SMOONSTYLE : April 2021

The day started with an email that my first train was cancelled, 15 minutes before the taxi was going to pick me up to take me to the train station.

With the cancellation of my first train ride, I knew that I wouldn't be able to make the connection of the other trains. The German train system is not like the Dutch where you can take the next train in 30 minutes or 1hour.

I like to think in solutions and not in problems. If I where to describe myself I would say that I am pragmatic. It has come in handy many times in my career so far.

I knew that the only way for me to make all the train rides was if the taxi driver would bring me little further than planned. The taxi driver was kind enough to bring me to the second translation where an ICE would take me to the next stop. At first the taxi driver said that he had another customer, but he found a solution for that. He was my hero! I was going to make it, at least that is what I thought....

Things were looking good. I had enough time to catch the longest train ride of my journey. There was even enough time to get some snacks for the journey ahead. I got my favourite treats from my home country and made my way to the tracks. There was still more than enough time.

The next train switched tracks last minute and as the ICE arrived, the doors opened and as I wanted to put my bags in the train, the train closed the doors. I knocked on the door and tried to open the door. Then I heard the engines started running and the train took off without me...

I did everything I could to make it to that train and then it left one minute after it arrived. Right in front of my face... In my 20+ years of traveling by train, I never experienced that! No one checked if all the passengers made it on board, they just took off...

My next connection was in 2 hours, and I really had to go to the bathroom.

I went to check where the bathroom was, and it was down a couple of stairs... I have a lot of bags with me and can't schlepp them down the stair cases.

The lady at the counter of the Dutch train service was kind enough to keep an eye on my bags.

In the end I consider myself lucky that I didn't load one of my bags in there and that the train would take off with my bags. That is actually one of my travel nightmares.....

Do you have any travel nightmare stories to tell? Let me know in the comments.

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