You came on your own, that’s how you’ll leave, with hope in your hands and air to breathe.

[strawberryfrog]

Summary: A good weekend, safe travels, loads of good people and good music, 25 000 Germans all dressed up in black, and a little rain.

Comments

[xavierxalfonso]

Sounds like you had an excellent time. If I'm still in Germany next year, it's a tempting venue...

Just a pedantic word on German trains: don't trust them to run on time if going long distances.

In the UK, long-distance trains are seldom very late, in my experience, but local or short-hop trains frequently are - as you experienced with the Stansted 'express'.

The situation in Germany is exactly the reverse: local and short-distance trains are usually pretty reliable and are seldom more than a couple of minutes late. But: the long-distance trains are often very delayed (and sometimes are cancelled altogether, though that is rare).
Personally, I think it's due to a combination of too-early introduction of new technology (super-duper high-speed trains, but not entirely reliable) and massive organisational changes that have seen staff and maintenance cut right back. It's become bad enough that whenever I take a long-distance journey that involves changing trains, I now take an earlier train as an insurance policy (and I am often glad I did so). The German system may be more reliable than the British, but it's no longer a model to emulate.

[strawberryfrog]

If you're in the Hannover area and into the music at all (or into Mittelalter dudelsack playing) they yeah, would be pleasant. I might do it again next year.