Captain's Log:
June 14th-Uneventful
(Okay, maybe not totally, but enough not to merit a full
description.) I cannot promise to keep my blogging this succinct for the rest of
the trip. However, I'll try to maintain a high quality of writing. Aaaaand if I
don't have time to be linguistically interesting, I'll use pictures. Deal?)
June 15th-I always forget that stepping off a plane is just
the start of a journey rather than an excuse to relax, rest, and start enjoying
where you are. Instead, it feels like stepping up the starting blocks of a
sprint. Our trip was no different. Our flights went smoothly, and then the day
went a little wrong.
1340-Arriving in Amsterdam, we’re informed that Eurail trains between Hannover and Berlin were down because of water levels. Using our resources, we log onto internet just long enough to email the information to our German hosts.
1407-Leave for Hilversum. If our first ride was at all representative of the train system here, I decided I would like it very much.
1550?- We reach our transition station and find a place to wait 30 minutes for the next train. I noticed several emergency vehicles going by, but didn't think much of it. Then, police officers, transportation officials, and fire fighters started sprinting past us. We were evacuated from our comfy seats and a nice young man explained that someone had stepped in front of an oncoming train. The blond dude was also heading to Germany, and, in retrospect, it may have been wise just to say, "Okay, we're going to follow you." Instead we look at some maps, meet some lovely helpful people, visit the only Starbucks in the world without wifi, communicat with German hosts, and wait.
1627- (9:27am in WI) I'm running on about 3.5 hours of sleep and half a caffe Americano
1722-Leave for Bad Bentheim after being told they would give us more instruction on the train
1914-Almost get off at the wrong stop, but a kind German lady sends us back onto the train
1920-…I don’t like Bad Bentheim, even if they have a free toilet.
1958-Board train to Osnabruck where they will supposedly send us to Hannover and then Berlin
2015-Encounter AWESOME bachelorette posse, but refrain from buying alcohol from bride to be
2045- Find Osnabruck DB info center to be informed that there aren’t any more regular trains in the direction we need to go, we’d need a reservation to board a night train, the reservation desk is closed, and EVEN if we boarded a night train from Osnabruck, we’d need another impossible reservation to ride from Bielefeld to Berlin.
2046-Either I have train legs (similar to sea legs, but more 2D), stress and lack of sleep are getting to me, or this office is definitely moving.
2047-Two men speaking to the woman next to us have the same problem and explain the Hilversum accident
2052-Our steward gets it “okayed” for us to board the night train, calls the hotel in the city (WAY over our budget), talks to a steward in Bielefeld (telling him that two desperate American women and two Indian men will be coming through and begging on their hands and knees to board the train to Berlin…I mean, I don’t speak German, but that’s what it sounded like). He checks with a Bielefeld hotel…which of course is all full because we’re arriving on the day of a carnival. He sends us on our way with the advice to ask the conductor if we may ride the next train and, “If ‘No’, then McDonalds. Open 24 hours.”
2135-We have adopted Amazing Race language, “Oh good, the Indian guys are here”
22:49-Board train. Technically, our travel buddies don’t have tickets anymore, so it’s a good thing the steward checks our tickets twice, but never theirs
23:00-Meet two Texans, but immediately dismiss them as possible allies as one is a Cowboys fan.
0012-Upon arrival, we meet a German only speaking steward who immediately asks if we’re going to Berlin (guess we’re an easy 4-some to recognize). He explains that he’ll talk to the next train steward for us.
0030-It’s cold. We finally exchange names with our travel companions CK and Aushwin*
0040-No steward, train seems to be running 15 minutes late
0043-A drunk man engages me in conversation and attempts to convince me that I speak German. I presume that he was so intoxicated he was under the impression that we was speaking in German rather than English (which is pretty impressive really). Even as a raging feminist, I have no issues with CK stepping in to suggest we walk away as Mr. Smelly Breath starts to forget to leave a social bubble for me.
0045-evasive z pattern relieves us of Mr.SB for a bit
0055-board night train…possibly accidentally in 1st class?
0105-After lots of arguing, Mr. SB is escourted off the train because he doesn’t have a ticket
0300-Wake up less than fully rested, but unable to fall asleep
0500-Berlin!!!
0700-After a short train ride, the bus, and a 10 minute walk we reach Heidi’s flat and are let in by her friendly neighbor
1235-Wake up for mistakenly long nap… begin day.
1340-Arriving in Amsterdam, we’re informed that Eurail trains between Hannover and Berlin were down because of water levels. Using our resources, we log onto internet just long enough to email the information to our German hosts.
1407-Leave for Hilversum. If our first ride was at all representative of the train system here, I decided I would like it very much.
1550?- We reach our transition station and find a place to wait 30 minutes for the next train. I noticed several emergency vehicles going by, but didn't think much of it. Then, police officers, transportation officials, and fire fighters started sprinting past us. We were evacuated from our comfy seats and a nice young man explained that someone had stepped in front of an oncoming train. The blond dude was also heading to Germany, and, in retrospect, it may have been wise just to say, "Okay, we're going to follow you." Instead we look at some maps, meet some lovely helpful people, visit the only Starbucks in the world without wifi, communicat with German hosts, and wait.
1627- (9:27am in WI) I'm running on about 3.5 hours of sleep and half a caffe Americano
1722-Leave for Bad Bentheim after being told they would give us more instruction on the train
1914-Almost get off at the wrong stop, but a kind German lady sends us back onto the train
1920-…I don’t like Bad Bentheim, even if they have a free toilet.
1958-Board train to Osnabruck where they will supposedly send us to Hannover and then Berlin
2015-Encounter AWESOME bachelorette posse, but refrain from buying alcohol from bride to be
2045- Find Osnabruck DB info center to be informed that there aren’t any more regular trains in the direction we need to go, we’d need a reservation to board a night train, the reservation desk is closed, and EVEN if we boarded a night train from Osnabruck, we’d need another impossible reservation to ride from Bielefeld to Berlin.
2046-Either I have train legs (similar to sea legs, but more 2D), stress and lack of sleep are getting to me, or this office is definitely moving.
2047-Two men speaking to the woman next to us have the same problem and explain the Hilversum accident
2052-Our steward gets it “okayed” for us to board the night train, calls the hotel in the city (WAY over our budget), talks to a steward in Bielefeld (telling him that two desperate American women and two Indian men will be coming through and begging on their hands and knees to board the train to Berlin…I mean, I don’t speak German, but that’s what it sounded like). He checks with a Bielefeld hotel…which of course is all full because we’re arriving on the day of a carnival. He sends us on our way with the advice to ask the conductor if we may ride the next train and, “If ‘No’, then McDonalds. Open 24 hours.”
2135-We have adopted Amazing Race language, “Oh good, the Indian guys are here”
22:49-Board train. Technically, our travel buddies don’t have tickets anymore, so it’s a good thing the steward checks our tickets twice, but never theirs
23:00-Meet two Texans, but immediately dismiss them as possible allies as one is a Cowboys fan.
0012-Upon arrival, we meet a German only speaking steward who immediately asks if we’re going to Berlin (guess we’re an easy 4-some to recognize). He explains that he’ll talk to the next train steward for us.
0030-It’s cold. We finally exchange names with our travel companions CK and Aushwin*
0040-No steward, train seems to be running 15 minutes late
0043-A drunk man engages me in conversation and attempts to convince me that I speak German. I presume that he was so intoxicated he was under the impression that we was speaking in German rather than English (which is pretty impressive really). Even as a raging feminist, I have no issues with CK stepping in to suggest we walk away as Mr. Smelly Breath starts to forget to leave a social bubble for me.
0045-evasive z pattern relieves us of Mr.SB for a bit
0055-board night train…possibly accidentally in 1st class?
0105-After lots of arguing, Mr. SB is escourted off the train because he doesn’t have a ticket
0300-Wake up less than fully rested, but unable to fall asleep
0500-Berlin!!!
0700-After a short train ride, the bus, and a 10 minute walk we reach Heidi’s flat and are let in by her friendly neighbor
1235-Wake up for mistakenly long nap… begin day.
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