Why Augsburg? Mum has a lovely photo of her first holy communion taken on the steps of a building in Augsburg. When I noticed how close the town was to Munich, I put it on my list of places to explore. It is also close to Dachau but I won’t be visiting there today.

I use the Trainline app to book the train tickets around Germany. It is easy to use and I only booked my tickets for today at 1am. I chose to travel on the ICE (regional train) in first class so I can have a window seat guaranteed.

For some reason my iPhone drains its battery quicker when I am overseas, even in airplane mode (which is highly recommended to save excessive drainage) I bought myself a Zip Zap portable charger which is designed and distributed by an Australian University student.

I noticed yesterday that my iPhone was low after I finished my blog on the train. So I got an extra 3 hours power by using the Zip Zap before I started to get worried about the low life again because my return ticket was on there. I guess that’s a good reason to print a paper copy as a backup if you can. I walked past a store in Salzburg that seemed to have mobile accessories. It was called LiBRO. The female assistant spoke very good English and she said that they had 1 powerbank left but it was quite bulky. Because of my anxiety to ensure that I could access my ticket I decided that the 37.99€ Euro price was worth it. But I also had to buy a charging cable for the iPhone to connect to the new powerbank. (which I did not carry with me but now realise that when you are travelling always have one handy because there are many places where you might be able to plug into). The assistant found me a charging cable for 14.99€ which I was happy to purchase and the total cost came to 53€ or about $84AUD. Worth it for peace of mind! Back on the train, I realised that the powerbank had solar cells for recharging too …. Cool!

Luggage and packing tips – always check the dimensions of the carry on for each airline. I bought a really cool gym bag from David Jones Miranda Westfield that I intended to use to travel to Iceland with my son next week. I dropped into mum’s and proudly showed her my new purchase … only to have her question me about whether the dimensions were acceptable for a carry on. (Go figure …. She hasn’t travelled since the 90,s … bless her sharp cognitive function!) A few measurements later I realised that it was too big for Icelandic Air carry on. So back to Westfields to find the correct bag which I finally found at Myer. I also started packing my main bag a few days before departure. Each day I would then rationalise my outfits and cull! I ended up with 17 kilo in my main bag. Important because I will have to lug the bag around myself on trains and planes! I don’t pack for just in case anymore but I pack what I know that I’ll wear and if I need anything else, I’ll buy it!

For information about travelling independently the Rome2Rio website is very informative and highly recommended. I have found that I am often directed to the site in Google to answer questions I may have when planning my trips.

This morning I remembered that breakfast was included in the price of my room so I decided to check it out. The range of foods on offer in the buffet were extensive. Eggs done any way with ham or bacon was also on offer. I ordered the scrambled eggs with ham and added a croissant. I had a little taste of the cured fish and blue cheese…. It was enough. The young waiter told me that he could not go to Australia because of all the spiders and snakes. 😆🙄

Europeans are amazing, there was a family at breakfast who were speaking in a language that I did not recognise… maybe Croatian or similar but they easily communicated with the waiter in English, which was not his original language either.

It was also not a problem to bring some extra milk and another bottle of bubble water to my room from the restaurant.

I decided that I needed the Europe coat today as there was a chill in the air. I walked to Munich Hauptbahnhof and easily found my platform and where to stand for my carriage. There were less people out and about this morning compared to yesterday

The ICE train to Augsburg was very clean and spacious plus the wifi worked. I was in a very comfortable single row seat for the short journey. This train was ultimately on its way to Hamburg.

As usual, I had no idea where to go so I just started walking and observing the architecture that eventually led me to the older part of town. Augsburg isn’t a touristy town but has plenty of shopping and a TK MAXX.

There was a cold wind blowing at times today so the choice to wear my euro coat was a blessing!

I took lots of photos of the buildings and landmarks hoping that mum might recognise some from her time here in 1945.

They’re doing major upgrades to the roads and buildings around Augsburg hauptbahnhof which will lift the look of the town. You can also gauge how touristy a town is by the amount of English speaking staff.

I stopped for a bite at Peter Panes! The wait staff here were attentive but clearly not as good with English as they are in Munich. The loaded fries were ok but I mainly stopped in here because it was next to the hauptbahnhof.

So a little bit of stress because when I arrived I walked into the shopping centre straight from the platform that train had stopped at. So I did not look to see if there were other platforms. I realised that I had to get to platform 4 but there was no obvious way to do it. I asked a lady if she knew and she explained that I had to go underground. The station is having major renovations so the escalators were cordoned off because they were being built. So I just thought to keep walking until I found a sign to platforms 4-12 where they were accessed by stairs leading down into a walkway and up to platform 4. Phew! Made it with enough time to figure out that I had to stand in area A for my carriage. There was wifi here so I could work on the blog during the trip. They also were giving out complimentary DB chocolates!

A photo would not show how I could see the Alps on the horizon but it was awesome to see them in the distance. Windmills also dotted the landscape as Germany is committed to using green energy.

Once back in Munich I changed my black euro coat for the new one I accidentally bought at TKMAXX in Augsburg.

I then took off to explore Munich! Of all places to lose my sense of direction! I walked the sleazy parts, found an old cathedral only to find out that Marienplatz was back where I started from. I walked back and then decided that I had seen enough of Munich and I went to find some dinner and then go to the hotel to post my blog.

The Da Vinci Ristorante is down the road from my hotel so I thought it was as good as anything and very convenient after a long day of walking.

I am looking forward to the degustations that I will have with Scott in Berlin.

I chose the chicken schnitzel with a glass of white wine. It was ok but not the best that I have had. It was served with chips and salad but it needed a sauce or gravy. It was also disappointing to have no wifi which is unusual in my experience. When I went to pay the bill, it was the first restaurant that asked for cash since I have been here. When I paid by card he was also the first to mention a tip and that is what they do in Germany…. I declined… no wifi and cash expectation after COVID? Fail! I would not recommend this place if you are in Munich.

While walking around Munich I realised that I had chosen well for the area and hotel location.

I go to Berlin tomorrow and see my baby!! I am very excited to see him and spend some quality time together. I get to see his place in Berlin. He lives in an area that I have not explored in my previous visits to the city.

Guten Nacht