Monday, August 6, 2012
Train to Schiphol Airport took shorter than I expected: about 13 minutes, 3.80 euros. On the train I ate a chocolate-coated granola bar left over from a previous breakfast. AMS to CGN via KLM: about 40 minutes. Upon arrival in Cologne I learned that the sim card I bought in Amsterdam doesn't work here like I had hoped. It says, "Locked SIM." CGN to K Hansaring via VRS, 2.60 euros. A stranger helped me with the train and the transfer and gave me a city map—nice! Transfer at K Hansaring to U15 to Rudolfplatz. When I emerged from underground I would not have known where to walk if it weren't for a nearby sign that said Barceló. Checked in at Barceló Cologne City Center at 11:30 AM. Settled in the room. Complimentary .25-liter bottle of Staatl Fachingen still water. My satisfaction with my hotel room is mixed. Things I like: it's a large room, it has air conditioning, it has a desk with easy access to ports and power. Things I don't like: it feels old and cheap-elegant of the 1970s. The air conditioning is noisier than I like, and the controls look like they are from the 1970s. The furniture is mostly (faux?) oak, brass-plating, and silver-plating. Things that are weird or feel old-school to me: There are two telephone books, there are buttons to electronically and remotely raise or lower a set of louvers for the windows, but the louvers themselves cannot be rotated to be louver-open or louver-closed. Only one of the three windows opens. The room is sufficient, but it sorely needs a complete interior redesign. I was given a set of credentials for the free wifi. I have two devices, and the first one connected successfully, but it won't let me connect the second one. When checking in, the front desk ought to ask how many internet devices do you plan to connect? Internet speed test: 2287 down / 814 up. Woo hoo! Those are some pretty nice speeds. Lunch at Cafe Rico: tomato, mozzarella, and basil grilled sandwich (bikini); 6 ounces of lemon juice (zitronensaft): 6.70 euros. I didn't know what the tipping custom was, and I forgot to look it up beforehand. I watched 3 different tables leave and only one left money behind. I left about 10% in coins on the table. I looked up the tipping custom on Google: the waitperson comes to your table and it's common to tip 5% to 10%, usually rounding up to the next whole euro. However, it's not customary to leave coins behind on the table. There is a good description of this and other restaurant customs on tripadvisor. Hotel. Started laundry across the street at Eco-Express. (Notes: vollwaschmittel = full detergent, weichspüler = softener, colorwaschmittel = color detergent.) Walked to Aachener Weiher, took a few photos. I noticed that cigarettes can be sold from vending machines here. Walked back. Started the dryer. Hotel. Picked up clothes. Hotel. Another internet speed test: 2490 down / 752 up. Dinner at Cafe Waschsalon: wiener schnitzel, french fries, side salad, small Kölsch: 10.50 euros before a 1.50 tip. Bought groceries for breakfast at Rewe City. Uploaded photos to Flickr. I did this via iPhoto because some of the images needed brightening first.