Second day – Saturday - morning

 

The heat went off in my room at 5pm last evening and never came back on again.  The room was cold the entire night. Luckily I always travel with a small sleeping bag so I was toasty in bed. I also started travelling with a Snugli (i.e. that blanket thing with sleeves which is sold on TV). It is quite warm… perfect for reading in bed. I also always travel with fluffy socks (the kind the kids wear). I hate cold feet!!

 As soon as I woke this morning  (5:30am) I sent an email to the owner and asked him to resolve the heating problem… we will see what happens.

FYI -1:   Germany is a really safe country.  But to be doubly sure…, at night,  leave your room key in the lock on your side of the door (inside the room).  That prevents anyone who is outside from putting a key into the lock and entering.  If you turn the key on your side, you will set the dead bolt lock. IMPORTANT: German locks turn in the opposite direction of those in the USA.

FYI – 2: In most cases Europe is fairly safe for a woman to travel alone. I do it all of the time. But to be quite honest, I prefer to travel in my car. I just feel safer and more in control. I have a gas in the tank, a navigation system, my mobile phone, something to eat and drink, and my IPOD. If something untoward happens, I simply lock my car doors and drive away. Once, in France I drove several hours to get to a famous town. When I arrived, I did not feel comfortable. So I simply turned around and drove back in the direction I had come. (Problem solved!!) Another time, I went on a 5 day vacation by bus to Rome.  The trip allowed us 2 days of ‘free’ (unescorted) time. I left the hotel alone, got on a public  bus and went into downtown Rome. I stayed until 11pm or so and then tried to get back. For some reason or other the public transport system had shut down. (I don’t speak Italian so I did not have a clue what was going on!!) Taxis were nowhere to be found.  In the end (after a bit of panic), I called the hotel and asked them to send someone to pick me up.