Dodie I am so impressed by that long first day. Sounds to me you are ready to tackle mountains. How I would love to be cycling thru Europe
Keep safe
Tricia

A SIM pin was a new one on me. Somewhere found by Google I read that it is a bit of a relic of past SIM days. I found a setting in my phone, though, that shut off the demand for the SIM pin. Of course, I needed the pin to accomplish that!

What a family! And you seem to have become part of it!

I was thinking, looks very professional. Then I read on! They are professional!

Hey Steve,
I am so touched that you took the trouble to remember my words and act on them. This may be very personal, but I want all your readers to know about it.
On a lighter side, all those photos of tortes have got me drooling.
Love, Harold

You’re right that it’s a major pain. I had an issue also with the pin code and was locked out and had to get a new SIM card but I was in France so it as easier. Hope all goes well with the SIM card.

Joel, what city is she in??

Wikipedia tells me that Gewandhaus is a concert hall in Leipzig, the home of the Leipzig Gewandhaus Orchestra, which is the oldest civic orchestra in the world!

Both cougar and snow leopard would be difficult, but the leopard is almost an endangered species. I think the sign mentioned them as red list - threatened.

My SIM will die if not fed within 3 months. But I think I can keep it alive online. I will choose the cheapest plan, one with zero data, for when it is not in use.

I am still really confused about the difference between the apparent online offerings and the package "deals" on cardboard cards hanging in the shop. I am unclear, for instance, the extent to which in the shop I was buying the physical SIM, or the service, or somehow both.

Also the Playstore would not allow me to download the Vodaphone app, claiming it was not available "in my country". Web research showed I would have to create a dummy Google account and somehow use a VPN to get the darn thing. Why??

Oh, and a final random rant: As soon as physically installed, the Vodaphone SIM was demanding a PIN, which is found in the package materials, and it wanted this on every restart. Three errors, and you are locked out of the SIM, and thereby the phone. But there is a second PIN, of more digits, that can override the lockout. Do I need such noise in my brain?? I did finally find a way to shut that all off, in the Android setup.

There were several weather proof cycling maps in the store at Quedlinburg, covering the Harz mountain region, and with reasonable prices like 6 euros. But we didn't get them, knowing it could be years before they would be used. It means the witches are safe for a while, as our present route circles around their land!

But you know, not long after entering the jungly biosphere at the zoo, I was ready to say "let's go back to the hotel and turn on the AC". Our bracing northern weather does have some (few) advantages!

I thought I had a hard time getting Scott’s phone set-up but your experience was much worse! Now that we both have a French phone number and a plan that covers Europe we can continue to add phone and data. And as long as we load more minutes every 6 months we can keep the same phone and add minutes online. We definitely plan to be back to Europe in 6 months. Have a great time!

I agree with you about good bread! I’m so glad I don’t have a problem with gluten.

That zoo is on my list of sights now. I’ve always wanted to see a snow leopard and this looks a lot easier than trying to see one in the wild, which would be like hoping to see a cougar in the wild, I expect.