The industrial Saar ↑ all posts

I climbed steeply out of the Mosel valley and reached the industrial river Saar a few hours later. I followed the cycle path along the river past factories and metal works, until the town of Saarbrucken, where I was going to stay at the youth hostel.

A 70 year old Japanese man welcomed me to the shared dorm by walking out of the shower stark naked and engaging me in conversation. After a while he moved over to the ground floor window, opened it wide, and dried himself slowly while watching people walking past outside. Quite odd.

Saarbrucken itself is nice enough, once you get away from the ugly buildings lining the river. These are the result of wartime destruction, but a good deal of the old town survived and is now filled with outdoor cafes and bars.