Couldn't just say "The place above Tex Mex"?
Trip Start
Jun 02, 2010
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3
6
Trip End
Jul 06, 2010
Bad Windsheim, Bavaria, Germany
Saturday, June 5, 2010
I really wanted this to be a fun, educational vacation. Well folks, here's the most important thing I've learned since I left Wilmington:
Don't get cute with the itinerary!
Yeah, I thought I was being all smart and researchy, planning the best way to integrate Planes, Trains and Automobiles. Trouble is I needed to watch that movie again before I started. How come things never go smooth?
Yesterday morning's flight was to make up for missing the one the day before. You know, the one I missed because we left Philadelphia an hour late then got held up in customs for an hour. Yeah, THAT one to Berlin took off RIGHT ON TIME! Anyway, it doesn't board til 9am and since I was up at 4am (still adjusting to the time change) I figured I've got loads of time and it's ONLY 2.5 miles so why not walk? If I could go back I'd tell myself "because you're gonna be doing a helluva lot of walking later on!"
I'm early enough checking in and getting through security that 2 different flights leave from my gate before they post mine to Berlin. I've even got priority boarding, so what could go wrong, right? Well, about 10 minutes before we're all supposed to board there's still no plane there for us. I start looking at our flight board and notice it changes to some other city in Germany. A bunch of us got up to go look at the main board and sure enough, not only was our flight an hour behind but our gate had been switched. No announcements, just a good thing we were paying attention.
So anyway, it's a hitch but that's okay because that's why I didn't buy my train ticket yet. Turns out by the time we get through customs and I make it to the train station there's no one at the ticket counter who speaks English. I was hoping to make it by this week on "Mein Deutsche ist nicht gut", but no such luck. Finally I get her to understand where I'm going and she prints out an itinerary with a price. I buy the ticket then have to haul ass to get to the station before it leaves (last one leaving on that route of the day).
Train Tip #1: For longer than 1-hour trips, spring for 1st class or at least make sure you have a reservation. I bought a 2nd class seat, turns out they sell a lot more of those than there are actual "seats". Nothing like finding a nice comfy window seat then having Grandma Lederhosen und the Kinder boot you out. I think one girl actually spent the entire leg from Fulda to Wurzburg in the bathroom just to have a seat. After a while it's not that bad sitting on the floor between cars, just takes some getting used to and it SURE BEATS WALKING!
We made it to Wurzburg after a delay in Fulda, but of course our connector had already come and gone 20 minutes earlier. I asked the train workers where to find the next train to Neustadt/Aisch and they pointed at track 8 and said to get on, it will leave shortly. I got on and it was GREAT! Nearly empty, I only had 2 other people in the car with me. Just to be on the safe side I asked a female passenger if this did in fact go to Neustadt and she said it did.
Only, it didn't. The ticket man came and was punching my ticket and said probably the only English word he knew- PROBLEM! After a little back and forth I learned this train ended it's day 3 stops short of where I needed to be to connect to Bad Windsheim. At this point it's getting late and I'm thinking either start walking or just sleep in the next station. But as luck would have it there was one last connector passing through Kitzingen, where I was going to end up stranded. This one actually got me all the way in to Bad Windsheim, and I met a couple of really cool people in the process (Wolfgang and Alice... at least I think she said Alice).
