[YanTra Makto]

Originally Posted by MandarMax

Day 1 - the Netherlands - Amsterdam Schiphol Airport to Keukenhof



It was a Volvo S90.

WOW! That’s quite an upgrade! I said to myself. It was very exciting.

... I engaged cruise control and for a moment I had a weird feeling like the car was driving itself. Was the car controlling the steering? How could it be? I shook that thought and focused on the road ahead. We were on the highway for a very short time so I didn’t get much time to think about it anyway. After a few minutes, we soon turned right towards Lisse/Keukenhof.

I understood later that day, when I was on the Keukenhof - Rotterdam route, that the car was indeed trying to drive itself because the Volvo S90 comes with an autopilot feature, which is basically a semi-autonomous mode of driving.

Check out this video I found on Youtube:
....

Wow, wow and just wow....sir, you have been real lucky ....

[MandarMax]

Our today’s plan was to reach Koblenz, situated on the confluence of the Mosel and Rhine rivers, in the Rhine-Palatinate region of Germany. Our stay was going to be in Koblenz tonight.

The plan was to take a train to Cologne and rent a car from Cologne Airport and then drive to Koblenz. Normally I would have preferred picking up the car from near the Cologne train station, but because 1st May was a public holiday in Germany, pick up was only available from the airport.

We reached the Amsterdam RAI station and got aboard our train at 8:55 am sharp. Our route was following, with three changeovers.

Amsterdam RAI → Amsterdam Zuid → Arnhem Centraal → Duisburg Hbf → Cologne (Koln Messe/Deutz)

The first changeover was literally in two minutes. The next three were at an interval of about an hour/hour and a half. The ticket had all the details such as time, which platform etc. so it was a really straightforward process.

The trains in Europe are good. They are fast, efficient, very quiet and comfortable. The first one was a double-decker. We came across double-decker trains many times during this trip. Indian railways should really consider these trains given our population.




The last train on Duisburg Cologne route was this ICE train. It was much better and faster overall than the first two trains taken today.



Inside the ICE train. Not bad for second class:


We reached Cologne on time, at 1:30 pm. If you are traveling via Cologne by train, you can plan to get off and see the huge Cologne cathedral which is just outside of Cologne Hbf (short for Hauptbahnhof - means main train station). However, please note that there are two train stations in Cologne. Cologne Hbf is near the cathedral and other on the opposite side of the river is called Cologne Messe/Deutz station. Depending on which train you take, you might end up on either of the stations. In our case, the train was going via Cologne Messe which is on the opposite side of the Cologne Hbf.

We picked up our lunch from the station itself - basically burger and fries from Mcdonalds. We were pleasantly surprised to see the veggie burger on the menu. It would become our staple food during our days in Germany.

We purchased a group day ticket for Cologne U-Bahn Metro for about EUR 13. Even though we were in Cologne for a couple of hours, this was the cheapest and fastest option to get around.

The U Bahn station is a couple of floors above the Messe station and surprisingly there were no lifts or escalators, which mean heavy weightlifting. Our next stop was the Cologne Hbf, just across the Rhine river. We were planning a quick visit to the Cologne Cathedral before going to the Airport to pick up our car.

In Germany and also in some other places in Europe, public toilets aren’t always free. We had to use the bathrooms on the Cologne Hbf and it cost us 1 EUR per person (i.e. almost 80 Rupees to pee ). To avoid paying, we should have used the train’s bathroom before getting off, but it requires planning and when you are with kids you can’t always plan those bathroom breaks.

We decided to keep our bags in the locker so that we could explore the cathedral and surrounding area freely. At Cologne HBF they have an automated storage system which is pretty awesome.

Check this out:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Qrhv_S5qvGI

We entered a couple of coins and the door opened automatically. We put one bag in it just to check its capacity and when we found that it wasn’t much bigger, we decided it wasn’t worth it. I should have removed the bag immediately from the compartment, but I don’t know what I was thinking and I hit the cancel button and the door closed. Probably I expected to see a warning to remove the bag or a message like “Are you sure? do you really want to cancel?”, but nothing of that sort happened. I guess not every system is idiot proof! I put the coin again to retrieve the bag but the bag was gone. Apparently, the system had sent the bag to the storage area and there was a new empty box. We panicked! We weren’t expecting this snafu. It was a public holiday so I wasn’t expecting any staff to be present. I went to the nearby DB information counter. There was a short queue and only one lady working due to the public holiday. When my turn came up she told me - in broken, heavily accented English - that I had to find another person. She told me directions to find that other department but in my bewildered state, I couldn’t understand where she wanted me to go. She repeated again and then I realized she was telling me the name of a store from where I was supposed to turn left (I came to know that "links" means "left" in German). Gosh! After some frantic running around, I got hold of the right person, another lady this time, which was much fluent in English. She was very cooperative. She came with me immediately and entered her passcode in the system. She literally paraded the different bags one after the other in front of me. Is this yours? “No” and so on. It was much like the story of woodcutter and axe. I kept saying no until our bag came up. There were no other hassles, no paperwork, no identification required. It was all based on trust. It was such a relief. I thanked her from the bottom of my heart, and off we went to see the Kolner Dom, with all our luggage.

The cathedral is just outside of the station:





It’s a huge church. It’s the largest in Northern Europe and its spires are the second tallest.







It was nearly 3 pm as we had lost considerable time getting into Cologne and due to the baggage fiasco. It was time to go to the Cologne-Bonn airport to pick up our rental car.

We took another metro from Cologne Hbf and reached the airport after about 25 minutes. Reaching the station was fine, but there was confusion about where exactly the Enterprise car rentals office was. Google showed different places when searched by the address and by the name. We called up Enterprise car rentals but his directions didn’t make much sense. We walked for about 10 minutes and reached the spot showed by Google. There were plenty of cars parked in that area but there was no office. A German cabbie noticed the puzzled look on my face and he offered to help in broken English. I called up the Enterprise office again and the cabbie talked to the guy on the other end and finally, the directions were clear. We reached the office and were told that our car was no longer available. The guy said we didn’t inform that we were getting delayed. I said I talked with a lady earlier. “Wasn’t there a lady here earlier?”. Guy said, “Yes, but she didn’t tell me”. I said “Not my problem. I need my car”. So he searched on his computer and offered two options, both automatic - A diesel Ford Focus Estate and a BMW X1. The Focus would cost 600ish Euros and the X1 somewhere near 800. I thought he was asking too much.

"See it says EUR 344 for a VW Golf / BMW 1 series or similar. How can you charge so much?" He looked at my email and said you booked from the US website. They don’t add insurance, but it’s mandatory in Europe. He went on explain other charges - Insurance, 3 countries, 2 drivers and so on and so forth. I told him plainly that both options were out of my budget. He pretended to do something and said that he can offer me a good discount on the Ford. He said it would cost about 450 or thereabouts. I wasn’t keen to get a Diesel. Secondly, I was aware of Green Zones in German cities where you have to have a green sticker, otherwise, you cannot go.

https://www.german-way.com/travel-an...y-green-zones/



The green sticker (of our X1)


He tried to convince me that the sticker is really not a problem, how the diesel would be cheaper to run etc. The last bit about being cheaper was right, but I didn’t want my options to be limited because of a silly sticker. I figured it would be too much stress to worry whether you are in an allowed zone or not. Besides he wasn’t sure whether the Ford had a green sticker or not. I told him straight away what I was willing to pay for the BMW. If he can manage it in my budget then ok, otherwise I will go to some other rental company. Finally, he agreed to give the BMW for a little over 500 EUR including:

• Insurance - not zero excess. I already had additional insurance cover from Rental cover as stated on page 1
• Additional driver - which would be my wife, who’s a very good driver by the way
• Two additional countries - Austria and Switzerland

It was pricey but under the circumstances not a bad deal. I was getting a good German car, a Bimmer nonetheless!

The car. It was almost brand new BMW M Sport. It only had 3k Kms on the ODO if I recall correctly.





I completed the usual inspection process. It was a truly spotless car. Excited, I started the car and the first thing I noticed was the dashboard display, navigation, everything was in German. Tried in vain to change the language but no luck. There was no one to ask in the parking area, so we decided to rely on Google maps and entered the destination - Koblenz which was about 110 Kms away.

Autobahn, here I come!

My first autobahn experience

I was talking with a colleague in our London office before our trip. He knows I am a petrohead, so when I told him I was planning to rent a car in Germany, he said, “You will love it there, they don’t have speed limits on autobahns” (which is not entirely true). I joked - “We too have those in India!”. Seeing a big question mark on his face, I clarified that we do not have autobahns but there is nobody enforcing speed limits, so most people drive fast without worrying about the speed limits as if driving on autobahns. The Indian roads have become better and better over the years, so the experience isn’t too different when it comes to speed. Although, it’s a different thing that there is no discipline and some people don’t care about the consequences which makes the Indian roads extremely unsafe.

As good as the German roads are, they are also notorious for having too many road signs. People often call this overuse of signs as "sign forest" or Schilderwald in German. In some areas I noticed speed limits changing randomly in a matter of few meters e.g. 80 to 50 and back to 80 without any apparent reason. However, this is only a problem on some country roads. Every town or village has entrance and exit signs that mark the start or end of 50 Kmph zone, which is the default speed in towns unless there is a sign saying otherwise (e.g. 30 zones also exist)

If you are a first time driver in Germany or outside of India, I suggest you familiarise yourself very well with the road signs and the traffic rules. Some knowledge of German language also helps.

If you don’t see a sign indicating the speed then the suggested speed limit on autobahns is 130 Kmh. Contrary to popular belief, the autobahns do have speed limits. In fact we regularly encountered road repair work on the autobahns and the speed limits dropped to as low as 50 on some sections. Another important thing to keep in mind is that the left lane is meant for overtaking only. Unless you are going very fast, it’s advised to stick to the middle or the right lane

Coming back to the story - After exiting the airport parking we reached the A3 autobahn in a matter of few minutes. It was my first time on an autobahn. It was too exciting but I decided not to get too excited and focused on the road - ahem autobahn - ahead.

We soon encountered the following sign indicating “End of all speed limits” means you can go as fast as you want!



I decided to stick to the middle lane and 130 Kmh speed. I soon realised that many people were going too fast which made 130 feel slow. I had a choice to make, and as you must have guessed (how often do you drive on autobahns?) I made the right choice and turned to the left lane.







I kept accelerating and considering what the BMW X1 is capable of, I pushed it as long as it felt safe. My first time on an autobahn and a new personal best speed was set. I am sure most petrolheads here would do (or have done) the same thing. I do not want to mention the speed here for obvious reasons.

I also noticed that you think you are going fast, but there would soon be another car tailgating you - a Bimmer, Merc, Audi, Porsche or other supercars - flashing lights forcing you to get out of the way. The roads and the discipline is so good that the autobahns have a much better safety record as compared to other countries.

After about an hour and a half, we reached near Koblenz. The weather was beautiful. It was the best day of our trip so far, so when we were crossing the bridge on the Mosel river I was so mesmerized with the view of the river and the town that I missed the speed limit sign. I realized only when I noticed a flash of light. There was not a single car on the bridge at the time so I didn’t realize my speed. I also didn’t notice the speed cam. I was probably doing little over 50 in a 50-zone. I almost panicked but continued driving as calmly as possible, carefully watching every speed sign in the town of Koblenz. I didn't want another traffic violation.

We parked our car in the Hotel’s parking lot and completed the check-in formalities. It was nearly 6:30 pm and there was still 2.5 hours of daylight left to explore Koblenz. More on it in the next post.

[MandarMax]

Day 4 - Koblenz

So, why did we choose Koblenz? One of the reasons is that it’s conveniently located when going south from Amsterdam towards Bavaria. Secondly, it’s a major town on the confluence of the Rhine and the Mosel rivers, so a good base if you want to explore either of the river valleys and the surrounding wine region or the numerous castles. Another thing - it is not very touristy. In fact, there are many smaller places just a little further down south along the Rhine which are more popular than Koblenz. In our case, our destination was the state of Bavaria but we wanted to make the journey more interesting by driving through parts of the Rhine valley and we thought Koblenz would be an interesting place to stay for the night. And, Koblenz didn't disappoint!

One of the famous sights of Koblenz is the Deutsches Eck or the German Corner which is considered to be a symbol of German reunification (i.e. the unification of West and East Germany after the fall of the Berlin wall). Another famous attraction is the Ehrenbreitstein fortress which is just across the river from the Deutsches Eck, connected by a cable car and offers breathtaking views of the two rivers and the old town of Koblenz. Part of the Fortress has been converted into a Youth Hostel and our original plan was to stay there for the night. But after reading mixed reviews, we decided to play it safe and stayed nearer to the town at Hotel Mercure. Luckily, we got a corner room with great views of the town, the fortress, and the Rhine.

Weatherwise, it was the best day of the trip.

Some views from our room:

The Rhine:




Ehrenbreitstein fortress across the river:


Looking towards the old town:




It was nearly 7 and we were ready to head out. The Deutsches Eck was a little over a kilometer from the hotel, connected by a beautiful riverside walkway lined with many blossoming trees, most particularly the horse-chestnut trees.

The riverside walk - A panorama:


Another pretty looking part of the town on the other side:


One of the many blossoming Horse-chestnut trees:


An arch under the Rhine bridge:


An old looking grand building along the river:



Beautiful tree lined walk and boats:


Ehrenbreitstein:


We were planning to take the cable car to the Ehrenbreitstein fortress but it wasn’t operational due to the May-day holiday.


My younger one innocently asked - "Are we near the Deutsches Eck?" I joked "no, we are just near the Marathi Ek" (number one)




Deutsches Eck has a huge equestrian statue of William I, the first German Emperor. The original statue was erected in 1897, which was completely destroyed in 1945 towards the end of WW2. The current statue is a reinstalled version built in the 1990s as a symbol of German reunification.









After taking a few photographs we continued walking along the Mosel towards the Altstadt i.e. Old town.

It was indeed a beautiful evening. Here are some pictures as the sun was going down:




This cafe was literally bathing in the golden rays of the setting sun:



Basilica of St. Castor:




Some pictures of the old town:




As I mentioned before, this place isn’t very touristy, and as the evening was turning into night, it started becoming very quiet. There were very few people around. The streets, already quiet, became quieter.




We tried to search for a restaurant having decent “Vegetarische” options, but couldn’t easily find any. Normally you would hope to find Indian restaurants in a town of this size but there were none.



By this time darkness had fallen and there were hardly any people around. Germany is very safe, but it’s better to be careful in a new place and so instead of exploring more, we decided to head back to try our luck with the Hotel’s restaurant. Unfortunately, they didn’t have good options, so after having a very bland dinner of pasta and vanilla ice cream, we went back to our room for a good night's sleep.

[MandarMax]

Day 5 - Koblenz

Next morning we woke up to find a cloudy sky and the Sun just about peeking through the dense cover. It wasn’t too bad, but yesterday was so much better. We hurried to the restaurant for breakfast. It was decent, but by now, we were already getting bored with the sameness of the typical breakfast spread found in these hotels. Fortunately, this was the last of our hotel stays for some time to come. From now on until we get to Paris, we would be staying at Airbnbs.

We checked out of the hotel, kept our bags in the car and walked back to the town to explore the rest of the town. We had about 2 hours in hand because we had to head to St Goar and Bacharach and from there tonight’s stop was about 250 Kilometers away in a small town close to Wurzburg.

Koblenz has many sculptures, some are creative, some funny and some whimsical:







I particularly liked this one of a vegetable vendor and a policeman:




This one was a bit odd. Not sure what it represents.


The history column below recounts 2000 year history of the city in 10 stages. See stages 8-10 how the city was turned into ashes during WW2 and how it rose from it to become what it is today.









One of the sculptures is the Schängelbrunnen or the Schangel fountain. With this fountain, the Koblenzer Schängel and its pranks have been commemorated, as well as the zest for life of the citizens of Koblenz. Every three minutes, the bronze figure spits out a spray of water several meters beyond the fountain, so that passers-by can be hit by the water.

https://youtu.be/CQsFe9pXeFE

The Schängelbrunnen is a landmark of the city of Koblenz. It can also be found on the manhole covers:



Panorama of one of the city squares:


More photographs of the town:













We stopped for a quick gelato at this Gelateria.

You can always find good quality ice cream or gelato in Europe and the prices are not very different from India. Throughout the trip, we had plenty of ice cream. That was the incentive for my daughters for walking without complaining.







After the ice cream, we said goodbye to Koblenz. Went back to the hotel, paid for the parking. Our plan was to drive to St Goar on the beautiful German roads along the Rhine.

[MandarMax]

Day 5 - Koblenz to Wurzburg

After the brief tour of the old town, we walked back to the hotel parking. The sun had now disappeared behind the clouds, but still, it was quite bright.

Since we were already on the edge of the town along the Rhine, it was just a matter of a few hundred meters and we were soon on the road leading to St. Goar. I was really looking forward to this drive through the romantic middle Rhine valley.

There are two roads on both banks of the river. You can pick either depending on the places you want to visit and there are plenty of options on both sides. Please note that there are no bridges for a long distance after you leave Koblenz. The next bridge is near Wiesbaden about 100 kilometers south of Koblenz. There are ferries though for cars and passengers.

We took the right side one towards the south. The road was very scenic. We started cruising leisurely enjoying the views of the river, the vineyards and not to forget the castles. There are so many of them.

















There are nearly always at least two castles in sight. We soon spotted the first castle - Schloss Stolzenfels and then the magnificent Marksburg, the Burg Maus and then Burg Katz (literally Mouse Castle and Cat Castle), Burg Rheinfels and so on.

Mouse castle:


Cat castle:


After driving for about an hour we stopped at St. Goar. It is a relatively famous town and popular among tourists due to its central location in the upper middle Rhine valley.

The Rhine - St Goar:


St. Goarshausen and the Katz castle on the other side of the river:






We wanted to visit the Rheinfels castle, but unfortunately, we didn’t have much time, so after exploring a small part of the town, we continued our journey towards the south.

Rhienfels castle:




The little town of St. Goar:


The town church:








The road towards the south:


We soon came across the famous Lorelei rock, but we decided to not stop as it didn’t feel that special.

Lorelei rock:


We continued our journey through Bacharach, Bingen and some other smaller towns. We could have continued driving along the same route, but it started feeling all the same, so decided to exit the road somewhere near Mainz, which is near Frankfurt and we were soon on an autobahn towards Wurzburg.

After driving for about two hours we exited the autobahn. We were now in northern Bavaria, in the region known as Franconia, famous for its breweries and vineyards.

Our destination wasn’t Wurzburg. We had booked an Airbnb in the rural region a few kilometers south of Wurzburg. We were in a rural area for the first time. The change of scenery was noticeable. We were surrounded by hills and vineyards on all the sides.



The roads were narrow and there was repair work going on a few sections of the road, so many sections of the two-lane roads were converted into one way.


We passed through some pretty looking villages and soon we reached our destination.



It was a very quiet neighborhood near the town of Segnitz. We had booked with a Superhost who had rented her entire ground floor.

Our Airbnb:


The neighborhood:


We were bored with the hotel food now and since we were in a home with Kitchen we decided to cook one of the MTR Pav bhaji packets. Most super hosts provide basic food items which commonly includes bread, milk, eggs etc. but our super host didn’t have anything except tea and coffee. I would have loved walking to the nearest supermarket about 2 kilometers away but our host suggested taking the car because the supermarket was going to close in the next 30 minutes. So we rushed to the supermarket, REWE to buy some groceries - bread, milk, coffee and other stuff for breakfast.

We had a lovely home cooked dinner that night.

Our host was good. She was German but spoke fluent English and she made us feel right at home. I always prefer the homely atmosphere of an Airbnb over a hotel, and fortunately, we were not going to a hotel for about a week, or so I thought.

Tomorrow morning we would be going to Wurzburg. The first town on the Romantic Road.

[MandarMax]

Day 6 - Wurzburg

We started a bit late today. Destination - Wurzburg. About 30 kilometers northwest of Segnitz.

First on our list was the Würzburg Residence (i.e. Wurzburg Palace). We reached there soon enough. As we got closer I noticed many cars and buses in the rightmost lane. They didn't seem to be moving so I thought they were parked there. As soon as I crossed the first car it dawned on me that maybe it was the queue waiting to enter the palace’s parking. As I got nearer to the gate I realized that I was right, now I had to go around the palace and join at the back of the queue. For a quiet town, the parking was especially crowded for some reason. Cars were getting out and only then new cars were let in. This went on for some time and then finally we got to enter the parking.

The open area/parking in front of the palace:


The palace - North wing:


We were not sure where the entrance was so we just followed some people entering one wing of the palace. We soon came to know that it wasn’t the entrance for the palace but it was the Martin-von-Wagner-Museum. The museum is part of the University of Wurzburg and occupies in the south wing of the palace. There was no entry fee so we decided to check it out.



The museum is on the top two floors of the building so we climbed all the way up.

When in Europe, be prepared to climb stairs:



Museum entrance:


They have a fine collection of antiquities from Ancient Egypt, Greece, Cyprus and a number of paintings and other pieces of art from twelfth to fifteenth century Europe.



Some Egyptian figurines:


View from the museum:


The art collection here is good and if you have time I would definitely recommend you to visit it, but in our case, we were not that much interested in ancient art and I thought that we spent a good one hour there which we could have spent elsewhere.

It was time to go to the main attraction. The palace.

The palace square and the parking:


Cour d'honneur - the ceremonial courtyard:




The South wing:


The main entrance:


We entered the palace through this little door.


We purchased entrance tickets for about EUR 7.50 per person IIRC. Kids are allowed for free. Unfortunately, cameras are not allowed inside.

I sneaked a quick one before depositing the camera.


There are lockers so we put everything in them. The guided tour in English was already over, so we joined a guided tour in German which as expected made no sense to us so we explored the palace at our own pace.

Completed in 1744, the palace is spectacular. The interiors are finished in Baroque and Rococo styles. You probably will not call it a fairytale castle, unlike the Neuschwanstein castle, when looking from the outside but on the inside, it’s a completely different story. In fact, I found the interiors more impressive than Neuschwanstein. The staircase is built to impress and is considered the grandest of all the European palaces. The fresco in the reception hall, just above the staircase is the largest in the world. I could go on an on. It’s hard to believe that much of the palace was destroyed in WW2 and was painstakingly restored after the war.

I suggest checking out this Rick Steves video if you are interested:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1CkZPv0v8RY

After the Residence, we went to check out the court garden right behind the palace.

Side view of the palace from the garden:


Some pictures of the garden:






The garden facing side of the palace:








One of the several sculptures in the garden:


It was time to keep moving. I paid for the parking using the automated machine but for some reason, the boom barrier did not want to let me out. I had seen another gentleman having a similar issue some time back so I was sure that this was some kind of malfunction. A small queue started forming behind me. Luckily there was a button to call support which I pressed. The person on the other end could understand my English and he asked me whether I had paid for the parking. I said yes and he opened the gate remotely and soon I was out of the parking.

[MandarMax]

Marienberg Fortress


We had planned to cover two more places in Wurzburg - Marienkapelle and the Marienburg Fortress. Since we had spent too much time already we decided to skip the Marienkapelle and headed straight to Marienburg fortress.



The fortress was less crowded and parking wasn’t an issue here.



First of the many entrances of the fort:








This could have been in Game of Thrones




Beautiful views from the entrance:


The outer courtyard:


Medieval walls, bastions and an old Kapelle in the background:


Barbican / Echtertor protecting the old entrance to the fortress:



More views of the inner courtyard:




The fortress offers panoramic views of the Wurzburg town, the bridges on river Main and if you look at the horizon you will easily see places outside of the town, the surrounding hills and vineyards.





Baroque garden facing the city:


City views:


Beautiful views of the river and the vineyard on the slopes of the fortress:


One of the best panoramas. Believe me, it's very detailed. It's like one of those high-resolution gigapixel photos. I request you to check out the full-size version by clicking the image below:


Old bridge and the river. You can also see the Marienkapelle.


Dual staircase in the garden.




It was nearly 3 pm so we decided to head to our next destination near Fussen which is where the Neuschwanstein castle is.

Now, if you know about the Romantic Road, it starts from Wurzburg and goes all the way to Fussen. We could have or rather we should have taken the “proper” Romantic road and covered one of the many well preserved medieval towns such as Rothenburg ob der Tauber. But since we didn’t have much time we had already decided to skip those towns this time and take the autobahn to Fussen. We had booked an Airbnb just two days earlier with another Superhost near Fussen.

I had mentioned at the beginning of this travelogue that I felt like being a "drive-by" tourist. Now you know why.

I started the car and I was about to do the stupidest thing of the entire trip without realizing it. You will have to wait for the next post to find out.

[AdiSolEn]

Wow, this is a superblockbuster thread! Every post that you update just triggers so many memories now that you have started sharing the German leg of your trip. Pune being my first love, never thought that I could develop a certain fondness for other places, but Freiburg, Strasbourg and Munich certainly deserve special places in my heart when it comes to cities.

[Nonstop-driver]

Hey Mandar, your photography is beautiful. Kudos for capturing those stunning shots. I'm yet to process my pictures from the Sep '17 Euro trip!

[MandarMax]

Originally Posted by AdiSolEn

Wow, this is a superblockbuster thread! Every post that you update just triggers so many memories now that you have started sharing the German leg of your trip. Pune being my first love, never thought that I could develop a certain fondness for other places, but Freiburg, Strasbourg and Munich certainly deserve special places in my heart when it comes to cities.

Thank you!

I totally get what you are saying. I have similar fond memories (of places ) that makes me nostalgic sometimes.

Originally Posted by Nonstop-driver

Hey Mandar, your photography is beautiful. Kudos for capturing those stunning shots. I'm yet to process my pictures from the Sep '17 Euro trip!

Thank you. Hope you find the time to process the pictures and maybe even write a blog. But it does require efforts. I never realized the amount of work required until I started penning down this travelogue.

[MandarMax]

Day 6 - Wurzburg to ____?


Throughout the trip, I was using the Waze app because it did a good job with speed camera warnings (even in Germany where such warnings are illegal AFAIK). I entered the correct destination in Waze and I also selected the destination from previously entered addresses in the car’s navigation system. I preferred the car’s navigation system because it was very accurate and it was much easier to use it while driving. I didn’t know yet that I had selected the wrong address in the car’s navigation system.

For some distance, the Waze app and the car GPS agreed with each other but after 15 minutes or so they started giving conflicting directions so I switched off Waze and started using car’s navigation only.

We stopped for food at a highway side “Rasthof”. At this moment I should have realized that I was on the wrong route but for some reason, I didn’t check the map again. I take pride in my good sense of direction and I do a better job than most people when it comes to remembering roads and directions. Whether I’m in India or outside (or so I thought ). Perhaps this is why I didn’t bother to check.

We continued towards south after having a decent “Vegetarische” pasta specially made by the chef for us by simply not adding the bacon or whatever other meat they normally add

We soon passed Nuremberg and even now it didn’t strike me that it was not supposed to be on our route. I was enjoying the drive so much that I just wanted to keep driving and driving fast, very fast. Our destination was less than 100 Kms now.

In the fast lane at my "normal" autobahn speed:


We were happy that we would soon be at the Airbnb enjoying those supposedly picturesque, alpine views!

We soon crossed Ingolstadt and finally, it struck me What are we doing near Ingolstadt? I knew Ingolstadt because there is a Volkswagen plant where my Jetta was made (before it was knocked down and reassembled in India). I pulled over at a Shell petrol pump. Refueled the bimmer and looked at the GPS again. I had entered the address of my Munich Airbnb where we were supposed to go tomorrow.

I entered the correct address and the actual destination was much farther away now. It was nearly 200 Kms! Ugh.

All izz well..all izz well.. 100 Kilometers detour is nothing on the German autobahns I told myself. How wrong was I! We were soon stuck in traffic on the outer side of Munich and then there were almost infinite road repair works. After a frustrated drive of an hour or so, we exited the autobahn and entered beautiful Bavarian roads with snow-clad alpine mountains in the distance, postcard-perfect villages, cows and so on. We were happy again.

Beautiful roads of Bavaria:




At least we got to see some great scenery. I said to my wife.

Little did we know that our problems were far from over.

“Chakwa”

By 8:15 pm our destination was only about 10-15 kilometers. It had started drizzling and it was getting darker every minute. This area was a proper rural area and here not a soul was visible anywhere save a random car or two. We saw more cows than people!

We were getting nearer to our destination Eisenberg. But we found that the approach road from village Seeg was closed due to road work. We followed the arrows that I thought was suggesting alternate routes, but all led to the same intersection which was closed. Google didn’t know that the road was closed and it kept sending us towards the same intersection. It felt like a Marathi word “Chakwa” (closest Hindi word I think is Bhulbhulaiya).

We tried reaching our Airbnb host but she wasn’t answering her phone. We pulled the car over and waited for some local person who could help. We soon saw a girl on a scooter. We waved our hands and she came towards us. We hoped that she was going in the same direction but she was not. She tried to help but her English wasn’t great, so she called her friend who tried to guide us. Her friend was confident that there was an alternate route that bypassed the roadwork. Basically, he sent us offroad. We went on a rough, uncharted village road. We kept going for a few minutes as per her directions but we soon reached a dead end. It was now completely dark so somehow we found the road back to the main road. We stopped and tried to think about our options calmly. I zoomed the map out and tried to find alternate routes once again. It seemed like if we went back and took another road, we could reach a highway and then go from there, so we drove another 15 odd kilometers towards the intersection and found that the highway was going over a bridge and there was no way to join it.

By now we were tired. We tried calling our Airbnb host. She picked up the phone but she was unaware of the road closure. Her English was not good and she wasn’t trying to be very helpful. She told us that she was out of town but her son was waiting for us. We tried to call her son but he didn’t answer.

We had two options now - either find another hotel or go to Munich where there would have been a better chance of finding accommodation at odd hours. We were also very hungry and tired. It was nearly 9 pm now and we had been walking and driving since the morning, almost 12 hours. Just as we were contemplating our choices, I decided to take a U-turn, and while turning we noticed lights and some cars further down the road. I went closer. Pulled the car over and walked to the place. The main door was closed but from the glass door, I could see some people eating. I knocked and knocked but it seemed like no one could hear the knocks. Was it haunted? Were those real people? By now the rain had picked up and the wind was making a howling sound. There were large umbrellas on the patio, they were folded up but were shaking wildly due to the wind. It felt surreal and straight out of a horror movie. I knocked louder and louder and finally, the waitress heard us. phew! She could barely speak English. So I asked her to find someone who could speak English well, perhaps one of the guests? She ushered us in. There was a thin, tall and young person who was having his dinner with another elderly person. He spoke English quite well. He was wearing formal clothes like a businessman and had a very kind looking face (think Roger Federer :-)). He opened his map and offered route guidance, but at that point, our Airbnb host had stopped responding. I asked whether we can find a hotel nearby. To our surprise, he said it was actually a hotel (not just a restaurant). The waitress said they had rooms available. We asked about food but she said the kitchen was closed. Damn! We were disappointed. I asked her if I could personally request the chef and she said you spoke to him already, I was like what? When did I speak to him? And she said the guy who was helping you with the directions is the chef. LoL. From his attire, I could have never guessed and moreover, he was having food just like any regular customer in the restaurant. I requested him and he said even if the kitchen is closed he will cook some pasta. So finally we had some spaghetti and we checked in to the hotel just before 10 pm.

It was a wooden hotel - basically a chalet that you typically find in the alpine region. I had not lived in a chalet before so it was something new to look forward to. I was a bit apprehensive because I had not seen many guests, maybe because it was late. But when we went to our room on the second floor, I was pleasantly surprised to find a good, spacious and newly refurbished family room. In fact, there were two rooms and a balcony overlooking the road.

It had been a long and an eventful day filled with excitement, anxiety and a happy ending.

I heaved a huge sigh of relief and went to bed!

Next morning, got up to a foggy morning. Felt very fresh. What a difference daylight makes! Just last night it felt like a lonely, cut off place from rest of the civilization.

View from the room:


Views of the road and the parking:




I went down to check the surroundings and found that there were quite a few other guests, which wasn't clear last evening.

I also shot a quick video.

https://youtu.be/7wcV6x56eI4

We were not really in a very remote area. Actually we were quite close to Fussen / Neuschwanstein castle where we were heading next.

[MandarMax]

Day 7 - The Magnificent Neuschwanstein Castle


After yesterday’s experience, I didn’t want to commit any mistake. So I selected the destination more precisely - “Ticket center Hohenschwangau”. It was only 20 km / 30 mins away from the hotel. It was nearly 11 am.

After driving for about 15 mins, I suddenly saw a board “Republik österreich”:



We were going from Germany to Germany. Why are we entering Austria? Turned out that the fastest route chosen by the car’s GPS went through Austria. I suddenly remembered that in Austria you need a Vignette. Now what? I had heard stories that Austrian cops routinely check for Vignette in border regions and the fine is quite hefty. I wasn’t sure if it was needed for this route, but I didn’t want to take any chances. (Also, does the Indian driving license work in Austria? I didn’t have that question yet, but I had to face that question later in the trip. Keep tuned.). So as soon as we saw a Shell station I decided to stop and buy a vignette. I asked the lady at the counter whether we needed it for going to the Neuschwanstein castle and she said we will not need it because it’s only required for highways and we were not going to encounter any on the way to Fussen. But since I had stopped I decided to buy the vignette because we were anyway planning to go to Austria after two days. The 10-day vignette cost us EUR 9. Much cheaper than the tolls we pay in India! Germany doesn’t even have tolls.



You can tell the validity from the holes punched. The bottom side has the month of the year and the day of the month is printed on the other three sides of the square. Based on this you can tell that our vignette was valid from 4th May.

The Austrian section of the road was not more than a couple of kilometers and we soon crossed back into Germany.

We soon reached the Parkplatz, parked our car and got out to see the first glimpse of the castle which was partially covered by clouds.




The Neuschwanstein castle is the mother of all German castles. This fairytale castle is probably the most well-known in the world. There is no castle considered more beautiful than this one and it is probably because most castles are built to withstand wars but this one isn’t. It was built as a residence, in fact, it’s more like a palace than a castle. Walt Disney is said to have been inspired by it for the castle in the movie Cinderella and then the Sleeping Beauty's castle in Disneyland. The resemblance is obvious.

We had hoped for a better day, but as we got to the ticket counter a slight drizzle started. It was a bit disappointing. We were enjoying excellent weather so far in Germany and we did enjoy good sunny days except for this one day.

With clouds like these, we were worried that we may not get the iconic view of the castle from the Marienbrucke.



Fortunately, the drizzle stopped and it started clearing up. It took us nearly 30 minutes to get the tickets. You can buy a combo ticket for Neuschwanstein and Hohenschwangau castle. We were not very interested in Hohenschwangau castle. Pretty as it may be, it is no match to the magnificent Neuschwanstein castle.

Ticket house:


We bought tickets for the guided tour in English starting from 1:40 pm.

You do not have to buy a ticket if you are not planning to go inside the castle. There are several options to go up to the castle. You could either walk uphill about 1.5 km for about 30-45 minutes or take a horse-drawn carriage or take the shuttle bus. The bus takes a slightly longer route than the first two options and it drops you on the hill where the Marienbrucke is. The drop off point is a little higher up from the castle and from there you can walk down to the castle. The shuttle buses have no fixed schedule. They run every 15-20 minutes. We purchased a one-way bus ticket as we preferred to take the walk down from the castle.



We had just missed one bus so we waited for the next 20 minutes or so. The Hohenschwangau castle is perched on top of a small hill just opposite the bus boarding point.



Hohenschwangau castle:



You can probably notice a swan above the castle. It is hard to miss the Swan theme everywhere i.e. “Schwan” in German. Schwangau, Hohenschwangau, Neuschwanstein etc. Schwangau literally means the “Swan district”. A tidbit of information about the “-gau” suffix - I thought it sounded too much like -gaon in India. I was curious about the etymology and did a bit of research and found that in old German the meaning of gau means area, territory or governmental district. Not very different from “-gaon” basically both are used to denote a place or a region. There are few other “gau”s in Bavaria such as Allgau, Oberammergau etc.

Coming back to the topic, the bus soon arrived and just like any city bus in a crowded Indian city, it was filled end to end with people and there wasn’t even enough room to stand.



We barely managed to enter just before the driver closed the doors. We didn’t get any seats but at least I got the front view. The road taken by the bus is not used by any other vehicles and the drivers are used to every inch of the road, so they drive fast and I thought without caring much about the safety of the passengers, most of them standing. I just about managed to click a couple of photographs because it was impossible to keep balance due to the twists and the turns and the speed at which the bus was being driven.



The bus takes you to this stop near Marienbruck:




Marienbrucke:


Situated at a vertigo-inducing height of 300ft, the Marienbrucke offers one of the best views of the castle. It is just behind the castle in relation to the side from where you ascend. The bridge runs across the Pöllat torrent, which has created a deep gorge underneath the bridge.

The first look of the castle from so close. I had dreamed this very moment for years. The castle looked every bit as magnificent as I thought it would be.

Panorama. Please check out the larger version.


Another view zoomed in:


I almost pinched myself. Am I dreaming? Just then my elder daughter rushed to one end of the bridge on seeing a big black dog, I realized it was all real She’s very afraid of dogs. It was on a leash of course, so there was no real reason to worry.

After the strong urge to take photographs was over, I decided to spend a few quiet moments appreciating the creation.

Thank you “mad king” Ludwig! How can he be called mad? He conceived this magnificent castle. Eccentric? Probably yes. Mad? Probably no.

So sad that he was murdered just before his dream project was about to be complete. The mystery of his death is still unsolved.



The Pollat gorge below. Crystal clear blue water.





You probably wouldn’t get the idea of the height from the photos, this video would probably do a better job:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xs4gRuDE7Ek

Our guided tour was going to start in the next fifteen minutes so we decided to keep moving. The castle was just about a hundred meters down the hill.

You get nice panoramic views of the area from this road. You can see the Hohenschwangau castle, Alpsee, and Schwanse in the distance. On a nice sunny day, you can see snowy alpine mountain peaks that form the Germany - Austria border. Unfortunately, it was still very cloudy, so we got this:





We soon reached the castle taking more pictures along the way:





We reached a bit late for our 13:40 guided tour. When we showed our tickets we were told that the tour had already left but they showed us the way to catch up with the tour. The tour was starting from the second or the third floor and the stairs were through one of the towers. We kept going up and up. I am not sure how many stairs we took but it seemed the equivalent of a 5-6 storied apartment building. Quite a “breath-taking” experience!



The tour had just started so we had not missed anything. It was overall a good experience. The palace is nice and grand as you would expect. The Swan theme continues inside with the king's bathroom, taps, bed etc. etc. Unfortunately, no photographs are allowed on the inside.

After the tour, you get down to the middle level of the castle where there are a cafe and a souvenir shop and some other things. You also get access to the balcony from where you can see panoramic views all around the castle including those of the Marienbrucke.



I did manage a few photos on the inside before exiting:





More pictures from the outside:


Another panorama, typical of this region:


We said our goodbyes to the castle and started walking down the hill. It was a short walk of 15-20 minutes.



We started our car and entered the destination - Munich, the same address where we were headed the night before due to my mistake.

[MandarMax]

We stopped for a few photographs of the beautiful road, the car and the castle in the distance.

Check out the two full-sized panoramas:




Beautiful meadows and yellow wildflowers and the castle:


Farmhouses:


Hohenschwangau castle:


Bavarian car on the beautiful Bavarian countryside:


We saw a church in the middle of the green meadow and headed there.




It’s called St. Coloman’s church. It was closed so we didn’t go inside.


One last parting shot of Neuschwanstein. The sky had become quite dark by now:


The return drive was truly enjoyable. We drove on some really beautiful roads until we reached the autobahn to Munich.

https://youtu.be/iBfVrLBATdY

After driving for nearly two hours we reached the outskirts of Munich. The weather was mostly sunny here.

We missed taking a turn in time because of lost GPS signal in a tunnel so we had to take a long-ish detour to our Airbnb, we went towards Olympiapark and soon happened to come across this - The BMW headquarters, where we were planning to go tomorrow.



Our Airbnb was towards the city which is under the green zone, so not surprisingly, we saw a couple of “Umwelt zone” road signs, which I had mentioned in one of my earlier posts. I was glad that I did not choose the diesel Ford car (not sure which sticker it would have had).

Our Airbnb. Do you see the apartment with Buddhist prayer flags?:


Our host had parking but it was too small for the X1 so we had to park the car on the road. We had to wait a while to find a parking spot but one soon opened up right in front of the apartment. It was pay parking but our host told us that we would only have to pay for today (it was Friday) and not for the next two days. I paid for the parking and checked the board again, it read: “mit Parkschein werktags 9-23h” which meant it was pay parking on workdays from 9-23 hrs. It made sense. Free parking for the next two days! Yaay!. I was not going to remove the car until Sunday. We were going to use only public transport in Munich.

As I headed back to the apartment after parking, I asked the host whether work days means Monday-Friday or does it include Saturday as well? She said it’s Mon-Fri. I asked if she was sure and she said: “She thinks so”. I was a bit surprised as she sounded a bit unsure. So I decided to not rely on her knowledge and check for myself. Glad that I checked because Saturday is also considered Werktag. It would have cost as upwards of EUR 250 fine had the car been towed away.

So next day I paid for the entire day’s parking before 9 am and kept the receipt under the windshield.

View from our apartment.


We didn’t have much to do that day. It was already 7 pm so after freshening up we just decided to explore the area on foot. We were very close to the English garden but decided to check it out later. I was more interested in the city and the locals.

We were in the Münchner Freiheit area not too far from the city center (means "Munich freedom").



We had okay-ish dinner at an Indian restaurant called “Dhaba”. We were back by 9:30 pm, but before going to bed I had to deal with a couple of important decisions. We had done no hotel/Airbnb booking for the next 7 days (Yep, another example of our late or “dynamic” planning ). The next confirmed booking was in Paris which was on next Sunday.

The only thing that was confirmed was our desire to spend the next 7 days in the alpine region no matter whether we spend it in Germany, Austria or Switzerland. Our Paris booking was with a cancelable hotel (up to 24 hrs in advance) so technically we had more than seven days to spend in the Alps region.

As I started searching, there was too much choice of places - we could have headed to Koniggsee or Salzburg or Garmisch Partenkirchen or Innsbruck and so on. We were not too keen on another city experience. So we dropped Salzburg and Innsbruck. One of the major things that I wanted to cover was the Grossglockner high alpine road. So I focused on the Zell am See region. I messaged Chetan L who had been to Konigssee to ask him whether it was worth it and he said he highly recommends it. So with Konigssee and Grossglockner confirmed we decided to spend the next two nights (after Munich) somewhere in between. While searching Airbnb suggested few places in Tyrol and it looked pretty nice. Next, we checked the weather because we didn't want to go to a place with a rainy forecast. We booked a place in St Johann with a superhost on a great looking property situated atop a hill with wonderful views. We nearly paid Rs. 30k for two nights hoping that if the views were even half as good as the pictures then it would be totally worth it.

Our superhost soon confirmed the booking and we went to bed happily planning to explore Munich tomorrow. Little did we know that there were going to be more twists and turns in our story with more drama in store related to our dramatic Airbnb.

More on it in the later post.

[MandarMax]

Day 8 - Munich City

I always wanted to see Munich. It has always had a special place in my heart. I do not know exactly what made me so excited about the city:

Maybe because I am a car aficionado and a BMW fan or
because I am a lover of that drink made from grain and hops or
because of the Biergartens and Oktoberfest or
because of the history - the 1972 Olympics or the movie Munich or the football team

Maybe because of all of the above.

Anyway, the next morning we started around 10. It was a beautiful day. We headed straight to the nearest U-Bahn station (Dietlindenstraße) to catch a train to Marienplatz. We purchased a group ticket for the day covering the inner district. The ticket works on U-Bahn, buses, and trams. It is an extremely economical way to travel as up to 5 adults can travel until 6 am the next day on a single group ticket. It costs only EUR 12.80. On the other hand, a single day ticket costs EUR 6.70.

Dietlindenstraße U-Bahn:


We wanted to catch the 11 am show at the Glockenspiel at Marienplatz. and within 20 mins we reached Marienplatz station.

Built in October 1971, just before the 1972 Munich Olympics (infamous for the Munich massacre), the Marienplatz U-Bahn station is an important landmark. The station stands out due to its bright orange tiles.



As we came out of the underground station we found ourselves right in the midst of Marienplatz square, just five minutes before 11 am.

It was crowded as expected:



Halfway up the tall Rathaus tower (i.e Townhall) is one of Munich biggest tourist draws, a two-tier Glockenspiel with 43 bells and 32 mechanical figures. The figures rotate around accompanied by the music of the bells. The show lasts 15 minutes.





Next, we started exploring the old town:


We soon saw these twin domes and started walking in that direction.


We were soon in front of the church towers. It's called Frauenkirche - the largest church in Bavaria, built in the 15th century.

The towers are very tall and in the old days must have been visible from a long distance:


The interiors:


The ceiling is quite high up and has an interesting pattern:


The organ:


After the church, we continued exploring the old town, did some shopping as well.

Fountain in front of the Frauenkirche:


Lanes full of people and restaurants:



Charming old buildings with flower window boxes:


There is something about trams that makes any city look attractive. Maybe it's my nostalgia about Melbourne, but I cannot help falling in love with cities having trams - Melbourne, Amsterdam, Munich, and the list goes on (there are more on the wishlist such as Prague, Budapest, Vienna and I'm sure that the experience wouldn't be very different).



I could sit in a corner restaurant having coffee or any drink and watch life go by all day.



Munich is obviously not just about trams, there are lovely German cars as well. Old and new.


You will notice that almost all taxis in Munich are Mercedes E-class.


By now it was lunchtime so we jumped into a tram and headed towards Karlsplatz.

Karlsplatz is one of the major squares in central Munich:


After not finding anything interesting to eat, we finally took the easy option and went to the McDonalds nearby.

From Karlsplatz, we headed to Odeonsplatz.

Odeonsplatz:




It is not a particularly special place but there are few monuments such as Residenz München which is an old palace turned into a museum, then there is a Biergarten inside Hofgarten which is an Italian style Renaissance garden.







We had been walking for more than two hours now. On a warm day, it can get quite tiring after a while, especially for the kids, so we sat down on the garden lawn under a big tree watching people - locals and tourists alike - enjoying their drinks in the garden.



After our little break, we continued walking - we went through the Residenz München courtyard but didn't go inside.



It’s beautiful no doubt but we had no time for the museum. We were yet to cover attractions like Hofbrauhaus, BMW museum, Olympic Park, Nymphenburg palace, etc. so there was no time to waste.

Munich and its drinking culture are well known. There are bräuhauses and biergartens by the bucketloads. There are walking tours as well where you can walk around sipping your drink. E.g. check this is a picture of a walking tour. Notice the cart with barrels.



With so much activity around us, it was quite natural to head towards the Hofbrauhaus, claimed to be the world's most famous tavern.

More city pictures as we walked towards HBF:


A shop selling Kangaroo Jack

[MandarMax]

Day 8 - Munich - Hofbräuhaus and BMW Museum


There are many Brauhauses in central Munich, some small and some big


This one is Orlando Haus


But the most famous is the Hofbräuhaus. You have probably heard of this place and it's a must-visit attraction if you are in München. Founded in 1589 by Bavarian Duke Maximilian I, It’s the largest bräuhaus in all of Munich and can hold up to 5000 people. Yes, five thousand!

It boasts of many famous patrons from history - Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, Vladimir Lenin, Hitler just to name a few.



The drinks are served in huge glasses and while the pretzels are not to everyone's taste, it's definitely worth trying them out in the name of tradition. The atmosphere inside is absolutely electric with a live band playing, locals singing songs while wearing traditional attire - gentlemen in lederhosen and ladies in dirndls.





Pretzel lady:


It was 4 pm by the time we finished and with a heavy heart (and belly ) we decided to get going.

Another pic of the old town:


We went to the nearest U-Bahn station and got on to a train to Olympiapark. This is where the BMW headquarters and museum is.





BMW headquarters. This iconic building needs no introduction.


BMW Welt (i.e. BMW World) is on the opposite side with the Olympic Tower in the background.


We purchased a family ticket for EUR 18 (if I recall correctly) and entered the museum. They have lockers available so we decided to stash all the excess baggage in them.

This poster. So true. (guess which year I was born? )



The museum is huge and they have got pretty much every car, bike and major engines on display since the start of the company.

As you enter, you see this Kinetic sculpture which is made from suspended silver balls and it is programmed to make various shapes:

https://youtu.be/ECSqi4GVsVE

The aircraft engines section is particularly impressive. It’s fascinating to see the kind of technology they had developed back in the 1930s and ’40s.







The Germans were the leaders in automotive technology then and they still are.









All the generations of the three series:








Some of the recent designs/concepts:




After spending nearly two hours we were kind of tired. It was 6 pm by the time we were done with the BMW museum so we decided to skip other attractions like BMW Welt, the Olympic Park and the Nymphenburg Palace.

On the way back we got off at the colorful Münchner Freiheit station near Leopoldstraße. Looks absolutely stunning!



We picked some food from the Alnatura grocery store just outside of the station and walked back to our apartment.

Some pics of the area we were in:




After dinner, I started checked messages. There was a message from our Airbnb host that our booking was canceled. :shock:

Our host had sent a message that due to some urgent work she had to come to Germany (from Austria) so she was not available until Monday. She had given us an option to check in during her absence but since we didn’t reply to the message she went ahead and canceled it. She had also refunded the money. I replied back saying that we don’t mind checking in during her absence as long as she was ok but we didn’t get any response. She had also blocked the two dates so it was not possible to make a fresh booking. I escalated the matter to Airbnb immediately and got a response that they will try and find alternatives.

Now what? I was annoyed but I was really tired so we decided to figure out the next plan tomorrow morning.