On the train again

The train leaves Prague on time. It is not that busy, so I sit near Megan and don't make use of my seat reservation at all.

The views are stunning. Leaving Prague, there are lots of small huts/houses on the river banks - escapees from the city? The trees are all the amazing colours of autumn covering the steep slopes on either side of the river.

When we get into Germany, the buildings become Disney-esque. There are castles and hilltop follies, vertical elevators and improbable mountain bridges. But things calm down after Dresden.

We have an hour in Berlin main station before we're on our way again. I mainly doze on the way to Hamburg, although Megan continues working. So, she's tired when we arrive - and so, in fact, am I.

We do our bags at her flat and head back out into the grey, damp evening. First stop is Erdapfel for a baked potato. Apparently these Krumpfi restaurants are Turkish import (which seems unlikely to me). They serve classic roast potatoes with amazing fillings. No cheese and coleslaw here. Instead I have the Spring Love, topped with Möhren, Gurken, Paprika, Eisbergsalat, rote Bete, Körner und Kräutersauce.

I escort Megan to her first Berlitz evening lesson, leaving me with two and a quarter hours to kill. I find a sofa at a local pub restaurant, drink a couple of beers and read a book. And then it's time to take the team back to Klostenstern and go to sleep.