Last night after checking in we walk to the Greek restaurant next to the train station for dinner. There is a hen party going on in one of the nearby tables. Sometime during the evening the bride and a couple of her friends from the hen party come to our table with some roses and ask us if we would like to buy some. It is a contribution towards her wedding. We buy some roses and wish her well.
The forecast for today is rain, but when I wake up the sky is clear. I wait till eight and there is no word from Kumar annan. I would like to start the week the way I mean to carry on and so I go for my walk on my own. I take my regular path across the railway crossing, past the church, the fields and along the lake. I can see the mist rising in the distance from the mountains. There is hardly anybody around, the air is still and the only sounds come from the flowing streams, the hourly church chimes and the half hourly whistles from BOB (Bayerische overlandbahn), the only train which services this area as it passes the unmanned level crossings.
Nothing much has changed from last year. The ducks are having an early morning leisurely swim. A mum and daughter are taking a dip in the lake. Further along a dog is having a fun time in the lake cooling off after a walk. I listen to music as I walk, songs I have saved for such an occasion. The songs mirror what I’m seeing and is describing the early morning mist and the serene lake. More joggers cross my path and most say ‘guten morgen’ with a smile. The walk is 5.5 miles and I do it at a rate of under 15 minutes per mile.
When I get back we have a late breakfast and walk to the lake. A jazz band is playing on the stage in the park next to the lake. We stop and listen to them playing ‘Pennsylvania 6-5000’. It sounds like a fun song. After this I walk around the lake for the second time today, this time with the rest of the gang and at a bit more slower pace. The sun is out and it turns out to be quite a pleasant day unlike the predicted forecast. This time there are more people on the walking trail. The late breakfast meant that we are not hungry, but we stop off for a drink on our way back and end up eating more than we plan to.
There is a lovely cake shop on the way back. The temptation proves too much and we buy some to have with our evening tea. The poppy seeded cake is finger licking delicious.
There is an evening welcome party at the hotel for the guests. Nobody else wants to join me, and so I go on my own. An elderly couple feel sorry for me when they see me sitting on my own and ask me to join them. They start telling me about themselves when Chris starts his invitation speech. Another guy talks about these night walks that he organises. This intrigues me and I catch him later to get more information. Now I need to persuade the rest of the team to join me on Wednesday.
We find a quiet restaurant for dinner. It was too quiet and the rest of the customers are sitting further away, so much so that I switch on some Malayalam songs and we listen to it as we tuck into dinner. It’s been a good day. Now let’s see what tomorrow has in store for us.
