The Rail Planner was again confused by a Polish cross border train changing its number during the journey but this time insisted that we wait an hour and three minutes at Rzepin. This would have been silly, so I’d entered the train manually.
| Gdansk Glowny | 07:35 |
| Berlin Ostbahnhof | 13:15 |
| Berlin Ostbahnhof | 13:32 |
| Wuppertal | 17:41 |
Another comfortable compartment for six on the early start from Gdansk, our longest travel day. No reply from tonight’s booking so I contacted booking.com customer service who responded soon after that they’d had an answer that the owner would meet us there. I asked them to ask the owner to contact me directly.
Lots of room on the DB ICE when we boarded in Berlin so we were pleased to have secured a table when we saw the packed platform at Hauptbahnhof. We were unlucky as a large school group had booked most of the coach, DB had failed to update the reservation displays and we had to move to airline panel seats. We left on time but reached Wuppertal an hour late, DB living up to its poor reputation.
While the ICE trundled along, the owner emailed to offer alternative accommodation, as with the people who’d booked in March. I rejected this, asked booking.com for a refund and then I found an alternative. Eventually they agreed and also paid the price difference, about €40. The replacement stay was fine, about ten minutes walk from shops and main station.
Distance walked: 3.91 miles, Train miles: 600 (965 km)
As well as being a convenient overnight stay, Wuppertal is famous for its suspended monorail. The Schwebebahn opened in 1901, extended to the final length of 13.3 kilometres (8.3 miles) in 1903. The frequent trains move over 20 million passengers per year, the track forming a continuous loop so driving controls are needed only at one end. The large window at the rear provides a panoramic view. The system ian’t unique but it’s the oldest and longest. We enjoyed our rides and also visited the concert hall and the botanic gardens. The sculpture park appealed but was some way out of town and we didn’t have time.
Distance walked: 6.61 miles