Sachsenwald

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Got to the station reasonably early to get my ticket to Hamburg. And of course, it cost about 20 euros extra. Crap. But this holiday has already completely broken the bank so I guess it's pointless ruminating on it. Stopped briefly in Groningen, which has an interesting art museum on the canal by the station shaped like a boat. I'd like to explore the town more some day. Then a replacement bus took us to Leer just across the border in Germany. I was expecting some kind of border check but nothing materialised. At Leer, you get the train first to Bremen and then change for Hamburg. Then the S-bahn out to Reinbek, with Waldhaus Reinbek just a short taxi trip away.

The hotel is attractive and I got a good last-minute deal on a spacious room. I'm also a bit of a spa enthusiast, so I like to end my travels at one. Spent a pleasant early evening in the various saunas and jacuzzi. The Germans seem to have embraced the whole naked thing but I kept my swimsuit on this time, much to the consternation of the other guests, no doubt. But I went too far apparently when I didn't put my feet on a towel in the "Finnish sauna". Was sternly reprimanded by an elderly German gentleman. Fair enough. The wellness area also features a salt grotto built from blocks of salt where you can sit and breathe in the healthy air. I'm a little sceptical but it was an interesting concept.

With all my impurities washed away, I had a meal in the hotel restaurant that they managed to put together for me. It was fairly tasty but I could tell that they weren't used to preparing vegan meals. Good enough though. After dinner I spent a couple of hours trying in vain to book a ticket home online. Seems you get taken through the entire booking process only to discover at the very end that the train is fully booked. The genius of Deutsche Bahn. So the plan tomorrow is to take separate local trains all the way home. Again, this will cost more but that's the price of spontaneity.

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