Köln Cathedral

Back blip of a slightly stressful day! Left Plymouth in very good time at 9.15 and we were immediately informed that there were signalling difficulties on the line between Plymouth and Totnes! It was an hour and to Totnes and two hours to Exeter so I was watching the time I had to get from Paddington to St Pancras diminish! The last straw was the announcement that our train was stopping at Reading and returning to Plymouth and we all had to decant to get the next available train to paddington!

A very lovely young man on the train said he was going that way so he would help me! We took the Hammersmith And City line directly to Kings Cross/St Pancras! He had been visiting his parents in Dartmouth and was on his way back to Edinburgh! It made everything so much easier to have someone to converse with.

Of course when I got to St Pancras I had to go through security and customs and the queue was huge but they were dealing with it very quickly! It was fascinating to watch the variety of people travelling! Some with massive suitcases two a piece and others with minimal luggage! A young Jewish couple with two small children speaking Yiddish! They ended up on the seats behind me on the train to Brussels! There were people in brightly coloured clothes and others in dour clothes ready for thd city, suited and booted!

Changed train in Brussels to get the train to Köln to stay in a mixed dorm in the cheapest possible hostel! Had tried to get one in Brussels but they would not allow over 35s in dorm rooms! Rather ageist I thought! I assume they think that older people have more money and can therefore stay in the more expensive double or single rooms! The best thing about it was its proximity to the station which was slap bang next to the cathedral! Comfort food from Starbucks to finish the day and early bed!