Journey of the Magi (or at least a bunch of foreigners)

So in the last week or so places have been visited, wine has been drunk and journeys made (some more successfully than others).



So firstly the odyssey that was our trip to Nürnberg to visit the Christkindlesmarkt all through the mighty german Railway system.  So the multinational party (1 Welsh, 1 English, 1 Canadian, 1 American and 3 Irish) set off from Konstanz at 13.40 on Friday afternoon, on the 5 hour train journey to Nürnberg and arrived at... 21.30 - half past nine! That's 8 hours!
The additional half an hour it took us to get to where we were staying left us zero chance of seeing Nürnberg and only a half an hour before the Indian next door closed.  The fortunate presence of a bar that was still open near by meant that we could all have an enjoyable night, the less about which is said, the better.
 
After waking up fresh and energised we headed into Nürnberg to see the market and sample its delights, which included thousandstraditional pottery, through all manner of Christmas decorations to mass produced children's toys but all in a beautiful setting and a real festive spirit.
Then began the journey home, which, due to a slight misunderstanding, started an hour after we'd planned on a train which was not only chock full but, once again, late.  After a long and surprisingly enjoyable journey we arrived back in Konstanz at half 11.
Points I took from the weekend:

• It can take as long to get the 150 miles from Konstanz to Nürnberg as the 4098 miles to Canada.

• Once you've ordered a 2 litre of wine a 100 euro bar bill shouldn't surprise you.

• I have a murdering face that comes out when stood on trains and being hassled by drunks.

• The best way to make Claire cry is by speaking German in a valleys accent.  

• There appears to be a moustache competition amongst Deutsche Bahn staff. 

• There are 3 types of train in Germany: On time trains; late trains and the wine train.  One is seldom fun but always useful; one is no fun at the time but good to look back at and the other is fun at the time but no fun after.  

It would be nice to be able to say that that was the worst train journey I've had for a while but sadly the British weather and railway system conspired to remind me that wherever you are journeys can always go wrong.  

Despite all that I'm home for Christmas.  All the best to all of you - I hope its wonderful.