Part III
 

They had to hurry up, but they finally caught the train to Cologne. Now they are all sitting in the right train until Cologne, where they have to change for Brussels. Hopefully the train will be on time, otherwise they will miss their plane to Dublin.Leaving Frankfurt behind she starts to forget her job. "Ireland we are coming!!!", she thinks to herself. After passing Mainz the rails are very close to the river Rhine. The Rhine valley is always impressing.

On both sides are many castles (most of them ruins) but nevertheless they invite one to dream about former times.  She loves reading historical novels. That's the romantic side of her personality. But she quickly becomes quite realistic imagining the  life of people in those times:  "It must have been a hard piece of work to carry all the stones up to the hills - so I'm glad to live nowadays and to have my job!"
 

Then she sees the rock of the Loreley.  Remembering the poem she once had to learn in school her eyes fall on a small boat on the river. She seems to notice a golden shimmer at the banks. Is it possible that there is a blond oman combing her hair? No this can' be true. This is only an old legend. She has an overactive imagination. There is a rational explanation for the glimmer. It must be the sun. She won't go crazy. She is only too tired because of the short night and her excitement over the trip...

Suddenly her mobile is ringing. For a moment she hesitates before answering the phone. The number tells her that her office is calling - so it must be really important. Her secretary is telling her the latest developments of the divorce case she was working on the last days. She askes if she can take the date for the hearing  next Monday. Claudia looses little time in agreeing.
                                                                                                                               
Lost in thought she is planning her speech for the court: "My Lord..." She can't go on because they will soon arrive at the station of Cologne where they must again change trains. She is looking out of the window seeing the famous Cathedral of Cologne. The gothic monument is always impressive.

"It's time to get off this train" she thinks by herself "otherwise we'll miss the next". Most of the other people must think the same because nearly everyone seems to share her plan. Hopefully not all of them want to take the same train to Brussels????