Traveling to Europe, or anywhere that is unfamiliar to you, can be a challenge. We consider ourselves experienced travelers, but on our last trip to Germany, I missed the train and was separated from my husband. Here’s the travel travail story:

After an uncomplicated plane ride, we arrived in Frankfurt one hour early.  As a consequence, we were able to catch a train to Dresden two hours earlier than we had planned. This was all great. We had first class tickets with assigned seats but we could not find the first class car, and second class was full to the point of people sitting in the aisles. So there we were standing in a jammed rail car for our five hour trip to Dresden.

We consulted with a conductor and he advised that the first class car was five cars up. Given the crowded conditions in the train, he suggested that we get off at the next stop and run forward to the first class car. At the next stop we quickly disembarked and ran like blazes. Bill made it to the first class car while I lagged behind. We made eye contact and I motioned to Bill to board the train as I approached the car trailing the first class car. Bill boarded the train as the doors closed. As I was stepping onto the train, the doors closed in my face. I pressed the ”open door” button, though the train station master, who saw me struggling, waved the train on. I had missed the train and was separted from my husband! I was stuck in some little town in Germany without a train ticket while my husband was on the train to Dresden without me. We had not had the conversation: “what if we get separated?” As I stood there watching the train leave the station without me, I sure wished we had had that discussion!

I went to the station help desk to get assistance while Bill, after searching the train for me, contacted the conductor to explain what had happened. The train conductor and the people at the train station made telephone contact and let Bill know that I’d be on the next train. I was given a note explaining the situation for the conductor on the next train.  Everyone was so helpful, but it was difficult because I speak no German and very few Germans that I encountered in that small town train station know much English.

After a five hour separtion, we had a happy reunion at the Dresden Train station. I can also report that there were lessons learned.  I now carry my own train/plane tickets and we do have a plan. Plus, we learned how to decipher train car information on train tickets as well as the information posted at every train station.  We now know where to stand to board our assigned rail car.  We had just been lucky in the past, I guess!