Today I planned to go to Ulm. My friends recommended a special day pass that would get me anywhere local in Germany for 23 Euros after 9 am. The train was 29-36 each way, plus the trip to Munich Hbf and back (and any other transit today) so the cost savings were quite significant.

I arrived at the station at 8:40 am, bought my ticket and arrived at the main station with plenty of time to spare. Everything seemed super straightforward until I went to get on the train, which didn't say Ulm. I asked a lovely woman, and she said it was the correct train. Later, she came up and told me that the train was splitting in Augsburg. Apparently there was an accident on the track where the Ulm train usually departs, so they switched tracks and joined trains. I got on the correct half of the train and went on with my trip. They later announced it in English so I would have been fine, but it explained why I couldn't find the Ulm sign.

The train was two hours which gave me plenty of time to catch up on my blog writing. I arrived just before noon and made my way to the Ulmer Muenster just in time to catch the noon bells chiming. I walked around the church for a few minutes and then climbed up the 768 very narrow steps to the top. It wasn't as bad as I thought it was going to be. My legs started burning a bit around the church bells, which were about 2/3 of the way to the top. There was a little stop/vantage point so I stopped to take a few pictures and then continued on my way. I got to the next landing, which looked like the top (but wasn't) and took a ton of photos. I walked around and found another set of stairs, which went to the very top of the tower. I'm comfortable with heights, and pretty stable on my feet, but the stairs and height were a bit unnerving. It was wet and the stairs were quite slick, and they weren't a set you would want to fall on. The view from the top was incredible. I spent almost an hour on the tiny platform taking pictures and taking everything in. I made the descent and ended up in the gift shop. I forgot to set my Fitbit on workout mode, and debated walking back up to time myself, but decided against it.

I walked around Ulm for an hour looking for Maultaschen for lunch and finally found some at this adorable little deli. They also had goulash (or something very similar) and I couldn't resist. The Maultaschen were fried with egg - they looked like they were dropped in scrambled egg and then fried. The filling was nothing like mom's but good nevertheless. I spent another couple of hours walking around and found a couple of very pretty sections. It was such an odd town with a mix of very high end shops and lots of junky discount places, often next to each other.

I took the train home, ate a light dinner, and headed to bed.