Route: Cologne – Aarau (changing trains in Karlsruhe and Olten)
I did make it to the cathedral. I even went inside. I was a bit underwhelmed to be honest. Good thing I went though. I mean, that thing might have stayed on my bucket list forever, if I hadn’t stopped there this time.
My mistake might have been to stop in Cologne on my last day. I was so ready to get home. I remember a 5-week trip across the Western United States in 1999 when, by the time we got to the Grand Canyon, it was nothing special. Just a big hole in the ground. That was after countless National Parks.
So, note to self – planning matters.
Anyway, the cathedral is okay. It’s mainly big. That’s it. The thing’s huge. So, in this case, size seems to matter. Other than that, I’ve seen better. I definitely have. This is the view when you walk out of the train station. My hotel was on the left. I could see the cathedral from my bed. Not sharing that though.
When you walk up those steps and turn right, you get to the front of the cathedral. That is pretty impressive. Again, it’s the size of it more than anything. It’s really big. You could – technically – climb one of the towers. But we all know that wasn’t going to happen on this trip.
I’ve climbed my fair share of towers. I bet it’s really cool on a high energy day.
I am glad that I managed to get a good rest before that last leg of my journey home. I had booked a seat on the 6.55 train the next morning. No idea why – just a feeling of wanting to get home when I booked that.
Of course, when I woke up at 6 (the plan was to grab a quick bite of breakfast before heading to the platform), I already had a notification that my train was delayed. Hurray! Just what I needed.
It didn’t sound too bad – yet. So, I was at breakfast at 6.30 sharp. I didn’t eat that much but it was good not to get on a delayed train on an empty stomach.
It was not a direct train. I was supposed to change in Mannheim. That didn’t happen. We were told to stay on the train and see if we could make the connection at the next stop in Karlsruhe.
Nope, no dice. We were told that that train couldn’t wait for 2 minutes. Annoying. Then again with the next train from Karlsruhe, I was able to stay on the same train all the way to Olten, which is basically home. Almost home. Ten more minutes to Aarau and a connection I know blindly.
So, I wasn’t too annoyed. That was actually more convenient than changing in Basel AND Olten. And I ended up getting home 1 PM instead of noon and I was glad I did.
Those few hours of rest in Cologne that I might have considered a waste of time at the time, were really a lifesaver. I got home full of energy and got all the laundry and grocery shopping done right away. Totally efficient.
Good decision.
How to get home quickly: leave early – duh!
Take the earliest possible train that still allows you to have breakfast at your hotel. I got home at lunch time. Well, 1 PM technically, because I got delayed. I like to get an early start on travel days because you never know what’s gonna happen.
I’m home!
What an adventure this was! Last time I took a train to Scandinavia – from home – was in 1998. A lot has changed since then. Traveling has become more convenient yet also more stressful in a way. I’m gonna try and put that into words maybe on Sunday in my main newsletter.
I think it’s things like delays that you couldn’t really figure out on the train – there were no smartphones. So, you just got to the next stop and talked to actual people who then helped you figure things out. We’re expected to do much of that on our own now.
That’s both good and more stressful in a way.
Then there’s having to call up youth hostels or just show up to see if they had any beds available. That bit is much easier now. Then again, I liked youth hosteling back then.
It’s different now. And not bad different. Just different.
I hope you enjoyed my Scandinavian Interrail adventure. There’s more to come. I have 8 travel days left, I think. Or maybe 7. Better check. Not sure how I’m gonna use them yet, but I do have some ideas. Stay tuned.
Birthday – the big 5-0
Oh, and today happens to be my 50th birthday. For those who missed it … have you been paying attention? Like at all?
I posted it all over the place. For instance, here.
What fun and well done!!
🎶 Happy birthday to you 🎶
Who brought cake 🎂
It was great that we could join you on your trip. Loved it. Thanks for that.
Glad you had an enjoyable birthday.
Have a good weekend.