On to Lake Constance

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Monday, 09 October……

A busy travel day that started without a hint of the problem to come. Leaving the hotel at 6:00 AM, I was at Heathrow terminal 4 checking in fjor my flight by 7:30 AM. The London underground got me there for only 4 UK pounds and only one easy change of trains…..what a bargain! My friend York, who works at Zurich airport, met me at the gate and after a quick coffee and a few explanations, he was off to work and I was on the 1:48 train to Constance (or Konstanz). That gave me a nice comfortable 35 minute window to catch the 3:45 PM boat across the lake to Meersburg.

Dragging my luggage along the platform, down the stairs and half way up the ramp to where the boats were, I stopped dead in my tracks……….my computer……it was still on the train. How fast can one walk/run dragging 2 suitcases and a backpack? Alas, the train had left…….I wanted to cry !!!! Gathering my wits and calmbing down, I went to the ticket office to report the loss. Forms filled out……35 Euro search fee paid. Then it was back to dragging all the stuff back to the ship where….amazingly, it was still there, but they were just starting to pull the gangway. Looking up, the crewman took pity on the old guy schlepping luggage, replaced the gangway, I boarded and we sailed away on the 1936 built BODEN. Thirty minutes later, we docked in Meersburg and the hotel was only a 5 minute walk away. Naturally, my large room and huge bath was on the 3rd floor in the sold out hotel without an elevator. Worried sick about the computer, I had an early dinner and a rough time falling asleep.

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Photos

to Meersburg
on the ship

Hotel zum Schiff
my room