Fussen, Deutschland. Monday, 13th May 2019
An extraordinary day, as it turned out! We were ready for the long journey from Praha in Chechia to Fussen in the Bavarian state of Germany, via Nuremberg; involving three changes; and knew it would be a long and tiring day. Long it certainly was, but not at all tiring! We were totally unprepared for the delights that the town of Fussen had in store for us. Let me start at the beginning.
Woke up at 04:00 and quickly finishing our morning ablutions, went down to breakfast at 06:15. Checked out at the reception, then had a filling morning meal. Were at the tram stop, under a blue sky and a shining sun, at 07:00. I remarked to Urmila that Prague showed us opposite faces on the two visits - in 2014, it was bright and sunny during our entire stay and rainy on the day of departure; this time it was exactly the other way round. However, the rain did not at any time throw a spoke in our sightseeing wheel; it was just the cold winds that had irritated Urmila.
Tram no. 26 brought us to Hlavni Nadrazi (Prague's main train station) in 12 minutes or so and we strolled leisurely towards the station building, luggage in tow. Entered the building, went up one level and exited right on to the main road, which was on an elevation. There was a bus station on the opposite side of the road, where a Flixbus (one of the many companies running buses in Europe) was waiting at its designated stop. The spot we were standing at had a display board that read 'IC bus - Nuremberg D'; among other destinations in Germany. Now, at a bus station or terminus, there are many stops where the buses of different routes start from; and each stop is marked by an alphabet. Naturally, I supposed that the 'D' referred to the stop location at the bus station opposite. We 'crossed' the road, but it was not as simple as that, just crossing the road. We had to walk a little bit, climb down a flight of stairs, into the subway, go under the main road and up another flight of stairs; there was no escalator! Arrived at the stop where the Flixbus was standing, but could not locate stop 'D'. Asked the Flixbus' driver about the location of the IC bus stop and he gleefully informed us that it was on the other side of the road, that is, the point where we had seen the display board, right outside the station, on the main road! Groan! There was no option but to complete the exercise in futility. Back where we had started from! A fellow passenger there confirmed that it was indeed the stop for the IC to Nuremberg. (Why had he not met us earlier?) The IC bus in its white livery arrived at 07:50. At the entrance to the bus, the ticket checker scanned our mobile ticket and asked us to board. I asked him whether the seats were on the upper or lower deck; and he laughingly replied that it was the same! Only then did I realise that this bus, unlike the IC that had brought us to Prague, was a single decker! How stupid of me not to have noticed it when the bus arrived!
The journey to Nuremberg was smooth - once again we were gliding. A little before Nuremberg, there was a fork in the autobahn with the highway going straight and the road to the right going towards Nuremberg, as was evident by a huge sign that indicated an arrow to the right, at the end of which were the words, 'Nuremberg D'. As I was wondering what the hell was 'D' doing here as well, it suddenly hit me! The 'D' stood for 'Deutschland' (Germany; in the local language)! No wonder I had been unsuccessful in finding any stop labelled 'D' at the Prague bus station! One learns so many things during travel!!
We reached Nuremberg ZOB at 11:32, 8 minutes before time. The bus had left Prague Autobusova St. Wilsonova (the Prague bus station) at 40% capacity at exactly 08:05. It did not wait to be filled to capacity, we never heard the ticket checker or conductor or driver or any tout shouting, "Nuremberg, Nuremberg...…" During the three and a half hour ride, the driver never stopped at any restaurant where he would be promised a 'cut'. He just drove steadily, following all road rules and regulations that included sticking to his lane on the highway, overtaking cautiously where required; not blowing his trumpet even once. An orderly, disciplined and systematic operation which thus makes things simple and smooth-for everybody. Indians have failed to realise this even after 72 years of independence! Shame!
Walked to Hotel Holiday Inn (where we had put up for two nights before leaving for Prague) to use the washroom. The receptionist was pleased to see us and exclaimed, "You're back!" We told her the purpose of our visit this time. She did not mind. Then walked to the Hauptbahnhof in bright sunshine and found KFC within the station premises. The chicken wings were good, tasting quite similar to the ones we get back in India. Purchased a packet of Lays, a Ritter and a bottle of multivitamin juice, at Yorma mart. Made our way to platform no. 4 and boarded a waiting Regional Express after ascertaining from a Deutsch Bahn(DB) staff that it was the correct train. The destination was Kaufbeuren - 200 kms. away, where we were to change trains for Marktoberdorf - 13 kms. away; and from there get a bus to Fussen - the final destination; 30 kms. away.
The train started 8 minutes late and we were hoping we would not miss our connection at Kaufbeuren, approx. 2 hours away. To add to this worry, the train was making a lot of noise - a continuous and irritating hum, that died after fifteen to twenty minutes. Otherwise, the journey was fine and we arrived at Kaufbeuren a minute before schedule! That's Germany! Kaufbeuren was similar to the many cute villages in Europe that we love. The next train, to Marktoberdorf, duly arrived and a pleasant ride of 15 minutes saw us there. The lady who had checked our ticket on the train was very helpful - she showed us to the bus stop just outside the station and also advised us on which bus to board, for Fussen. (Owing to some maintenance work, the train services between Marktoberdorf and Fussen were suspended. The DB had arranged for buses to ply between the towns.)
Patiently waited at the stop, clicking photos. This place reminded us of Ettelbruck in the Grand Duchy of Luxembourg, visited the last year. These small towns/villages are extremely charming with everything organised to the last detail. The bright red SEV bus started at 16:17, three minutes before schedule, which surprised us. As it gathered speed, we were slowly exposed to the charms of the Black Forest - huge, verdant meadows on either side, with a long, thick clump of dark green - almost black - pines that give the Black Forest its name. Tiny hamlets housed in the lush green, with cattle - a few grazing, others lazing; made spectacular viewing. Suddenly, without warning, appeared two snow-clad peaks! I was taken aback and just spoke two words to Urmila, who was seated opposite, "Maaghe bagh!" (look behind you!) She turned around and received a jolt - a pleasant one. The vista was indescribable! As the bus negotiated twists and turns in the road, more snow clad mountains started presenting themselves, just like the lead actors at a play coming on stage to take a bow! Soon, in the background of the lush green carpet and clumps of pine, an arc - almost a semicircle of snow clad mountains - had formed!! It was difficult to believe that we were on earth! With the possible exception of the journey from Bern to Interlaken (Switzerland), I have never seen a more spectacular sight! The sight created a deep impression on me, as I had never expected to see snow-clad mountains around Fussen. (perhaps I had not done my homework thoroughly; just as well, for it came as a pleasant surprise) It was difficult to click photographs as the bus constantly turned left and right.
This bus being a replacement for the Marktoberdorf-Fussen train, took care to enter every village on the way and stop just outside the Bahnhof (railway station). German precision on full display! Hats off! Every village was simply charming - something unthinkable and unimaginable back in India that continues to be apathetically ruled and systematically ruined by politicians whom we elect but never dare question. Our respect and admiration for Germans - whether government or the common man - grew by the minute.
The bus reached its destination a little before schedule. Fussen was cold! But, charming. A friendly lady, who had been with us on the bus, showed us the direction to our hotel and armed with GPS, it was an extremely pleasant 15-minute walk through the delightful village, that brought us to Sankt Ulrich Gastehaus, located in a beautiful and serene residential locality; with snow clad peaks in the distance. On ringing the bell, the hostess opened the door and greeted us with a broad smile. It was a welcome change form Munich and Prague. The guest house -painted a sublime white - had a warm, welcoming ambience and as we went up to room no. 108 on the first floor, were reminded a bit of Hotel De La Paix at Interlaken. The room, with wooden parquet flooring, was lovely and adequately lit. It opened onto a balcony that afforded a fairly good view of the snow clad peaks. However, right in front was another hotel in triangular shape, that created a courtyard of sorts, to the guest house. We couldn't help thinking that had that hotel not been there, the view would have been much more spectacular.
After a brief rest, we set out to explore. Turned right after exiting the guesthouse and took the lovely cobbled road, slightly sloping downwards. It ran through a wood, with exquisite dwellings on either side. In a short while, through a clearing in the wood to our right, we caught a glimpse of bluish-green water flowing. A river! This was all that was needed to complete the rewarding experience. Earlier, I had noted on Google Maps that there was a water body behind our guest house. I had assumed it to be a lake. When we had started our walk, a friendly lady who probably lived in one of the magnificent dwellings around, asked us on her own whether we needed any help. On my enquiring of her about a lake, she said - in flawless English - that there were three in the area, the farthest named Altsee; an hour's walk away. She maintained that there was no lake behind our guest house, but never mentioned anything about a river ! (the methodical German mind can work to our disadvantage too, at times!) Anyway, the puzzle about the water body seen on Google maps was now solved - it was a gently flowing river whose soft gurgling music matched the sweet chirping of birds that were hiding in the woods. The scene reminded us a lot of Interlaken and even our very own Manali, but Fussen scored over either in neatness and being less commercialised. Needless to add, Fussen is way too cleaner and far less crowded than Manali. Walked on for a while, savouring every moment; then retraced our steps.
Walked past the guest house (halted for brief moments to watch three musicians play long, funny looking instruments) in the direction of the village centre, wanting to buy liquor at a supermarket on the way, but the lady there said that they had closed down for the day. She informed us that all shops in Fussen closed down at 20:00. The time then was 20:02! Germany, again! Enjoyed a short stroll along one of the many spic-n-span roads of the village; dined at a Chinese restaurant - Johnnie Walker, chicken in curry sauce and egg fried rice - that took more than half an hour to serve us, because the restaurant was filled with a large group of Chinese tourists who had obviously been brought there by their tour leader. Enjoyed the meal.
Returned to our abode along the now well-lit roads. Our day that had begun at Prague at 04:00 finally ended at Fussen around 21:30! We had travelled 550 kms. A day that was a kaleidoscope of countries, cities, towns, villages, trains, buses; and of course, nature! A very long but lovely day indeed!!
