Looking again at the conference schedule, I realized that the actual presentations finished up at 1230. Then there was lunch (2.4€) followed by a ride to the U-Bahn. My train was scheduled for 1900 since I thought it was a full day.
Does this sound reasonable? Hanging out and waiting for a later train? Since I have both a bag and a backpack, it is not like I am completely light on my feet able to whip around town and cruise through museums. And I really, really should stay out of yarn stores. Seriously, I need nothing. Except a long 2.00 circ. And some yarn needles, could use extras since they seems to vanish all the time.
My train ticket has no restrictions; there is a nice easy connection in Stuttgart if I catch the 1340. Reservations from the ticket machine just in case.
The train is late. No sweat, says the announcer – 10 minutes late arriving due to issues at the border and 10 minutes late leaving here. The other choices are worse, by the time I figure them out, the last option is pulling away from the station two tracks over.
We arrive in Stuttgart with 2 minutes to go on my connection. Arriving on track 9, it is leaving on track 8. But that is not the same platform, other side. It is down, under and up. Dodging people with trundling suitcases, strollers and groups greeting I get to this insurmountable mountain of a staircase to platform 8. I am tired, carrying suitcase and backpack. I hear the “door closing announcement and force myself up the stairs at a dead run. As I top the rise, I can see the conductors. Stumbling I head for the nearest door, motioning at the other track. I don’t care that it is the wrong car, I just collapse in the entry and pant for a couple of minutes.
Suddenly I feel old. I should just not be this tired, heart thumping after a dash of only a few hundred meters.
I am glad to find I am only a car off and fall gracelessly into my seat. I can hardly hold my knitting needles and just listen to more Callahan on my way to Heidelberg. By the time I get there, the Straßenbahn seems like a perfectly reasonable way to get home.
It is only a small mountain side to climb to the house.
Pyramid
Packing up just before I headed to the train station, I have less than 10 rows to go. Nice thing about steadily decreasing garter stitch – each row gets easier and easier and shorter.
about to start the neck
