Tuesday, 11 January 2011. I bit off more than I could chew today - that much tourism (a.k.a. pratting about) AND travelling another 500-odd km was too much for one day. I wish I had booked a room in Essen as I would have loved to spend more time there. I will definitely go back.
Being late, I phoned ahead from Essen to the guest house I had booked in Kassel. The landlady explained the RULES: I can't cancel after 6pm and must check in by 8pm. It was already 8pm and I still had a 2.5-hour drive ahead of me. That's exactly why I called, I said. Relenting after the prescribed amount of apologising on my part, Teutonic efficiency kicked in and she gave me a room-access procedure that was worthy of a Le Carre novel: identify the correct house - the one without steps, find box number 2 of 4 on the outside wall, open the flap, dial a secret combination to unlock the box, open the box and extract the key, which will in turn reveal the room number and provide entry to both the outside door and the room.
My exhausted body hit the mattress at about 10:30.
Fortunately, I DID have the foresight to book this room for two nights, so I am going no long distance on Wednesday, just resting and looking around Kassel. Watch this space to find out what I find out.
Being late, I phoned ahead from Essen to the guest house I had booked in Kassel. The landlady explained the RULES: I can't cancel after 6pm and must check in by 8pm. It was already 8pm and I still had a 2.5-hour drive ahead of me. That's exactly why I called, I said. Relenting after the prescribed amount of apologising on my part, Teutonic efficiency kicked in and she gave me a room-access procedure that was worthy of a Le Carre novel: identify the correct house - the one without steps, find box number 2 of 4 on the outside wall, open the flap, dial a secret combination to unlock the box, open the box and extract the key, which will in turn reveal the room number and provide entry to both the outside door and the room.
My exhausted body hit the mattress at about 10:30.
Fortunately, I DID have the foresight to book this room for two nights, so I am going no long distance on Wednesday, just resting and looking around Kassel. Watch this space to find out what I find out.
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