Leaving Strasbourg and Seeing Ole Buddy Pam

9/28/2025

I had an easy midday train ticket to Böblingen — only a couple of hours from Strasbourg. I showered, packed up my shit, and figured it was time to check out. My train wasn’t until 12:45, so I had time to kill. I made my way toward the Gare (that’s “train station” in French). I found a café for coffee and a croissant. Next, I started looking for a spot for a beer. About three or four blocks from the Gare was a big-ass Meteor tank pub. I headed in and got a pretzel and a pils. That pils was so delicious I ordered a second one. Then I caught my train and made my way to Böblingen. I got checked in — and checked in with Pam.

Walking through Böblingen isn’t that interesting. It’s all modern construction. There was a neat section of the old city wall preserved, but not much in the way of historic buildings. Apparently, the area built up after the war due to the auto industry and nearby U.S. military bases.

I met Pam and her girlfriend Britta at Schönbuch Brewery’s restaurant. I got there a bit early and started with their pils. At first, I was shocked by the lack of hops — but then I remembered I was now down in Swabia, and southern German pils tends to be less bitter. It was still a great beer.

Pam showed up, and we caught up. I hadn’t seen her since 2019, back when she came through Redmond. Dinner was great. Britta had some vegetarian dish, Pam got Schweinehaxe, and I got a local pasta-dumpling dish called Maultaschen. It came with the local version of potato salad. I also drank their Jäger Spezial (a Märzen) and their Helles. Pam and Britta gave me a lift back to my hotel. I had two bottles of pilsner in the fridge and drank them while writing. Then I decided I wanted a third.

I went out front, but no one was at reception. Earlier, the fridge had been locked and I’d bought my beers from the guy at the desk. This time, I found it unlocked — so I just took one. I later realized I’d stolen that beer…

9/29/2025

The next day was uneventful. I hung out, did some writing, and caught up on laundry and such. I went for a walk and accidentally missed a message from Pam, so no beers with her that night. I had beers solo and a nice walk home.

I went to a brewery called Wichtel Hausbrauerei and ordered a pils. It was a nice beer, but it was turbid — Keller-style — not really my thing. I ordered a Jägerschnitzel, which came with Spätzle, but I noticed the standard schnitzel came with Käsespätzle. The nice man let me swap. I got my Jägerschnitzel with Käsespätzle and it was wonderful.

I stopped in at a place called Tower 33 for just one beer. One was enough — it tasted like dirty tap lines, or maybe the faucet was funky and got stuck in the beer while pouring. It was awful.

The town was a mix of modern buildings and open grass fields, with gravel walking trails cutting across them. On my way home, I wanted some fresh, tasty beer, so I wandered into a grocery store. As is standard in Germany, most beer was stored on shelves at room temperature. There was a small cooler with cold beer, but none of it was fresh enough for me.

This boring-ass town didn’t have anything near my hotel. Böblingen is not a good place for beers after 9 p.m. I walked over to a nearby hotel, and the lady at reception unlocked their beer cooler for me. I checked bottle dates, grabbed two, and brought them to the counter. She didn’t speak much English and asked, “What room number?” I told her, “I’m not staying here — you just have fresher beer than my hotel.” She pretended to understand. I don’t think she did.

Back at my hotel, the front desk was empty again. I tried the cooler — locked. Yup, I stole that beer the night before. (Should’ve grabbed a couple.)

9/30/2025 – Traveling to Frankfurt

The fucking train was late. I got to my Frankfurt hotel around 2 p.m., checked in, and made my way to an outdoor market area. There were beer and wine stands, food stalls, all that good stuff. I found a butcher shop selling sausages out of a window and spotted what I wanted: Fleischkäse im Brötchen — a thick slice of loafed sausage on a crusty roll, typically served with just mustard. Simple food, but delicious. (See the Instagram reel.)

I spent the afternoon wandering around, looking at stuff. Most of Frankfurt was destroyed during WWII, but there’s still some cool old architecture left. Later, I went on the hunt for a proper Frankfurter sausage. I ended up at Frankfurter Würsthaus (see the reel). I hit a craft beer spot called “I ❤️ Beer,” then a cozy Bierstube near my hotel. It was an easy evening — just food, beer, and wandering around.

10/1/2025 – Traveling Home

Up and at it ahead of schedule. I should have hydrated, but didn’t have time. ChatGPT told me to leave my hotel at 7:30 to catch the S-Bahn at 8:00 for the airport. I was on a train at 7:30 — heading in the wrong direction.

After troubleshooting my situation (thanks again, ChatGPT), I got off and waited an uncomfortably long time for one heading the right way. It worked out. I got to the airport with plenty of time. I should have hydrated… but instead, at 9:37 a.m., I had a lovely 0.5 L of Löwenbräu Helles in front of me. I ate a Leberkäse burger and settled my tab.

At a kiosk near my gate, I grabbed a Binding Pilsner for my brewer Bryan, and a Bitburger for myself. Soon it was boarding time. I don’t check bags these days, so I needed that overhead bin space. So, I boarded as soon as I could.