Decisions, decisions
Back at the Hotel Garni Probst it was time to pack, what to take?
Sorting through the wad of train tickets that were pre-purchased for this Trip there was a sickening feeling when I located the batch for today, they were dated August 1, oops.
Yesterday, all my troubles seemed so far away…
I should have checked this before departure, but how on Earth had I ended up with tickets for the wrong day? The Tin-Tinerary was before me as I made the booking. I know that DB do date tickets for a twenty four hour period with the day before one’s travel being the starting date, however the seat reservations were also for yesterday. I phoned DB in London and as expected nobody was there. I left a message outlining the dilemma. (Post Script: Nobody ever did come back to me.)
Mission Impossible
I had to get seven people to Berlin, today. I resolved to be at Nürnberg Hauptbahnhof just after 06.00 to see what could be done. Sleep was non-existent.
Unsurprisingly, there was no queue. The young lady shared my dilemma and went to see her boss. The tickets were not used and so she suggested a refund could be obtained. I was given an address in Bamberg to send them. Meanwhile I had to purchase a Group Ticket to Berlin for seven, ouch!
It took the rest of the Group some time to realise the implications.
Inter-City Zug
Inter-City Trains may be slower but are far more comfortable than the ICE. Having risen so early I had secured seat reservations. Why anyone considers travelling long distance in Europe without a seat reservation is beyond me. We had to remove people from their seats as we boarded, had the reservation light just come on,or were they playing silly buggers, I shall never know.
By the time we reached Berlin-Gesundbrunnen the train was empty. One stop on the S Bahn and we were back in the Garden Suburb of Wedding. Mein Host-ess at the Pension Regine Braun was out at the shops we were told by her pal, but would be back shortly. Moments later she entered, by this time we had allocated ourselves our previous rooms with one spare, for Lord Clive. She was delighted that Clive was with us as he was on a separate booking.
Not More Curry-Heute?
For once Hector did not have Curry-Heute on his mind, but Yvonne did. She and Craig announced they were hungry and were returning to the Naveena Path some fifty metres away. All but Robin thought this was a good idea, it was hours and kilometres since breakfast. Reluctantly I joined them. Robin went straight to Eschenbräu, he knows the way when he is one block away.
When we joined Robin he was drinking the Pils. I have seen enough Pils this summer to last a lifetime, straight into the Weizen. Once more it was cloudy and tasty. The theory that The Hut sells better Weizen than the Main Bar is proven.
There was discussion about where to go next, Craig and Yvonne were staying put. Ironically never having been to the Garden Suburb before they have now proved reluctant to leave. To stay, or to go, the lack of sleep had made a Very Tired, Old Hector.
Without Exaggeration
The question of moving on soon became moot. We ordered some Fladenbrot, a nibble to keep us going, plus Robin had eaten nothing since breakfast. The sky darkened, unlike Passau where the wrong type of clouds made heavy rain, it took no skill to realise what was imminent. By now there was a significant populous in the Keller. The first drops started a movement indoors. Having gone but a few metres the hailstones fell, they were the size of marbles. Hector has never seen such large hailstones, ouch again!
The extension to the indoor area meant everyone was accommodated. We sat beside two chaps drinking Apple Juice and ensconced in their Laptops. They were amused by Bier-Traveller.com on realising that the Stars were sitting before them.
Schwarze Molle
It was time to try another Bier. The Schwarze Molle is Black as the name suggests, malty and was worth a sample. I could not drink this as a Session Ale. Back to the Weizen.
The Expected Guest
Robin’s phone had been out of commission for days, he left his charger in the hotel a few days into The Trip. It was up to Hector to make contact with John whom we knew was in Berlin. This is the same John who makes the occasional but poignant contributory comments to Curry-Heute. John came in out of the rain with his Group, some were recognised. They had to sit elsewhere such was the pressure on the seating. Still people poured in, nobody was going anywhere, except Craig and Yvonne.
They fly home tomorrow morning. Tomorrow we will be a Perfect Five for the Berlin Biermeile.
The Bill
The Fladenbrot took over an hour to arrive due to the Meteorological Disruption, and in two batches. Despite this and changing venues, our Lovely Doris had The Bill accurate to the nearest Euro.
The Brewery visited today:
Eschenbräu – Triftstraße 67, 13353, Berlin
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