We didn’t expect to pass through “Kissing” this morning. Though it was a nice surprise:) We learned more about “Kissing” (not better time than the present:), as well as about the German train system and ‘mobility’. For example, that the wheelchair space on trains should be kept clear for wheelchair users so that passengers can board and get off trains more swiftly and don’t delay trains… – that’s what the sign in German says:)

And that when trains are delayed, the announcement doesn’t apologise for a delay, well it’s not really a ‘delay’ anymore, the concept doesn’t exist in German anyways, but it says that “this train today will run 5 minutes later than the scheduled time” – check it out on the short video below:) No ‘delay’ and no need to apologise. They must have spent millions on this really smart marketing-driven twist on ‘delays’.

We went to the Therapy Centre in Burgau, an hour and a half away from Munich by train – though in our case it took almost an hour longer, unexpectedly, because we learned during the journey that our train would arrive on platform 2 and that there were only stairs off that platform which we could not have navigated with Pádraig. So we had to travel on a few stations further, Günzburg, which has lifts, wait for the train back and get off in Burgay, this time on platform 1, which is right beside the exit from the train station. Good job we had left a ‘bonus’ hour for the trip, so we didn’t arrive late for our appointment.

We went to Burgau for a neurological and rehab assessment. That all went extremely well, with Pádraig taking everybody by surprise, pushing his wheelchair forward almost (maybe 50%) by himself! A pretty good job! Completely unexpected and un-“rehearsed”. And another first!

Tonight, I met an old friend. For a few hours, I felt a whiff of the carefree me from a long time ago. We laughed a lot as we updated each other on our lives. Not that either of us had much to laugh about, if I think about it. But it was good to laugh. And to pretend I could be someone who I once was…

Tomorrow, well, it’s back off to Dublin in the early hours!