The last leg

Writing this from the last leg of the journey back home. 

I took the local train from Paderborn to Bielefeld this morning.   I realised I must have travelled this before, because I flew to Paderborn for a PhD collaboration with a researcher in Bielefeld.  Luckily Bielefeld (still) exists.

Then it was a slightly delayed ICE to Cologne.   We stopped at Wuppertal. You can get a few glimpses of its Schwebebahn from the railway.  Sadly no time to go on it (again).

I was worried I was going to miss my connection at Cologne, but the DB app reported it would be held. There actually turned out to be plenty of time for it.  Stopped on the bridge just before the station, I noticed these strange blocks of flats, that I remembered cycling under on my bike trip a few years ago:

The railway bridge was covered in love-locks:

The ICE to Brussels was on time; this was lucky, as it gave me time to get a late lunch at the station (I’d got very little food with me, as everything was shut yesterday in Germany owing to the reunification holiday).

The Eurostar was late departing, owing to passport controls.  I’d hoped to get the train back to Bristol one earlier than the official connection, but this wasn’t possible.  It meant I was in no rush to get to Paddington, so went the national rail (and so free) way again via the Elizabeth Line.

All being well I should be home in time for dinner.  It’s been a very long day travelling; with hindsight I should perhaps have headed to Brussels last night.

It’s been a fun trip; I perhaps packed a bit too much into it, or would ideally have spread it out over a slightly longer period of time.  I’m very ready for my own bed tonight.