Prologue...

My fascination for Germany stemmed from what, I still do not know clearly. Probably it might have grown out of my undying admiration for the German national soccer team, Steffi Graf, Boris Becker, Mercs, BMWs', Audis' and very many things with the German stamp. Can I include Hitler also or shall I have to leave it out for the world's sake?

I still remember while in school I had picked up a book on Germany from its library stock clearance. It had glossy pages full of details and photographs. I have spent many a night turning those pages over and over again, feeding my obsession.

Well, I satiated my obsession to some extent during my recent visit to Duesseldorf and Cologne, as I left my first footprints on the German soil. Before traveling to Switzerland, I had pledged that among the countries I would set foot on, Germany would get the first honour and it did happen so.

It had been three weeks since I had arrived in Zurich and in none of the weekends I had absorbed the sights and sounds outside Zurich and my inner self had started questioning my bohemian instincts. With the start of the fourth week, things had to get moving and it got too. Pen and paper in hand, I could see scribblings (my slang for itinerary, here) coming fast and swift. Where to go, how to go, modes of transport, places to see, must sees', all had their presence on my three sheet travel plan.

Next, it was time to match words with actions. I headed straight for the Bahnhof (station) to get my tickets. My mode of transport was to be train and I had my research on the convenient train options in place. The lady at the ticketing centre polished my plan a bit more with her invaluable suggestions. I was to start on Friday night after office. A nine and half hour overnight train ride, and I was to see the light of the day in Duesseldorf. The entire Saturday was to be spent at Duesseldorf with a night halt and Sunday it was to be Cologne calling and from there I was to take my train back to Zurich via Basel.

It got my tickets on Wednesday. So the sure part of the plan was that I was boarding the train on Friday. But what about accommodation? I just had a day and a half before the whistles were to blow and I still did not see a place to put up in the horizon. I started checking hostel options since I wanted to travel as a backpacker in thought and action (I was to carry only a backpack). I found a lot of good hostels but none of them would offer me a single bed in a separate room (my first preference), so I thought I would settle for the dorms where I would have to put up with people from a plethora of nationalities. But being tethered by some strings of worry back home, I had to reconsider my decision. That's when my room mate suggested me the bed and breakfast (B&B) option. The next day (Thursday, a day before I was to travel) I searched the B&B options in Duesseldorf and got some good hits. But the one I narrowed down to was www.bedandbreakfast.de. Why and how did I narrow down to this option? Well, two things fed my conviction about the choice. Firstly they had a neat website with all the necessary details in place. That was judging the book by its cover. Secondly, they had offerings of a single bed with a separate room on the date I wanted it. I immediately wrote to them. They took some time to reply back, but thankfully they did and that too with an offering for that date. No prior payments, I just had to fill up a form and send them. I did all that was necessary from my side and by the end of the day I had an address in Duesseldorf. With the nightfall on Thursday, all the vitals were ready and I was raring to go. The day of execution was just a few hours away.