Our train wasn’t due until 09:45, allowing a relaxed hotel breakfast before riding the short distance back to the station. The bike coach was at the end but we couldn’t see where to open the door and had to quickly sprint to the open door at the other end of the coach to bundle the bikes on. We took the bags off and then Christine shifted her bike to the correct end while I opened the door from the inside, and we reversed roles at the next stop.
Our reserved seats gave a poor view, similar to British trains with a slab of plastic restricting vision. The coaching stock was quite old, WiFi but no charging points. We were held in open country and arrived at Berlin Hauptbahnhof about 40 minutes late, then had to wait a long time for the lift to arrive as it served several levels and only one was working. Journey time was 6 hours 50 minutes and there was no catering on board, we were not impressed with Deutsche Bahn.
The ride to the Premier Inn was straightforward and we met daughter Sarah who was staying at the same hotel. We had a good dinner at the Rainbow Bowl Vietnamese restaurant across the road and good conversation.