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beelikejIn my second week of Summervacation (about a month after my first), I traveled to Germany for a few days. First to Wuppertal, where I wanted to ride the Schwebebahn, the oldest electric elevated railway with hanging cars in the world, built between 1897 and 1903. On my way back I planned a stop in Duisburg to climb Tiger & Turtle, an art installation rollercoaster staircase! In between I spent time reading on the train and in the bath. I also visited a sculpture park. Of course I made a ton of photos (about 800), here is a selection to share all the views from up high :-)
Day 1: Traintravel to Wuppertal
Around 8:15: Bye bye bicycle, hello first train of the day.
Changing to an international train (09:48) and again to a local train in Rhein, Germany (10:30).
One final change in Hagen (13:32) and arrival in Wuppertal a little after 2 o'clock in the afternoon!
Tadaah! I get very excited when I see the Schwebebahn cross the square in front of the station.
There are old photos of the Schwebebahn all around, I love it; the built started in 1901. I cross under the track on my walk to the hotel.
From the Wuppertal (valley of the Wupper river), I have to climb the Johannesberg (mountain). I come across artwork along the way: Zufuhr-Skulptur by Tony Cragg (1996). There are a lot of sculptures from Cragg all over Wuppertal; there is an art track on the Johannesberg and he has his own huge sculpture park, which I will visit later.
My hotel is right next to a swimmingpool, yay! Worth climbing for ;-)
I have a lovely room with a cosy corner, where I sit down for a while to finish my book, before venturing into town.
You can see it in the mirror: there is a bath which I will enjoy tonight.
Around 17:30 I walk back down to Wuppertal, there is convenient pedestrianbridge to cross the busy road.
There is also a great view of the Schwebebahn, I get so giddy seeing the blue cars floating by.
The hotel provided a walking route past some sights, I'm doing half of it on my way to dinner. This sculpture is titled 'Ein neuer erfolgreicher Tag' ('Another successful day' by Guillaume Bijl, its nickname is "Krawattenmann" (Tie man)
View from Friedrich-Ebert Straße on the Neue Kirche or Sophienkirche (1858).
The Mahnmal für die Opfer des Nationalsozialismus (Memorial to the victims of National Socialism) Der Mensch sei Mensch with a sculpture by Herbert Vohwahsen in front of it. In 2011 names of 3100 victims where added to the back of the memorial.
Water sculpture by Carlernst Kürten in Deweerth'scher Garten.
Painted figures in Obergrünewalder Straße by artist Maurycy (POL1980)
Had to eat here, I like the pun, well done Burger King Whoppertal :-D
Had a basic burger and fries, but the drink was very cool: Summernade mit Zuckerwatte! Lemonade with strawberry cotton candy, yes, that fluff is supposed to go into the drink...
... for a fun coloring effect and interesting flavor combo, I liked it a lot!
There's a open air opera performance in front of the Basilika St. Laurentius (1825). I enjoy it for a bit until the amount of smokers annoys me too much and I walk back to my hotel.
Along the way I enjoy a beautiful sunset and the lit up Schwebebahn!
Day 2: Schwebebahn! Suspension Train!
Today is all about the Schwebebahn in Wuppertal. Based on a system invented by engineer Eugen Langen, construction was overseen by master builder Wilhelm Feldmann. The first part of the railway came into operation in 1901, the final stop in Oberbarmen opened on 27 June 1903. The Schwebebahn is still operating today! The track is about 13 km long and it takes about 30 minutes to go from beginning to end.
I was wondering what the floorpattern on my hotel carpet was and discover the artpiece on the wall; how funky is that skyline of Wuppertal?!
Breakfast: the bread in Germany is much denser than I'm used to, but with the scrambled eggs on top it is lovely. For seconds i try the pancakes with cherry jam.
It's time to get on the Schwebebahn! This is the rather futuristic looking Ohligsmühle station, just across the pedestrian bridge from my hotel. I buy a 24h ticket.
From the Ohligsmühle station you see an old Art-deco bridge. I only take the Schwebebahn to the next stop, Haubtbahnhof, for a quick visit to the touristinformaton center, where I get a guide with all the stations.
Schwebebahn trains run every five minutes, in both directions. The tracks run above the Wupper river (except for four stations downtown). Get ready for a Schwebebahn picspam!
So giddy I got a seat at the back of the train, which has a full sized window for a grand view.
I travel all the way to the end of the line at Oberarmen/Berliner Platz, where I watch the train turn (Check out my YouTube playlist of the Schwebebahn!)
After enjoying the mechanics, I get on the Schwebebahn again to ride it all the way to the beginning at Vohwinkel.
*Happy sigh*
The Sonnborner Eisenbahnbrücke (railroad bridge, built in 1839, broadened in 1911) is the only structure that goes over the Schwebebahn.
Right after, the track bends away from the river to continue through the Sonnborner Straße; the support structure is no longer straight, but has softer round curves.
I hang around Vohwinkel station to watch the trains turn around. I also buy a souvenir magnet.
See that little orange red box on the wall of the station? That's where you stamp and validate your ticket, which I didn't realize I had had to do, until now. Oops! After correcting that, I get back on the Schwebebahn.
Now that I've ridden the whole line, I know where to look for specific sights: just beyond Adlerbrücke station, in the direction of Alter Markt, there is a sculpture of a tiny elephant down in the river. On July 21, 1950 young elephant Tuffi (4 years old) jumped out of the moving suspension railway during a trip to advertise the circus in town; she got away with only a scratch on her bottom (and lived until 1989).
I get off at Werther Brücke station, one of the original Jugendstill buildings still standing. I walk all around it and take loads of photos *chinhands*
From the Schwebebahn you can also spot a few murals, it's hard to photograph them! These hands are part of an artwork that wraps around the building, it's based on a photo by Anne-Chritine Poujoulat of a dance performance "Cafe Müller" and painted by Case Maclaim.
I travel back to the Haubtbahnhof to do the second half of that walking tour the hotel gave me. This is the former Abeler Clockmuseum in the Poststraße decorated with a massive Glockenspiel from 1951. On the corner of Schwanenstraße is a worldclock by Georg Abeler (1962). The museum was closed in 2016.
My favorite fountain EVER: luscious Jubiläumsbrunnen (Jubilee Fountain) by Leo Müsch (1900) in front of the Rathaus Elberfeld at Neumarkt, is said to be a replica of the 1767 Neptune fountain in Trient (Trento) by Francesco Antonio Giongo, but I think the Müsch design is a much more interesting version with life-like, lascivious bodies and -ehm- intriguing groin areas. If you ever joined in the debate about mermen and (ichthyo)centaurs, here are some sculptures to study :-D
Also: look how the figure on the left is holding that fish by its gills. Amazing details all around.
Zuckerfritz by Ulle Hees (1979), sculpture of Fritz Poth (1831-1906), who used his wheelbarrow wheelbarrow to run errands and transport packages. His fondness for sweets earned him his nickname 'Sugar Fritz'.
My lunch at Torri Eiscafe: tosti hawaii and a hot chocolate.
Funny façade face at Willy-Brandt-Platz.
Final part (officially the starting point) of my walking tour: Kirchplatz with a sculpture to commemorate the care for the poor by Hans-Joachim Camphausen (2011) based on the original bronze memorial by Wilhelm Neumann-Torborg from 1903, that was melted down in WWII. In the background CityKirche Elberfeld (1690, restaured in 1953, converted in 2001).
Oooh! Back in my hotel I found chocolate in my 'no need to clean the room bag' that I had hung on my door this morning.
Bought some snacks myself on my walk.
After sorting out my souvenirs, I went for a swim in the Schwimmoper next door; it was very loud with kids' swimminglessons and lots of teens all over the place, but it was great to cool down in the water.
After a relaxing read, I went out for dinner. I found a typical German restaurant Wagner am Maüerchen, where I enjoyed a Schnitzel 'Pfifferling' (chanterell mushroom) and Bratkartoffeln (fried potatoes)
I went back to Torri Eiscafe for a delicious dessert: a Flipper (vanilla icecream with orangejuice, cream, amarena cherry & sauce)
What an awesome day!
Day 3: Sculpturepark Waldfrieden
Two round of breakfast again :-)
When I got back to my room, my 'no need to clean the room' baggie was already filled with chocolate!
I spent the morning in the bath with a book (from the Temeraire series by Naomi Novik). Bliss.
The afternoon was all about sculptures (and walking, so much walking).
I found some more art on the Johannesberg: steel 'Rondo' by Alf Lechner (1998) in front of the Stadthalle (1900) and wooden 'Elastisch schwebend' by Claus Bury (2001).
With another 24h ticket, I get on the Schwebebahn again, look at it gooooo! (View from Ohligsmühle station)
I get off at Landgericht (another Jugendstill station).
After taking yet more photos of the Schwebebahn, I walk/climb to Skulpturenpark Waldfrieden.
Tony Cragg, a British sculptor living in Wuppertal, bought the abandoned Waldfrieden property in 2006 and turned it into a Sculpture Park, with a large permanent collection all around the park grounds and changing exhibitions of international artists in several huge glass buildings.
On the climb towards the actual entrance to the park, there are already several sculptures by Tony Cragg: Bulb (2000) and To the Knee (2008).
In the park, there's first a lush garden with several sculptures, here are my favorites:
two adorable sculptures by Joan Miró: Femme (1981) and in the back Personnage (1978) (see my Instagram for a close up)
Draped Seated Woman by Henry Moore (1957) - this is Cast 1 of a series; I saw another version (Cast 5) in The National Gallery of Victoria, Melbourne, Australia (see post April 2023)
Then there's a long winding trail through the woods, taking you past loads of sculptures.
Dancing Column by Tony Cragg (2008).
Babel Variationen II by Peter Buggehout (2025)
Helter by Thomas Virnich (2015) + detail, look at that texture!
One of the indoor Line of Thought exhibitions by Tony Cragg: "there are many more things that don't exist than do exist”. These exhibitions run until January 1, 2026.
With the high glass windows and surrounded by trees, this also feels like you're still out in the park.
The yellow Sculpture in the back is Conversion from the Industrial Nature series (2020).
The Wooden sculptures are called Lost in Thought; I was baffled by their intricate construction.
Irruption by Eva Hild (2011)
Tongue by Not Viatal (2010 and in the background, next to the bench Chinese Horse by William Tucker (2003) and in the middle Mixed Feelings by Tony Cragg (2012)
Another favorite: 3 Gurken by Erwin Wurm (2012) [Three pickles!]
Also: rotating-mirror-horizontal by Mischa Kubali (2023) *waves*
Mariana W's World by Jaume Plensa (2012) [See also my Instagram onArt Zuid Amsterdam 2025]
Big Psycho 10 by Erwin Wurm (2010) [Which I also saw at Art Zuid Amsterdam in 2021, see DW post here (+LJ)]
After the final indoors exhibition of Tony Cragg glass sculptures and sketches, I stroll back down to the Schwebebahn at Landgericht and decide to ride it to the end station again before going into town for dinner. Wheeeee!
Finally managed to take a photo of the Herz Jesu Kirche (near station Völklinger Straße).
From Ohligsmühle station I walk through the Laurentius straße for an unrestricted view of the Basilika St. Laurentius (1825), but the stage is still there from Sunday evening's opera performance.
I have dinner at Italian restaurant Nonna di Mia; Steinofenbrot (bread) as a starter and Lasagne as a main. I'm too full for dessert!! But I did have two huge glassed of the pink summerlemonade with dragonfruit, raspberry and lemon, omnomnom.
Day 4: Tiger & Turtle rollercoaster staircase
Final hotel breakfast: 'Essen ist ein Bedürfnis, Genießen ist eine Kunst'
(Eating is a necessity, enjoying [food] is an art).
My ticket from yesterday is still valid, so I take the Schwebebahn to the station. One final pretty view.
I get a trainticket and travelplan to Duisburg. Bye, Wuppertal.
Hey, remember that The Sonnborner Eisenbahnbrücke (railroad bridge, built in 1839, broadened in 1911), the only structure that goes over the Schwebebahn? My train goes over it! One last look at the Schwebebahn, aaahw.
After about half an hour, I change trains in Düsseldorf and another half hour later I arrive in Duisburg, ist Echt!
I take the subway/tram, which I find a little confusing because the end station has different names on the plan and on the board, but I figure it out, yay!
St. Bonifatius Church (1911).
The tramstop is called Tiger & Turtle and there are signs pointing in the right direction. The rollercoaster is visible on the top of the Heinrich-Hildebrand-Höhe, there's a winding road leading up to it. Pfff, more climbing.
But look how cool!
There are two sides leading up to the loop, I start with the long way around, walking up and down the stairs to reach the loop.
This is the view from the highest point, with the loop in the background. Amazing view. There is a bit of wind, and when I lean against the railing to take photos, I feel the structure vibrating.
Made it to the loop!
I walk back down and then take the other way around, which is a lot steeper (I call the longer part the turtle, and this short climb the tiger, like a tiger's jump;-)
From this end you get a good view of the winding up and down parts of the structure. Wheeee!
An hour later I'm back at the tram, where I can buy a ticket at the machine to go back to the station.
Ha! A miniature trainset at the Duisburg Haubtbahnhof, cute.
I get a German curry Wurst (Sausage) with fries to go. Fortunately it was packed to stay warm, because there's a lot of running back and forth to catch the train. Right before it was supposed to arrive, there's an announcement that it moved from track 1 to track 12, but when all the passengers get there, it says to go to yet another track (track 11, not on the same platform) and there the board says to go back to the first track where the board now redirects to track 11, but there is a warning on the platform to not enter that train. But when I see people already in there, I manage to check the route on the inside board and it does have my destination on it, so I jump on right on time, pffff. I'm very sweaty from all of that, but I find a seat and I have a (still) hot meal, so I'm fine.
I change trains in Vierssen (Germany) and Venlo (The Netherlands), where I sit and read for an hour and half until peak hours are over and I can continue with my discount card for the final leg home.
Finished two books this trip, starting in Mary Shelly's Frankenstein on the way back.
Check out my final souvenir loot.
I had a marvelous time.
The End.
J.
X-posted to https://beelikej.livejournal.com/587843.html
Lurk or comment wherever you like:)
Day 1: Traintravel to Wuppertal
Around 8:15: Bye bye bicycle, hello first train of the day.
Changing to an international train (09:48) and again to a local train in Rhein, Germany (10:30).
One final change in Hagen (13:32) and arrival in Wuppertal a little after 2 o'clock in the afternoon!
Tadaah! I get very excited when I see the Schwebebahn cross the square in front of the station.
There are old photos of the Schwebebahn all around, I love it; the built started in 1901. I cross under the track on my walk to the hotel.
From the Wuppertal (valley of the Wupper river), I have to climb the Johannesberg (mountain). I come across artwork along the way: Zufuhr-Skulptur by Tony Cragg (1996). There are a lot of sculptures from Cragg all over Wuppertal; there is an art track on the Johannesberg and he has his own huge sculpture park, which I will visit later.
My hotel is right next to a swimmingpool, yay! Worth climbing for ;-)
I have a lovely room with a cosy corner, where I sit down for a while to finish my book, before venturing into town.
You can see it in the mirror: there is a bath which I will enjoy tonight.
Around 17:30 I walk back down to Wuppertal, there is convenient pedestrianbridge to cross the busy road.
There is also a great view of the Schwebebahn, I get so giddy seeing the blue cars floating by.
The hotel provided a walking route past some sights, I'm doing half of it on my way to dinner. This sculpture is titled 'Ein neuer erfolgreicher Tag' ('Another successful day' by Guillaume Bijl, its nickname is "Krawattenmann" (Tie man)
View from Friedrich-Ebert Straße on the Neue Kirche or Sophienkirche (1858).
The Mahnmal für die Opfer des Nationalsozialismus (Memorial to the victims of National Socialism) Der Mensch sei Mensch with a sculpture by Herbert Vohwahsen in front of it. In 2011 names of 3100 victims where added to the back of the memorial.
Water sculpture by Carlernst Kürten in Deweerth'scher Garten.
Painted figures in Obergrünewalder Straße by artist Maurycy (POL1980)
Had to eat here, I like the pun, well done Burger King Whoppertal :-D
Had a basic burger and fries, but the drink was very cool: Summernade mit Zuckerwatte! Lemonade with strawberry cotton candy, yes, that fluff is supposed to go into the drink...
... for a fun coloring effect and interesting flavor combo, I liked it a lot!
There's a open air opera performance in front of the Basilika St. Laurentius (1825). I enjoy it for a bit until the amount of smokers annoys me too much and I walk back to my hotel.
Along the way I enjoy a beautiful sunset and the lit up Schwebebahn!
Day 2: Schwebebahn! Suspension Train!
Today is all about the Schwebebahn in Wuppertal. Based on a system invented by engineer Eugen Langen, construction was overseen by master builder Wilhelm Feldmann. The first part of the railway came into operation in 1901, the final stop in Oberbarmen opened on 27 June 1903. The Schwebebahn is still operating today! The track is about 13 km long and it takes about 30 minutes to go from beginning to end.
I was wondering what the floorpattern on my hotel carpet was and discover the artpiece on the wall; how funky is that skyline of Wuppertal?!
Breakfast: the bread in Germany is much denser than I'm used to, but with the scrambled eggs on top it is lovely. For seconds i try the pancakes with cherry jam.
It's time to get on the Schwebebahn! This is the rather futuristic looking Ohligsmühle station, just across the pedestrian bridge from my hotel. I buy a 24h ticket.
From the Ohligsmühle station you see an old Art-deco bridge. I only take the Schwebebahn to the next stop, Haubtbahnhof, for a quick visit to the touristinformaton center, where I get a guide with all the stations.
Schwebebahn trains run every five minutes, in both directions. The tracks run above the Wupper river (except for four stations downtown). Get ready for a Schwebebahn picspam!
So giddy I got a seat at the back of the train, which has a full sized window for a grand view.
I travel all the way to the end of the line at Oberarmen/Berliner Platz, where I watch the train turn (Check out my YouTube playlist of the Schwebebahn!)
After enjoying the mechanics, I get on the Schwebebahn again to ride it all the way to the beginning at Vohwinkel.
*Happy sigh*
The Sonnborner Eisenbahnbrücke (railroad bridge, built in 1839, broadened in 1911) is the only structure that goes over the Schwebebahn.
Right after, the track bends away from the river to continue through the Sonnborner Straße; the support structure is no longer straight, but has softer round curves.
I hang around Vohwinkel station to watch the trains turn around. I also buy a souvenir magnet.
See that little orange red box on the wall of the station? That's where you stamp and validate your ticket, which I didn't realize I had had to do, until now. Oops! After correcting that, I get back on the Schwebebahn.
Now that I've ridden the whole line, I know where to look for specific sights: just beyond Adlerbrücke station, in the direction of Alter Markt, there is a sculpture of a tiny elephant down in the river. On July 21, 1950 young elephant Tuffi (4 years old) jumped out of the moving suspension railway during a trip to advertise the circus in town; she got away with only a scratch on her bottom (and lived until 1989).
I get off at Werther Brücke station, one of the original Jugendstill buildings still standing. I walk all around it and take loads of photos *chinhands*
From the Schwebebahn you can also spot a few murals, it's hard to photograph them! These hands are part of an artwork that wraps around the building, it's based on a photo by Anne-Chritine Poujoulat of a dance performance "Cafe Müller" and painted by Case Maclaim.
I travel back to the Haubtbahnhof to do the second half of that walking tour the hotel gave me. This is the former Abeler Clockmuseum in the Poststraße decorated with a massive Glockenspiel from 1951. On the corner of Schwanenstraße is a worldclock by Georg Abeler (1962). The museum was closed in 2016.
My favorite fountain EVER: luscious Jubiläumsbrunnen (Jubilee Fountain) by Leo Müsch (1900) in front of the Rathaus Elberfeld at Neumarkt, is said to be a replica of the 1767 Neptune fountain in Trient (Trento) by Francesco Antonio Giongo, but I think the Müsch design is a much more interesting version with life-like, lascivious bodies and -ehm- intriguing groin areas. If you ever joined in the debate about mermen and (ichthyo)centaurs, here are some sculptures to study :-D
Also: look how the figure on the left is holding that fish by its gills. Amazing details all around.
Zuckerfritz by Ulle Hees (1979), sculpture of Fritz Poth (1831-1906), who used his wheelbarrow wheelbarrow to run errands and transport packages. His fondness for sweets earned him his nickname 'Sugar Fritz'.
My lunch at Torri Eiscafe: tosti hawaii and a hot chocolate.
Funny façade face at Willy-Brandt-Platz.
Final part (officially the starting point) of my walking tour: Kirchplatz with a sculpture to commemorate the care for the poor by Hans-Joachim Camphausen (2011) based on the original bronze memorial by Wilhelm Neumann-Torborg from 1903, that was melted down in WWII. In the background CityKirche Elberfeld (1690, restaured in 1953, converted in 2001).
Oooh! Back in my hotel I found chocolate in my 'no need to clean the room bag' that I had hung on my door this morning.
Bought some snacks myself on my walk.
After sorting out my souvenirs, I went for a swim in the Schwimmoper next door; it was very loud with kids' swimminglessons and lots of teens all over the place, but it was great to cool down in the water.
After a relaxing read, I went out for dinner. I found a typical German restaurant Wagner am Maüerchen, where I enjoyed a Schnitzel 'Pfifferling' (chanterell mushroom) and Bratkartoffeln (fried potatoes)
I went back to Torri Eiscafe for a delicious dessert: a Flipper (vanilla icecream with orangejuice, cream, amarena cherry & sauce)
What an awesome day!
Day 3: Sculpturepark Waldfrieden
Two round of breakfast again :-)
When I got back to my room, my 'no need to clean the room' baggie was already filled with chocolate!
I spent the morning in the bath with a book (from the Temeraire series by Naomi Novik). Bliss.
The afternoon was all about sculptures (and walking, so much walking).
I found some more art on the Johannesberg: steel 'Rondo' by Alf Lechner (1998) in front of the Stadthalle (1900) and wooden 'Elastisch schwebend' by Claus Bury (2001).
With another 24h ticket, I get on the Schwebebahn again, look at it gooooo! (View from Ohligsmühle station)
I get off at Landgericht (another Jugendstill station).
After taking yet more photos of the Schwebebahn, I walk/climb to Skulpturenpark Waldfrieden.
Tony Cragg, a British sculptor living in Wuppertal, bought the abandoned Waldfrieden property in 2006 and turned it into a Sculpture Park, with a large permanent collection all around the park grounds and changing exhibitions of international artists in several huge glass buildings.
On the climb towards the actual entrance to the park, there are already several sculptures by Tony Cragg: Bulb (2000) and To the Knee (2008).
In the park, there's first a lush garden with several sculptures, here are my favorites:
two adorable sculptures by Joan Miró: Femme (1981) and in the back Personnage (1978) (see my Instagram for a close up)
Draped Seated Woman by Henry Moore (1957) - this is Cast 1 of a series; I saw another version (Cast 5) in The National Gallery of Victoria, Melbourne, Australia (see post April 2023)
Then there's a long winding trail through the woods, taking you past loads of sculptures.
Dancing Column by Tony Cragg (2008).
Babel Variationen II by Peter Buggehout (2025)
Helter by Thomas Virnich (2015) + detail, look at that texture!
One of the indoor Line of Thought exhibitions by Tony Cragg: "there are many more things that don't exist than do exist”. These exhibitions run until January 1, 2026.
With the high glass windows and surrounded by trees, this also feels like you're still out in the park.
The yellow Sculpture in the back is Conversion from the Industrial Nature series (2020).
The Wooden sculptures are called Lost in Thought; I was baffled by their intricate construction.
Irruption by Eva Hild (2011)
Tongue by Not Viatal (2010 and in the background, next to the bench Chinese Horse by William Tucker (2003) and in the middle Mixed Feelings by Tony Cragg (2012)
Another favorite: 3 Gurken by Erwin Wurm (2012) [Three pickles!]
Also: rotating-mirror-horizontal by Mischa Kubali (2023) *waves*
Mariana W's World by Jaume Plensa (2012) [See also my Instagram onArt Zuid Amsterdam 2025]
Big Psycho 10 by Erwin Wurm (2010) [Which I also saw at Art Zuid Amsterdam in 2021, see DW post here (+LJ)]
After the final indoors exhibition of Tony Cragg glass sculptures and sketches, I stroll back down to the Schwebebahn at Landgericht and decide to ride it to the end station again before going into town for dinner. Wheeeee!
Finally managed to take a photo of the Herz Jesu Kirche (near station Völklinger Straße).
From Ohligsmühle station I walk through the Laurentius straße for an unrestricted view of the Basilika St. Laurentius (1825), but the stage is still there from Sunday evening's opera performance.
I have dinner at Italian restaurant Nonna di Mia; Steinofenbrot (bread) as a starter and Lasagne as a main. I'm too full for dessert!! But I did have two huge glassed of the pink summerlemonade with dragonfruit, raspberry and lemon, omnomnom.
Day 4: Tiger & Turtle rollercoaster staircase
Final hotel breakfast: 'Essen ist ein Bedürfnis, Genießen ist eine Kunst'
(Eating is a necessity, enjoying [food] is an art).
My ticket from yesterday is still valid, so I take the Schwebebahn to the station. One final pretty view.
I get a trainticket and travelplan to Duisburg. Bye, Wuppertal.
Hey, remember that The Sonnborner Eisenbahnbrücke (railroad bridge, built in 1839, broadened in 1911), the only structure that goes over the Schwebebahn? My train goes over it! One last look at the Schwebebahn, aaahw.
After about half an hour, I change trains in Düsseldorf and another half hour later I arrive in Duisburg, ist Echt!
I take the subway/tram, which I find a little confusing because the end station has different names on the plan and on the board, but I figure it out, yay!
St. Bonifatius Church (1911).
The tramstop is called Tiger & Turtle and there are signs pointing in the right direction. The rollercoaster is visible on the top of the Heinrich-Hildebrand-Höhe, there's a winding road leading up to it. Pfff, more climbing.
But look how cool!
There are two sides leading up to the loop, I start with the long way around, walking up and down the stairs to reach the loop.
This is the view from the highest point, with the loop in the background. Amazing view. There is a bit of wind, and when I lean against the railing to take photos, I feel the structure vibrating.
Made it to the loop!
I walk back down and then take the other way around, which is a lot steeper (I call the longer part the turtle, and this short climb the tiger, like a tiger's jump;-)
From this end you get a good view of the winding up and down parts of the structure. Wheeee!
An hour later I'm back at the tram, where I can buy a ticket at the machine to go back to the station.
Ha! A miniature trainset at the Duisburg Haubtbahnhof, cute.
I get a German curry Wurst (Sausage) with fries to go. Fortunately it was packed to stay warm, because there's a lot of running back and forth to catch the train. Right before it was supposed to arrive, there's an announcement that it moved from track 1 to track 12, but when all the passengers get there, it says to go to yet another track (track 11, not on the same platform) and there the board says to go back to the first track where the board now redirects to track 11, but there is a warning on the platform to not enter that train. But when I see people already in there, I manage to check the route on the inside board and it does have my destination on it, so I jump on right on time, pffff. I'm very sweaty from all of that, but I find a seat and I have a (still) hot meal, so I'm fine.
I change trains in Vierssen (Germany) and Venlo (The Netherlands), where I sit and read for an hour and half until peak hours are over and I can continue with my discount card for the final leg home.
Finished two books this trip, starting in Mary Shelly's Frankenstein on the way back.
Check out my final souvenir loot.
I had a marvelous time.
The End.
J.
X-posted to https://beelikej.livejournal.com/587843.html
Lurk or comment wherever you like:)