Day 2 - Part 2

So, the parking garage didn't go as well as one might have hoped but I did get out and it wasn't too expensive. Apparently it was one of those automated ones, but I didn't see a pay machine and couldn't read the signs so a nice attendant guy had to take my ticket and money and bring back my change. Thank god there was a second exit lane because I was blocking the first!  That wasn't too bad, but soon after leaving Mainz, my rental car decided that it didn't want to go over 30 km/h no matter what I did. I was getting a bit freaked out and pulled into a garage where the nice mechanic boy recommended I call the rental car company rather than pay him (he seemed quite perplexed by the 30 km/h situation anyway). I got back in the car to get it out of his overcrowded driveway, tested it in a parking lot,  and found that it was magically working again!  I'm so glad the mechanic didn't try it out - he'd be telling everyone he meets for the rest of his life that blonde American women really are idiots.  Anyway, all is well with the car now.

Once the car started working, I headed off to Heidelberg for the night. I stayed north of Heidelberg in a cute hotel with a ginormous room for me. Because it was still raining, I walked around the neighborhood planning to see the old part of town the next day when it wasn't supposed to rain (spoiler alert for day 3 - it didn't stop raining). I had hoped to find some toiletries and a converter (brought one for UK - doh!), but could only get the toiletries. Almost nothing is open in that town after 1 on Saturdays. On the bright side, it was a very cute neighborhood. Highlight: as I was walking by a cute, old church, I heard a wonderful choir singing. I stopped to enjoy the sound coming thru the windows despite the drizzle. Lovely!

I returned to the hotel, unable to charge any of my electronics. But I was able to come up with a list of options for day 3 which would start with old Heidelberg. I fought off sleep till 6 p.m., then gave in because it was already dark, I was exhausted, and wanted to get an early start in the morning anyway...