Thursday 28 May. Frankfurt

A very leisurely start to the day today, before heading off to find the Gateway Gardens station and catching the S Bahn into the city centre. Then it was only a short distance to the HOHO bus stop. There was a bit of a wait so I bought a cheesy pretzel and a cool drink to keep me going. The second half of the pretzel became my afternoon tea along with a container of cherries and strawberries I found at the station.

It was a reasonably interesting city tour but quite different from the other tours I’ve done on this trip. This time it was a big city and a large part of the audio was pointing out various skyscrapers. Apart from a few churches and so on it seems to be a very modern city.

After the tour I had a bit of a wander but didn’t come across an Eiscafe although I’m sure there must have been one somewhere in the vicinity. So I mooched on back to the station where I got chatting to a woman about my age who had commented on the heat. I told her about my one hot weather top and she suggested I go to what sounded like Woolworths. The only people who start a conversation seem to be the older generation. I guess that’s pretty much the same at home.

When I got back to the hotel I caught up on a bit of U3A stuff, not much, but sometimes the internet doesn’t seem to like my U3A email so it was good to catch up. I also checked in for tomorrow’s flight and thought about clothes for tomorrow including my special squeezy socks. 

Then out for dinner as the hotel has a special event in the restaurant tonight, probably the Condor people. I went to the Italian restaurant down the street and was not impressed. My chicken and mushroom risotto was more like chicken, mushroom and boiled rice.  I did, however, like the limoncello and tonic which I indulged in for my last night in Germany. Would have had a German meal if I could find one.

And tonight I’m packing away my one hot weather top, which I am heartily sick of and which is not getting a wash till I get home!

Wednesday 27 May. Frankfurt

Lotte had to drive to Stuttgart for work today so it was a big hug goodbye at 7.00.

Alex and I spent the morning playing with Arthur and taking him back to the playground for some more time on the swing. Arthur agreed with Alex that the slide was much too hot to sit on. Fortunately the weather has been a couple of degrees cooler today so slightly less oppressive.

We three had a wrap for lunch and Arthur was supposed to be tired and ready for a sleep but he decided against that. Christina was going to keep an eye on him while Alex drove me to the station but Arthur came too and stayed awake all the way, which meant that I got a kiss goodbye and a wave. Hope he finally nodded off. It’s been a really lovely few days with my German family/friends and I am so grateful for their welcome and hospitality.

The train  from Kirchheim to Stuttgart was going very well until we reached Bad Cannstatt, where it stopped and stayed put long enough for me to miss my connection. I think there was a broken down train somewhere in the underground. The Deutsche Bahn App offered me some alternatives, so I switched platforms and hopped on a regional train for the last 5 minutes to Stuttgart. About half an hour later I was able to take another ICE train to Frankfurt Airport and the best thing was that coming in on the regional train meant I didn’t have to find my way from the S Bahn station all the way to the main station. That’s no fun, especially if you haven’t got long between trains.

I’m now tucked up in the Holiday Inn along with a lot of people who are here for the Condor Global Ground Operations Conference. The card on the desk in my room tells me that their new HQ is right here. I’ll have to look out for it in the morning. 

Tuesday 27 May. Neidlingen

Lotte had to work this morning so Alex and I looked after Arthur. After some talking and drawing and singing we popped him onto his little tricycle and set out for the park, where Alex and I got sick of the swing long before Arthur. 

 

Eventually we were able to continue on to the supermarket to buy hamburger ingredients for tonight’s dinner with Sabine, Jack, Stini, Tino, Luby and Milo. Arthur has charmed the lady in the supermarket and she always gives him a slice of sausage. It was a hot walk back up the hill to the house.

Alex did a great job making the hamburgers and I spent time with Arthur, who was a hungry boy and needed carrot and cucumber pieces to keep himself going. He went for a sleep soon after Lotte finished her morning’s work, so the three of us adults were able to have a relaxed lunch. This afternoon it was Alex’s turn to work. 

Lotte, Arthur and I were heading to a nearby town to buy some crocs or sandals for Arthur. We had to do a huge detour because of what appeared to be a big accident on the main road. The road was still closed when we returned. We were very late getting back and the rest of the diners were all there before us.

Alex’s hamburgers were very tasty and so was the cheesecake Lotte had made. It was nice to catch up with the other family members and to see Sabine and Jack again. They have all been so welcoming and of course, Lotte and Alex in particular. It will be sad to say goodbye tomorrow. Arthur and I have got on so well too. He’s a dear little boy.

Monday 25 May. Neidlingen

Today is a public holiday in Germany so lots of people have been enjoying the long weekend. We drove right over the mountain under which Neidlingen is nestled, through forest and green green farmland to Laichingen where there was a big market day. Lotte is an excellent parking spot finder so we were soon wandering through the market checking out all the stalls. Near where we sat to have our bratwurst lunch there was a giant pole with a fir tree on the top. It’s a May Pole and I saw them in a couple of other villages that we drove through.

As the day was still young we continued to Wiesensteig and a lovely picnic area with a cool stream at Filsursprung. Great for a paddle on a hot day and also for throwing stones in the creek.

Then this evening I was taken to a restaurant called Deutsches Haus in Gruibingen where Alex recommended the Wurst Salad. Very tasty. Arthur liked it too.

We were all pretty exhausted by the time we got home so an early night was in order. Lotte and Alex have given me such a lovely day.

Sunday 24 May. Neidlingen

It is so lovey to be here with Alex, Lotte and Arthur and I have a terrific room with en-suite and even tea-making facilities. Lotte even bought English breakfast teabags for me.

Of course my day started in Nuremberg and because I had a lot of time before my train, I found a cafe and had breakfast in the part of the old town nearest the station. Today’s train was an IC not an ICE, which meant it was a bit slower. The countryside was, as usual, beautiful and I was excited to see 2 stork nests with birds sitting in them. 

In Stuttgart I changed to the S Bahn which was more like travelling on the Belgrave Line.  Alex, Lotte and Arthur were waiting for me at Kirchheim Station. They took me for a lovely drive to an ice cream cafe where we sat under some shady trees and were entertained by a small boy who was determined to eat all of his ice cream. It’s lovely to see what a happy and confident boy he is and I was surprised at how quickly he accepted me.

Then it was dinner at Sabine and Jack’s place. Sabine had made delicious beef roulades ( might have to check that) and her famous spätzle. Yum! Afterwards a delicious plum liqueur and a very small schnapps, the one that Jack says is very mild. And it did have a much lower percentage of alcohol compared to the other firewater he has.

Back to the house for a cuppa and a piece of cheesecake and I’m ready to sleep.

Saturday 23 May. Nuremberg

My quest for this morning was to find the post office marked on my map. My first mistake was to look for an actual post office shopfront. According to both the tourist map and Google Maps I was in the right spot but there was no sign of a post office until I found a tiny sign on a window telling me to go to the fourth floor of this department store. Eventually I found it tucked away in the evening dresses department. No wonder Google had a note that it was hard to find.

Having bought my stamps I followed the tour route from the map, finding more churches, the White Tower, which isn’t white anymore and crossing the wooden Hangman’s Bridge. There was a nice little cafe on the other side so I sat under an umbrella, had an iced coffee and did the nine letter word and sudoku from the Age (an old one, obviously).

Continuing on I came to the main market in front of the Frauenkirche. The tall golden tower is the Schöner Brunnen or Beautiful Fountain but it’s being repaired and there was no water. Once again the veggie stands were featuring asparagus. There was a really lovely flower stand with a huge assortment including banksia flowers. This was my chance to have the local bratwurst so I bought one and ate it sitting on a shady chair. All day I have been trying to walk on the shady side of the road as it is really hot.

I did a bit of walking in circles looking for a shop that wasn’t there and when the sweat started dripping into my eyes it was time for an ice cream and heading back to my little apartment. Did a mini wash as there are free washing machines and dryers in the basement and as I only have one hot weather top I need to keep it nice.

Tomorrow I am so looking forward to seeing Alex, Lotte, Arthur and the rest of the family.

Friday 22 May. Nuremberg

I left off one layer of clothes this morning but ended up coming back for my one hot weather top. It felt much warmer than 25, especially walking in the sun. Today was HOHO bus day and I sat up top just under the shaded part where I could catch any breeze. The tour was very interesting and covered all the major parts of the city but I wasn’t tempted to hop on and off as it’s  a very long time between buses. Any photos I took tended to have window reflections so sorry about that.

The old town covers a very large area. I entered by the round tower opposite the station. Had a wander through the Craftsmen’s Courtyard and was able to get a map in the information centre. It has a suggested route through the town so I decided to do part today and more tomorrow. But first I felt the need for a late lunch/early dinner under a shady umbrella and the place I chose had that delicious asparagus on the menu so I opted for it again. Back on König Strasse to the Lorenz Kirche (church) and then across the Museum Bridge, along to the Fleisch Bridge and back through some minor streets to “The Way of Human Rights”. This is a sculpture with a gate and a row of white concrete pillars, each of which has an article from the Universal Declaration of Human Rights. Nuremberg wants to shake off its Nazi era reputation for party rallies and become known as a city of peace and human rights.

This brought me out at a gate in the wall just near the opera house and my building. I had seen an Aldi not far from there so I popped in for a couple of provisions before returning to my room to recover from the heat. Am now cool as a cucumber.