The next stage of our holiday was to take a DB ICE from Berlin down to Stuttgart.  We took a taxi to Berlin Ostbahnhof, rather than the main Hauptbahnhof – nearer to the hotel and a fraction of the platforms all at one level.  It was also the starting point for the train, so less of a scramble for seats.  I had booked seats, but was a little confused by the fact that there was no coach 13 in the train.  Waiting for our train there was plenty to see passing through the rather cold station.

It was snowing as we left Berlin, and rained for much of the journey. It was very comfortable travelling DB 1st class, in the quiet coach. Not much more expensive than 2nd class, so worth it for a long journey.  Plenty to see, but the weather messed up most of my photos.  It was comfortable, as you can see.  The train also reversed direction twice, at Frankfurt and Mannheim, that gave us a glimpse inside the driving cab.

Some terrible photos of the trains on the trip…..

It was meant to be a 6 1/2 hour journey, but consistently lost time later in the trip, and we were an hour late into Stuttgart.  No worry, as it was comfortable enough.  On arrival at Stuttgart, there was a less relaxing walk to find the S-bahn entrance (that had all changed since I last used it, due to the massive new but incomplete station being built underground) and a stroppy taxi driver from the airport to the hotel.  We arrived to find Derek and Allan enjoying a beer in the hotel lobby, having arrived from the UK earlier and unloaded all our railway at the Messe.

Next day would be the set-up day for the show.