Vacation Preparation

I start early, very early. My alarm goes off at 6:00 AM. Unusually, I am wide awake right away. After all, today is the start of my vacation. Well, that’s not entirely accurate.

Yesterday, I took a test drive😂 with my car and camping gear to Greifswald.

I wanted to inspect my booked hotel while also asking if it would be possible to safely park my car behind the hotel until I arrive by bike a week later.

As I enter the "Hotel zum Adler" (which presumably aims to give a German impression), I immediately notice that things are quite different from what is described on booking.com. Totally different.

If I were in Thailand, I wouldn’t be surprised, but in Germany, especially under a German name. No, I was angry. And especially when I checked the restrooms in the basement.

Just get out of here and cancel quickly. The escape went well, but canceling was "no longer possible under normal circumstances."

I tried to move my travel dates to September, which worked, even at a lower price, since it was off-season. If I cancel then, it wouldn’t be so painful. Well, I’ll see.

I parked my car on a busy street and of course hope to find it back unharmed after a week.

But first, breakfast.

Has anyone ever eaten ratatouille? If not, please spare yourselves that.

The name says it all. If you pronounce it very slowly, you get a general idea of how it slithers through the stomach. However, it only gets really unpleasant when you add an ice cream (as advertised back in the GDR times). By the way, it didn’t taste at all like in the GDR times.

My train doesn’t leave for another hour, and everything is still fine. But, for those who know, it only gets really bad when the train arrives. Exactly at that moment. Of course, I also have the newspaper article in my mind stating that the restrooms in the trains are not repaired and one must brace for the worst.

I had to.

They were filled to the brim.

I calculate how long it will take until I reach Stendal? 🤔 5 hours. What a torture. But I am brave, sipping homemade peppermint tea 🤪 and chatting with older ladies about all the wonderful things they have experienced today.

I reach Stendal with great effort, and all I want is a quiet place.