135. Europe Bicycle Trip---A Long Train Trip to Konstanz (Lake Constance)

Silver leaning against 4 seats

Today is Tuesday, June 3rd, day 48 of my trip in Europe. I was to take the train from Neuss at 9am arriving in Konstanz at 7:16 pm. I had to change at Koln (Arrive 9:46-leave 9:56), Mainz (arrive 1:26--depart at 2:13, and Karlsruhe (arrive 3:52--depart 4:09) I was a little nervous about the short changeover times because I would have to deal with Silver. Nils walked me to the station by their house and there was a train there earlier so we decided that I should go on it. Maren told me later that the conductor could have charged me more for taking this train instead of the next one. I did have my ticket checked only once during the day and it was this section but I did not get charged more. Now I had a longer time to find the next train.  

I had a seat opposite Silver

I saw the Rhine River often through the windows. Before the first stop at Koln 4 other ladies came on with their bicycles.

When I got to Koln, I had to take an elevator down and later up again to get to the proper platform. I enquired and a young man told me I was waiting at the correct spot. Later A young man with red hair asked me about my helmet mirror. We chatted for a while. I was waiting at Platform 8 as my ticket indicated. There was an announcement in German which I did not understand but then the young man ran back to me and told me that there was a change and the train for Mainz would now leave from Platform 9. I ran over there and some ladies told me I should go near the front of the train. I found the bicycle car and went in but it was so crowded with school children that I had to stand astride Silver and hold on to a post. I was asking myself if it would be like this the whole day.

I chatted with a young girl near me and she suggested that when she got off I should follow her and she would bring me to a train car farther up. I followed her and entered another car and had 4 seats to lean Silver against and a seat for myself and most importantly now there was a bathroom (WC) which I needed very badly

The part of the river past Koblenz was beautiful with castles , boats, old houses and of course the bicycle path.

A parking lot full of bicycles left by people taking the train farther to work.

I got off the train atKarlsruhe and was sitting there waiting for my next one to Konstanz not realizing that it was already there and about to leave. I asked a young girl if that was mine and she said yes and I had to run to catch it. Later 4 men came on with bicycles covered with mud and one was leaning very close to Silver and I had to ask the man to move it once because I was worried for spoke damage,

This man came on with a small folding bicycle.

Everybody in a rush at Karlsruhe

Poor Silver getting pushed by some big bullies

A young girl was on the train sitting across from me and reading a small German New Testament. All of a sudden she came over and sat next to me. She never did say her name but she started telling me about a husband with schizophrenia, a child of theirs in a foster home, a landlord that she owes money to and the fact that she thinks God wants her to turn around immediately to go to Berlin. She wanted me to tell her what to do and I said I was not qualified to give her advice. I just said if it was me, I would want to settle my debts first and help my husband and child and then see if God was still wanting her to go. I told her the apostles usually did the same.

Lots of hills and valleys covered by trees

Beautiful countryside

Towns in the distance

I talked for a while to this lady from England who had a very interesting folding bicycle that she said she had made.

When we got off the train, she unfolded it and let me follow her to the main street. Then I turned on my GPS to find the campground and what a shock I got to find out my GPS had no map information past Bonn, Germany. When Abe had put on the knooppunten maps , he had erased my Europe 2014 map and had not put on any of the Rhine because I hadn't known then that I would be going along it for sure. I met a man who told me I was going the wrong way so he led me quite far in the correct direction. Then I just had to follow the water but that wasn't all true and I got lost again and asked a man just about to leave his driveway. He had never heard of the campground but turned on his TomTom and found it very close to there so I followed his car there and thanked him. The campground cost more than the internet had suggested and the tents were only given a small area by their garbage dumpsters. I squeezed my tent into a space between two others, unpacked and just got inside when it started to rain. It rained most of the night.