Day 2`

Day 2 was Cologne to Hamburg. Getting up an hour earlier than normal due to the time zone change made me tired most of the morning. Still, the train wasn't due to leave till 11:09, giving me plenty of time to have breakfast, go through my e-mail and read the paper. And then the train was ten minutes late getting into Cologne. Something to do with damage to the overhead lines.

As it was, the train made up much of the time on the trip. As might be expected, I had my nose in a book for most of the time and then I heard the tannoy announcement that we were arriving in Hamburg. (Announcements were in both German and English.) I rushed up and got my case but as soon as I got on to the platform I realised I'd made a mistake. I was last in Hamburg a couple of years ago and I remembered that the main station is covered. This was an open air platform. I looked at the sign and saw this was Hamburg-Harburg, which is some distance south of the city centre.

Fortunately I had time to lift my case back on the train and get in before the doors closed. The young guy I'd been sitting next too and who had very good English found it very funny that I'd got off at the wrong station.

I'm staying in the same hotel as two years ago and had no trouble finding it again. Then I went for a walk and found somewhere to eat.