For four months, I studied abroad in London, England. These notes are select entries from my experiences in the United Kingdom and Western Europe from that time.

Monday, November 30 –

I woke up around 6:30 a.m. and showered quickly before getting my things together. I hurried to the Sudbahnhoff to catch my Venice train, but I missed it by almost 10 minutes. So much for the reservation and the trip to Venice!

InterCity Express (ICE) train from Vienna

Disappointed at myself, I grabbed some breakfast while coming up with an alternative plan. My original idea was to spend two days in Venice before heading up to the Netherlands and Scandinavia. Since I wouldn’t have much time in Venice, I decided to head northwest back to Germany. I would take the 10:20 train to Salzburg, connect to München, and finally to Stuttgart. There I planned to stay for the evening and try to see the Porsche Museum on Tuesday. After that, I would make a short visit to Heidleburg and get a taste of the Black Forrest before making a stop in Luxembourg to see the Ardennes.

I rode the U-bahn to the Wien-West train station where I took the train to Stuttgart. I was able to see Wien Woods as the train left the station. I had a baguette lunch which I had saved from breakfast, along with a can of Pringles and Coke that I purchased on the train. I changed trains in Salzburg where I had a short layover for my Stuttgart train. I bought some Mozart chocolate candies while I was there for the family before leaving for Stuttgart.

The Austrian Alps from Salzburg to the western side of the country are absolutely gorgeous! We passed beside towering peaks covered in snow and glaciers. We also passed through a number of tunnels on the journey to great south German state of  Bayern.

My train arrived at the Stuttgart Hauptbahnhof at approximately 19:00 p.m. Like so many train stations in Europe, the station had an Information Center for booking a room. They are a fantastic resource and a grand institution in Europe. I traveled to my hotel by S-bahn to Charlottenplatz and checked in. The room cost $33 with a sink and TV and WC in the hallway. I grabbed a bratwurst and pilsner at a bar in the train station. I then went back to my room and watched television before going to be at midnight. I was tired from several days of traveling.