Another solo trip into Europe.
Discussion
m3jappa said:
Awesome! I'm desperate to do another euro trip, just makes our country look silly,
Oh and the pool bit
wtf that's brilliant, sounds like the sort of thing I'd do, also sounds a bit mr bean esqe, and he drives a mclaren, your not mr bean are you?
Actually I'm not that far off! Oh and the pool bit
wtf that's brilliant, sounds like the sort of thing I'd do, also sounds a bit mr bean esqe, and he drives a mclaren, your not mr bean are you? Big nosed git with a sunken chest and a McLaren, that about nails it!
Left Baden-Baden and drove up to Heidleburg, stayed in the Marriot on the River which was nice. Car Park was a nightmare, obviously I'm sitting on the wrong side for the ticket machine and there wasn't room for me to get out and walk round so I had to take Maximillian, one of the porters with me when I left or returned. I'd give him a little drink each time, he had a good racket going, waiting to pounce every time I came out of the lift!
Visited the Castle and the old town, all good.
Been trying to drink less on this trip than normal so I'm going to the gym rather than the bar.
Walked into the gym at the Marriot and there was a big roidy bloke in there, nobody else. He clearly didn't like the fact that he was now sharing with me and started smashing down all his dumbells and glaring at me. I was a little intimidated initially and then I just thought f
k him.
I did a bit of cardio then I started deliberately sitting on the benches and machines next to him. He started getting ridiculously loud "Hurr!!!" Smash! Glare! "Hurr!!!" Glare! Smash!
Each time he crashed down his 40K dumbells I shouted something unintelligible and slammed down my little cotton reel weight ones.
I took this sneaky pic of him:
Obviously he's not the skinny geek in the foreground, that's me, he's the meathead at the back, you have to use perspective:
Holiday by Madonna came on my phone so I started doing a little ghey, hipswingy dance in between my sets. You could see his veins throbbing then.
And then another bloke came in and went on a treadmill which seemed to be the last straw for roidy cos he stormed out.
Visited the Castle and the old town, all good.
Been trying to drink less on this trip than normal so I'm going to the gym rather than the bar.
Walked into the gym at the Marriot and there was a big roidy bloke in there, nobody else. He clearly didn't like the fact that he was now sharing with me and started smashing down all his dumbells and glaring at me. I was a little intimidated initially and then I just thought f
k him. I did a bit of cardio then I started deliberately sitting on the benches and machines next to him. He started getting ridiculously loud "Hurr!!!" Smash! Glare! "Hurr!!!" Glare! Smash!
Each time he crashed down his 40K dumbells I shouted something unintelligible and slammed down my little cotton reel weight ones.
I took this sneaky pic of him:
Obviously he's not the skinny geek in the foreground, that's me, he's the meathead at the back, you have to use perspective:
Holiday by Madonna came on my phone so I started doing a little ghey, hipswingy dance in between my sets. You could see his veins throbbing then.
And then another bloke came in and went on a treadmill which seemed to be the last straw for roidy cos he stormed out.
I'm staying at a hotel near Hammelburg now, the journey up here was great, three quarters unrestricted Autobahn and the rest a really fast forest road.
I've driven the Autobahns before but they always take a bit of getting used to. You'll be in the middle lane passing all the lorries at about 95mph and German fastbacks are hammering past on your left.
I saw some brilliant driving. Two estates (Merc and Audi I think) came barrelling passed, they must have been doing 130 and pretty close together when a much slower car ahead moved into the fast lane. They both just instantly switched into the middle, passed him and then moved back out again, didn't even dab the brakes.
I presume the Germans really are ubermensch because Brake are very clear that if you drive at 80mph you'll be killing children with every mile, I really can't imagine how hundreds of thousands of Germans can drive like this without decimating their population.
Can only be magic.
Second part was on the 26 and 27. The 27 is a fantastic road, I was following a suicidal 206 that just drove flat out the whole way and overtook everything in his path. If German drivers see that you want to overtake they actually will leave a gap for you to drop in to, it's so refreshing.
Did this last night:
Which in guitar playing terms is a disaster.
fk my life.
I've driven the Autobahns before but they always take a bit of getting used to. You'll be in the middle lane passing all the lorries at about 95mph and German fastbacks are hammering past on your left.
I saw some brilliant driving. Two estates (Merc and Audi I think) came barrelling passed, they must have been doing 130 and pretty close together when a much slower car ahead moved into the fast lane. They both just instantly switched into the middle, passed him and then moved back out again, didn't even dab the brakes.
I presume the Germans really are ubermensch because Brake are very clear that if you drive at 80mph you'll be killing children with every mile, I really can't imagine how hundreds of thousands of Germans can drive like this without decimating their population.
Can only be magic.
Second part was on the 26 and 27. The 27 is a fantastic road, I was following a suicidal 206 that just drove flat out the whole way and overtook everything in his path. If German drivers see that you want to overtake they actually will leave a gap for you to drop in to, it's so refreshing.
Did this last night:
Which in guitar playing terms is a disaster.
f
k my life. 
The whole basement is a sauna complex. It has everything, loads of different rooms, showers, baths, plunge pools and those ice rooms.
I went down shortly after I got here and it was completely deserted. I went into one of the saunas and I'm minding my own business when 2 fit, early 30's woman looked in through the glass door and then stepped away. I wasn't sure if I was sitting in a female only sauna or something so I came out and said "Sorry am I in the wrong section?"
"No its okay, it is mixed here in Germany".
I turn round and go back in and the pair of them step out of their swimming costumes and come in!
I know I know this sort of thing shouldn't come as a surprise to anyone but I really wasn't expecting it and just looked in the other direction gormlessly.
"We also go nakd in Germany" (she said it like 'baked' but with an N).
I left and went in the Dampfbad (steam room) and just felt a bit silly, it's just not a big deal to them at all but it felt very odd to me.
Think I'll stick to the gym.
When I checked in the guy asked if I'd like to have dinner there tonight, I thought why not I'm too tired to drive out so I booked a table after the Germany game.
Now I want to make it clear here that I'm not a flash bd and I get very embarrassed if I'm put in the centre of attention, however I get asked a lot on these trips "What band are you in?" or "Do I know your music?"
Think about it, I pull up in these hotels in the Supercar, get out and immediately unload a guitar, I'm also a weird looking git with a ponytail and I can see people staring at me.
When I got to this one today there were loads of people out on Sun loungers and sitting in the courtyard watching me unload.
Now I'm in Waste Disposal and proud of it, I'll happily tell anyone who asks I'm basically a dustman, I don't put anything on but people are inquisitive.
So I go up to the restaurant and the bloke sees me to a table, I'm regretting this already. The restaurant is very posh, it's in a U shape and he leads me to the only empty table right at the base of the U if you see what I mean. He pulls the chair out on the far side of the table and I sit down facing a completely full restaurant with everybody staring at me.
Every single table has 2 or 4 people at it except me. I asked earlier if they did veggie food and the guy now loudly makes a big deal of this:
"We've prepared you a special vegetarian menu this evening sir and the chef hopes you enjoy it"
Which is lovely, I appreciate it, but this is Germany and the Germans would put bacon in their tap water if they could find a way so they stare at me even harder.
Then he says "Are you staying long?"
So I just start blathering to cover my self consciousness "Just 3 days actually, I got here today and I'll be leaving on the..."
He's pointing at the empty chair and he goes "No, I said are you staying alone?"
fk!
"Yes yes I'm staying alone"
He clears away the other stuff.
Some people have gone back to their food but others are still staring, I think "Just eat the food and get the fk out of here!"
All I can do is stare down at the table or straight out into the puzzled faces. It's excruciating.
Then he takes an age and when he finally comes back its with a little glass dish, he says "The chef thought you might like to try this small speciality".
Oh christ they are going to drag this right out!
I just ate everything in double time, tipped the waitress and got out mumbling good night to the other diners.
So this is another place that people think I'm a weird.
I walked into the grounds down to the river so I could fart, found a little bench and watched the sunset:
It really is beautiful here.
I went down shortly after I got here and it was completely deserted. I went into one of the saunas and I'm minding my own business when 2 fit, early 30's woman looked in through the glass door and then stepped away. I wasn't sure if I was sitting in a female only sauna or something so I came out and said "Sorry am I in the wrong section?"
"No its okay, it is mixed here in Germany".
I turn round and go back in and the pair of them step out of their swimming costumes and come in!
I know I know this sort of thing shouldn't come as a surprise to anyone but I really wasn't expecting it and just looked in the other direction gormlessly.
"We also go nakd in Germany" (she said it like 'baked' but with an N).
I left and went in the Dampfbad (steam room) and just felt a bit silly, it's just not a big deal to them at all but it felt very odd to me.
Think I'll stick to the gym.
When I checked in the guy asked if I'd like to have dinner there tonight, I thought why not I'm too tired to drive out so I booked a table after the Germany game.
Now I want to make it clear here that I'm not a flash b
d and I get very embarrassed if I'm put in the centre of attention, however I get asked a lot on these trips "What band are you in?" or "Do I know your music?" Think about it, I pull up in these hotels in the Supercar, get out and immediately unload a guitar, I'm also a weird looking git with a ponytail and I can see people staring at me.
When I got to this one today there were loads of people out on Sun loungers and sitting in the courtyard watching me unload.
Now I'm in Waste Disposal and proud of it, I'll happily tell anyone who asks I'm basically a dustman, I don't put anything on but people are inquisitive.
So I go up to the restaurant and the bloke sees me to a table, I'm regretting this already. The restaurant is very posh, it's in a U shape and he leads me to the only empty table right at the base of the U if you see what I mean. He pulls the chair out on the far side of the table and I sit down facing a completely full restaurant with everybody staring at me.
Every single table has 2 or 4 people at it except me. I asked earlier if they did veggie food and the guy now loudly makes a big deal of this:
"We've prepared you a special vegetarian menu this evening sir and the chef hopes you enjoy it"
Which is lovely, I appreciate it, but this is Germany and the Germans would put bacon in their tap water if they could find a way so they stare at me even harder.
Then he says "Are you staying long?"
So I just start blathering to cover my self consciousness "Just 3 days actually, I got here today and I'll be leaving on the..."
He's pointing at the empty chair and he goes "No, I said are you staying alone?"
f
k! "Yes yes I'm staying alone"
He clears away the other stuff.
Some people have gone back to their food but others are still staring, I think "Just eat the food and get the f
k out of here!" All I can do is stare down at the table or straight out into the puzzled faces. It's excruciating.
Then he takes an age and when he finally comes back its with a little glass dish, he says "The chef thought you might like to try this small speciality".
Oh christ they are going to drag this right out!
I just ate everything in double time, tipped the waitress and got out mumbling good night to the other diners.
So this is another place that people think I'm a weird
. I walked into the grounds down to the river so I could fart, found a little bench and watched the sunset:
It really is beautiful here.
br d said:
Thank you for the kind comments. I'm going out on a mountain bike today but I'll get back on your points later.
Great thread. Good to see you're keeping active too. That's probably better for the mind.Don't put yourself down so much! No-one is better than anyone.
Why were so many people staring at you in the restaurant? Because you were facing them all or because you were on your own?
I must try a solo trip someday.
Cheers for the update, I often travel alone and there's only 2 things that bother me about it, and they are eating out and people asking why I'm travelling alone. Personally I like the freedom and being able to go where I want, when I want. I can also only blame myself on the rare occasion things go wrong!
Went out biking this morning. The hotel gave me a map of a nice route through all the villages along the river, nice country:
I spotted a little track winding off into the woods and once again forgetting that I'm 52 and knackered I thought "That'll do for me!"
It was very pleasant for the first couple of miles:
Then it dropped down nearer the River and became a completely overgrown muddy bog. I was pushing the bloody thing for miles, too stubborn to give up and go back (I'll get around by going over that hill) I ended up going hours out my way and getting covered in mud!
Got back to the hotel ruined but I'd promised myself I'd go in the gym so dragged myself through a workout.
I've been doing a lot more lifting than I normally do on this break and I've noticed my man boobs have become little pointy tits.
So apparently I now have the body of a 13 year old girl with a beer gut.
Went to the pool for a long swim then headed down into the sauna complex and got naked.
fk it, when in Rome!
I spotted a little track winding off into the woods and once again forgetting that I'm 52 and knackered I thought "That'll do for me!"
It was very pleasant for the first couple of miles:
Then it dropped down nearer the River and became a completely overgrown muddy bog. I was pushing the bloody thing for miles, too stubborn to give up and go back (I'll get around by going over that hill) I ended up going hours out my way and getting covered in mud!
Got back to the hotel ruined but I'd promised myself I'd go in the gym so dragged myself through a workout.
I've been doing a lot more lifting than I normally do on this break and I've noticed my man boobs have become little pointy tits.
So apparently I now have the body of a 13 year old girl with a beer gut.
Went to the pool for a long swim then headed down into the sauna complex and got naked.
f
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