The Rhine River
After a week of holiday it was time to get back to Freiburg – yet having somehow misunderstood the departure time of my bus, I found myself stuck in Cologne early Sunday morning. It wasn’t the first time I felt stranded in a random city – once I was stuck in Dubai with three of my younger siblings, another time in Frankfurt…this time Cologne.
Here are 5 things you can do if you ever find yourself in a similar situation:
1) Meet the other friendly people that also missed their bus and try to figure out a new plan together – being thankful for the sudden usefulness of your smart phone that makes the visit to an internet café unnecessary =)
2) Walk around the city – in Cologne I crossed the Rhine river and enjoyed a pretty view =) Try to see a bit of the city and make your unintended stay more memorable
Ewige Liebe…
3) Marvel at what other people do. I observed hundreds and hundreds of locks on the bridge over the Rhine – people wanting to symbolically declare their love eternal by locking the lock and throwing the key in the river…not sure if I find that cute or nonsense or maybe a little bit of both =)
4) Go to a local bar or restaurant for a break and to charge your phone =) I found one that was covered in FC. Köln fan decoration – with scarves and banners hanging from the ceiling =) I ordered an “Apfelschorle” (apple juice mixed with bubbly water) and a “Bratwurst mit Röggelchen” (a sausage with a type of whole wheat bread)
Bockwurst mit Röggelchen
5) If all buses are full and the train too expensive – find a ride through a car-sharing website, tackle the public transport jungle to get to the meeting point and meet interesting new people, get stuck in traffic together and make other people happy by giving them candy =)
