottles and vomit and a bunch of drunken uni students also staggered onto the train and one was so badly drunk that he dropped on top of me as I was on the first seat from the doorway. I pushed him off and he flopped onto my pack and that is where he stayed until his friends played mind games  with him at each station stop pushing him out onto the platform then waiting for the automatic doors to close leaving him lost and bewildered staring at the door before rescuing him at the last second before the train left. The last station they left him on the train and got off before coming back to get him. Got to love those up and coming yuppy uni friends in their designer clothes!   

We arrived back at Heidelberg, saw an ibis hotel and decided we just needed to get to bed. My calculation was that the hostel just over the river was about 2km away. So we just took a room at the hotel. It cost us 89Euro and it was the best bed in the world at that point in time.Even better as it was 5 minutes from the train station. We were tired but not too tired to wash our socks and hang them on the heater to dry Cleanliness is next to Godliness!


Bye,
David and Vanessa