Delay-alarm (order NK4BVR)
Dear Mr Schisler,
The connection you booked could not be found due to a change in the current timetable. For more information about your travel options please visit:
Booked connection
| Station/Stop | Date | Time | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Frankfurt(Main)Hbf | 21.08.2013 | departing | 11:13 |
| Berlin Hbf | 21.08.2013 | arriving | 15:25 |
All data are included without warranty, express or implied. Please note that the current traffic situation can change at any time.
Note for commuters: Should you have set this connection to be checked periodically, you can delete this at any time on "My Bahn" under "My Delay Alarm".
Sincerely yours,
Your team from www.bahn.de
Note
Current real-time information is not available for all modes of transportation. Possible portions of your itinerary by public transportation (e.g. by bus or tram) may therefore not be included in our information service.
Should your trip not be possible as planned (e.g. a missed connection due to a delay, or cancellation etc.), your passenger rights are still valid. These can be read at:www.bahn.de/passengersrights.
Should your trip not be possible as planned (e.g. a missed connection due to a delay, or cancellation etc.), your passenger rights are still valid. These can be read at:www.bahn.de/passengersrights.
To say this caused me some anxiety would be true! Pack my suitcase and backpack while Lana showers
and dries her hair. Fortunately, the long distance train DB Bahn info desk is close to our airport terminal
hotel. I show the girl the email on my cellphone and she confirms the train is indeed on the schedule.
Apparently, the email is for situations where the traveller might want to change their train booking? What
the heck? Could it be more confusing and unnecessary?
Stop at REWE (pronounced reva) grocery store for water and bananas for the train trip. Pick up a delicious
nougat croissant for breakfast and a German sandwich for my lunch on the train later. Buy three english
newspapers for the train trip. I want to get to
Frankfurt Hbf (main train station) early. Lana and I walk to the regional train Track 1 platform and the S8
comes about 9:45 am. Emotional goodbye given we won't see each other for 12 days in Vancouver.
Lana's Lufthansa flight to Vancouver leaves at 1:25 pm and she arrives in Vancouver 2:30 pm same day.
Beautiful blue sky warm day in Frankfurt. I arrive via S Bah train and navigate a couple of escalators to
above ground and a huge train station. Many tracks and the entire area covered by glass and steel so
while outside you are out of the elements. Found a seat to wait as I am 55 minutes early. Reduces my
personal stress. All the train schedules are listed for Track 9 and another posting shows where the
individual cars are located for first and second class. Pretty chaotic when each train pulls in and persons
getting off and on. My ticket is for ICE 372 (Inter City Express) and scheduled to depart at 11:13 am for
Berlin Hbf and arrive at 15:25. Purchased my tickets many weeks ago for 59 Euro first class and reserved
a specific seat for 4 Euro. Huge savings as the same ticket today would cost more than double.
Some of the travellers seem a little confused although typical to Deutschland everything is well
organized. I find my car and then cabin and seat 96. Three seats on each side facing each other and
a table between. Only me and an older fellow. Wolfgang Kloos is his name and he is a German
businessman in the plastics business. Eventually, he discovers he is on the wrong train and should
have got off at Mannheim earlier. He is coming from Austria to attend a funeral at 2 pm. He might
not make it now. He finds out at the next stop he can get a taxi for about $150US to get him to his
destination.
Why take the train rather than fly? Cheaper overall, less hassle with security, can see the countryside,
easier to get to connecting stations and hooking up with public transit at your final destination.
Something comforting about trains as well. Heading from west Germany to the eastern part of Deutschland
where Berlin is located. First class does serve drinks and food at a cost. The ICE trains can get up to
270 km/hour on some tracks. Earlier part of the trip through small villages and some farms. Trains are
powered by overhead electricity. Later into the trip more farm areas.
The conductor doesn't check my ticket until 2 pm and in addition to my electronic ticket he wants to see
my visa credit card that I used to pay for the ticket. Wow! I guess they want to ensure the ticket buyer is
actually in the seat? Regular toilet in First Class, but no toilet paper today. Along the railway on both sides
closer to urban areas you see small plots of land with smaller shacks or crude homes. Vegetables and
flowers are grown. Not sure exactly what that is?
The conductor gives out a small bag of Haribo candies. Lots of green countryside and clouds in the sky
as we near Berlin. Getting my PacSafe small shoulder bag ready for potential pickpockets in the train
station and the S and U Bahn stations. I don't want to lose my wallet, cellphone or passport. Train running
late due to an earlier incident near the tracks with a fire. Train delayed as it needed official paperwork
signed before it could continue. Reading newspapers and doing sudokus and staying current with emails
and enjoying the scenery. Close to 16:00 and not in Berlin. We arrive at Berlin Hbf at 16:35 so very late.
What a gigantic and busy train station. I head for Information to find out where I catch the S5 train to
Alexander Platz. Track 15 three levels up. Made it to the U8 train at Alexander Platz and then off at
Rosenthaler Platz and a walk to Thom's place on Veteranenstrasse. I arrive at Thom's around 17:20 so
all is good. Thom has a weekly pickup soccer game starting at 18:00 so we need to get changed and
then into the subway to get to the park. I have a pair of soccer shorts and my running shoes. Weather is
warm and sunny. We arrive at a huge football complex with many fields, but almost all fields have
organized teams practising or playing games.
We find a field for 30 minutes playing against some young guys who challenged these regulars. The
young guys are fast and have fantastic ball skills. We have to find another field which we do - artificial.
Most of the guys come and we play quite a bit more and its all fun. A couple of the players remembered
me from April 2012 when I played indoors with Thom one night. Walk back to the subway and a transfer
and back to Thom's apartment. Eat some homemade pre-heated lasagna, drink some Merlot wine and
have a good chat.
Thom's wifi is excellent. He is employed with Transparency International in Berlin since four years ago.
I know
Thom from Vancouver. He lives across from a beautiful park and in an area that was once part of East
Berlin before the wall came down. He loves Berlin and fondly describes it as the most un-German
city in Germany. While they have lots of rules, they don't always follow the rules. Very much a hip
and bohemian city with many artists and avant-garde types.
No comments:
Post a Comment