Chasing Trains
My friend Sara and I were trying to plan a trip this May so we can finally meet after six months that we have been apart. I know Sara since we were six years old but the last years we were living apart. She was living in Northern Greece, Thessaloniki, when I was living in Athens.
However, from January this year, I moved to Germany, so meeting again with my best friend was a little difficult. For that reason, we decided to meet somewhere in Europe and spend a few days together. Finding a country to meet wasn’t an easy task to do, as we had to find the same time of arrival and not spending a lot of money. After changing our mind a lot, we decided to meet in Amsterdam. She found a cheap flight and I decided to travel by train, as I wanted to live the experience of Eurotrip. I thought that it would be easy, I just have to get off of one train and catch the other for five different trains.
If only I knew...
The day I was about to travel, I started earlier from my house, so I could have plenty of time if something went wrong and that was the cleverest thing I did that day. I went to the train station and I was drinking coffee while I was talking to my boyfriend on the phone. I saw the train and the destination and I got in. I had almost 40 minutes for the train to start o I found a seat and relaxed.
When suddenly after 5 minutes the train started to move, I saw the time and it wasn’t the correct time of my ticket, and I realised I have entered the wrong train. My face had an expression of shock and fear at the same time. It wasn’t only the fact that I took the wrong train, but I had other trains to catch, so If I lose the orders of trains, my friend would be in Amsterdam all by her own. I was under stress so the only thing I could think to do is get out of the train and go back to the main train station and get on the right train. I had only 30 minutes and my heart was almost getting out of my chest. I jumped out of the train at the next station and I run with all my luggage to find the nearest bus station to go back to the main train station and catch the correct train.
Thanks to my good luck the next for the main station was coming in 2 minutes and I had 10 minutes left for the next train. My heart was beating really fast and I was thinking what should I do If I lose the next train. The bus finally arrived at the main train station in I had two minutes to run on the train platform. I found the train and I remember asking a local guy if that was the right train for Singen, the stop that I had the next train connection. He said that it was the train, so I went in totally proud of myself that I made it and I decided to be more aware on my trip. I checked the time and I saw that I have to get out of the train in exactly 40 minutes, so I laid down in my seat and waiting for the next stop.
Time passed and I saw the timetable with the stops. Next stop was Singen, however, in the timetable, there were two stops with the same name so I decided that I should do as my ticket was suggesting and get out of the train at the time as it was written on the ticket. The train stopped in an empty platform, without any other trains nearby, neither a train station.
I was in the middle of nowhere, without any civilisation near, no one to ask where to go and no train to change for my next destination. I felt totally hopeless and most of all desperate. I knew I had missed the next train and the chain of trains had broke, I had no way to let my friend know and the only thing I did was to call my boyfriend and cry...
A half hour later, the next train came and I the only thing I could do was to get in and to get off at the next station. I was talking to my boyfriend on the phone and I was crying like a little child. Along with me another guy got on the train and was staring at me the whole time. As soon as the train arrived at the Singen’s main train station I got out of the train and looked for someone in charge to help me. My luggage was falling out of my hands and I started to cry again. The guy who was looking at me on the train came to me and offered himself to help. In the beginning, I was very rude to him, because I wasn’t in the mood to talk to no one. But when I saw him leaving I changed my mind.
-“Fine!” “I was just trying to help you!“, he said
-“Please!!Come back!“, I cried.
He came and asked me why I was crying. I explained him the situation and instantly he took out his smartphone and was trying to find a solution, he told me that it was the other train to catch and I might be able to take it using the same ticket but first we had to ask the people who worked in the station. Motasem, the boy who helped me, was from Syria and for him, nothing was too difficult or to be too stressed for. He told me to calm down and stop crying. Losing a train was not a big deal and if my friend was there before me, I would be able to be there the next morning. But in my mind, that scenario was not an option.
We went to ask the cashier and he told me that was my fault that I got off in the wrong station no matter my claim that I got off the correct time, and the driver was just late. He told that If I wanted to catch the next train I should pay another 140Euros. He gave me the schedules with the next train destinations and stops to Amsterdam and let me decide what to do. Next to him was another guy that saw me cry, but no one was touched by my behaviour.
Motasem took the plan and told me that I had six minutes to take the next train to Stuttgart and then to Frankfurt and from Frankfurt to Amsterdam. That route was way much easier that the one I had booked and I would arrive in Amsterdam in the same time with Sara.
However, I felt so insecure to get on the train holding the wrong ticket and travelling along through Germany. But for Motasem anything was possible. He grabbed me by my hand and put me in the waggon two minutes before the train departed.
-“Go in, you have a ticket, you paid for it! You are not doing anything illegal, and if someone tells you anything, tell them that you missed the train and you had to follow the next route”, Motasem advised me and the hugged me for goodbye.
I walked into the waggon and I found a seat. I was scared to death and hoping that the control won’t look at my ticket too carefully. I called my boyfriend again and try to calm down. I had three more trains to change with the same ticket and I had to look totally normal. My trip hadn’t started so good and this was the first time I sat in mine seat and relaxed.
When I recalled all the events earlier this day, I realised that the cashier gave me the route plan on purpose. I had only six minutes and he didn’t wait for me to pay. It was like he was saying to me ” I am not saying take the risk and go with the same ticket, but here’s the next route plan”.
The train started to move and I took a deep breath. I told myself that I had to risk it, but I had to be in Amsterdam by evening, otherwise, my childhood friend would be all alone and probably wouldn’t speak to me anymore. Ten minutes after we left the main train station the controller came to invalid our tickets. He was the guy who was sitting next to the cashier and saw the all scene with me crying and eventually not buying a new ticket. I stay as calm as I could, he saw me and probably recognised me, he took my ticket and...he invalided it, without asking further questions.
My first obstacle was defeated.
I was travelling to Stuttgart, which was my next stop, and thinking what else I have to go on through this trip. I called my boyfriend and he stayed with me in line until I could remain calm and don’t think about it. The train reached Stuttgart's main station and I have to go out really quickly to find the platform of my next train which will have to take me in Frankfurt. I got out of the train in order to find out that the station it was so full of people, I could barely move. I went as fast as I could and I was trying to get in the right train. When I finally got there, I was so full of passangers, that I realised it was very difficult to find a seat, and really easy to skip the control.
