We went to Wuppertal today. It is just another smallish German town that was badly damaged in WW2 and mostly rebuilt as cheaply and quickly as possible. However there is one absolutely must see in Wuppertal - the
Wuppertaler Schwebebahn. The first track opened in 1901 and it still does a roaring trade today. Around 1100 - 1300 it was packed with locals and a few tourists. In total it runs for 13.3 km.
(There is historic film from 1902 recording a ride on the Schwebebahn
.https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EQs5VxNPhzk )
The back seats are the best as the front has a drivers compartment. Almost the entire rear consists of a large window.
It mostly runs over the River Wupper but there is a big stretch above the streets. Here the supporting arches are displaying a nice symmetry.
There was a famous incident in 1950 when a circus was coming to town and the circus manager tried to drum up publicity by taking his smallest Elephant for a ride. he had to buy 5 tickets for it. Unfortunately the elephant didn't enjoy the experience and broke through the side of the railcar and feel into the river. Fortunately he was unhurt.
There are elephant 'branded' souvenir noodles available but we instead bought a childrens book about the incident, in English, for our Grandkids.