German Adventures: Lessons Learned, Part 3

In Part 1 and Part 2 of this travel journal of my October 2019 trip to Germany, I have shared about the incidents that occurred on this trip so far - and we are only a few days in!  More lessons were to come!

In Part 2, I shared that my aunt, who we were staying with in Frankfurt during this trip ended up in a stroke unit at a hospital due to a mini stroke.  She was fine - thankfully - but had to be kept under observation and thoroughly examined.  Unfortunately, there were not beds available in the closer hospitals so she ended up in Höchst, on the outskirts of Frankfurt.  It was a quite a trek to get to her, but on Tuesday morning, October 8th, we were determined to make the trip!   We wanted to take her a suitcase of personal items, toiletries and other such things she had requested.

We would have to take public transportation, but thankfully, with the Internet, you can find all the routes and modes of transportation easily.  Or so I thought.  The trip to Hoechst Klinikum involved first walking about 15 minutes to the U-bahn (subway) station, then going to the Hauptwache station.  There we 'd transfer to the S-bahn (faster regional-type train) to Höchst train station.  Then there were 2 buses that went the less than 1 km to the hospital.

We knew enough to buy a day-card for the Frankfurt area public transportation as the least expensive way to go.  We could use those tickets on all modes of transportation in Frankfurt all day.

Anyway, as we got to the Höchst train station, we were in a hurry to get to the hospital, so we grabbed a taxi for the quick 5 or 10 minute ride.  It cost 10 Euros (including the tip) but was worth the convenience of not having to figure out which bus to take.  We found my aunt's room and were able to speak with her a few minutes before she was wheeled off for some kind of brain scan or another ...

Coming out of the hospital, we saw a bus station.  We saw the numbers for the buses that I had previously researched to get us back to the Höchst train station.  We even asked some of the other people, also waiting, but they were as uncertain as we were about the schedule.  One bus came by, and I asked the driver if he was going to the train station.  Unfortunately, he didn't speak German well, and I had no idea what he said but assumed he meant he did NOT go to the train station.  We didn't get on his bus.

We did eventually get on a bus that was the same number as the bus indicated on the signage at the station.  After a few minutes, 3 bus "conductors" got on the bus and asked for every one's tickets.  This isn't unusual, and we showed them our Frankfurt day ticket.  They came back to us later and asked to see our identification.  We both had our passports with us, and that is what we showed them.  They then asked us to get off the bus at the next station ...

Not knowing what was going on, we anxiously got off as the one agent-guy was holding our passports.  He vaguely explained to us that not only were we going the opposite direction of the train station, the day pass tickets we had ended its territory at the train station, and we should have gotten an additional bus ticket to ride this particular bus.  WHO KNEW??!!  Höchst is a city district of Frankfurt, but apparently there is some border there as it pertains to public transportation!

We tried to explain why we were even in Höchst - visiting the sick relative, who was supposed to be our travel guide while we were visiting Germany!  However, we were met with zero mercy.  AND we were given a 60 Euro (each!) fine for riding schwarz*.  AND they held our passport until we had forked over the money!!

In retrospect, I am pretty upset about the way we were treated and the total disregard for our situation.  They could have just as easily let us go with a warning ... And just this week, I sent a letter to the bus-public transportation customer service department with my complaint.  Not sure it will get us far, as one of the bus conductors told us that day, "Gesetz ist Gesetz."  (Rules are rules.)

***********A VOCAB TIDBIT**************
To ride without a valid ticket on public transportation in Germany is called *Schwarzfahren (to ride "black" = schwarz).   This term has its origins in the days of smuggling and illegal activities (think black market).  Also, it may be related to the verb schwärzen which means to blacken.   Criminals and smugglers often blackened their faces in order to not be seen while they went about their illegal activities at night.
***********************************************

Yep, my mother and I are criminals...or at least, we were made to feel like it!

Thankfully, for the most part, my mother and I didn't have any more MISadventures during our time in Germany!  We did cancel our travel plans to Hannover to visit some friends there and had to cancel a rental car we'd reserved for the next 3 days (actually another lesson learned:  there may be a FINE for cancelling your car in less then 24 hours from the time of pick-up!).   Much of our hard-saved vacation money was spent on fees and fines ...

Lesson learned:  Expect the unexpected! 

German Adventures: Lessons Learned, Part 2

As I shared in Part 1 of this Travel Journal from my October visit to Germany, this trip was full of some ... valuable?  invaluable? ... lessons learned.

Lesson #1 was all about the Schengen Treaty and what that means for US passport holders.

Lesson #2 came about from a medical incident that altered our plans for this trip.

My mother arrived in Germany on October 2nd and stayed with my aunt.  I joined them later - on Sunday morning, October 6th.  I only had a week of vacation left from work, and originally my mother was supposed to travel over with my brother and his family who were embarking on a Germany-Austria-Switzerland vacation.  They were essentially only escorting her to Frankfurt and leaving her there until I arrived.

My favorite cousin (actually 2nd cousin - who is my age) picked me up from the airport.  We found a bakery that was open and had some coffee and cake in order to catch up on life since we'd seen each other last in June.  Then she drove me to my aunt's apartment, where I too was going to be staying.  She visited with my mother and aunt for a while ... and then she left - and I went to bed around 8 p.m. local time.

Monday morning, my mother and I had train tickets to go to Bamberg, a lovely city about a 3 hour ride from Frankfurt, to visit her friend, whom she has known since they were both in their early 20's.  My aunt escorted us to the train station, and then she was going to go run some errands, such as go to the bank, etc.

My mother and I had a lovely train ride on a regional train (slower than the ICE trains that would have taken less time).  I loved watching the countryside go by.  We stopped briefly in Würzburg, where we used to live - and I glimpsed the old fortress (Marienberg) that is situated above the Main River there.

My mother's friend lives on the outskirts of Bamberg, so we were not able to see any of the historic town, which I had long ago visited while we were stationed in Germany ... but it was more important to be with my mom's friend and her husband.  They had built a lovely home, and we enjoyed the conversation, food (Sauerbraten, Klösse [potato dumplings], red cabbage, and gravy), meeting their dog, and walking around their lovely neighborhood.  

Upon returning to Frankfurt around 8:30 p.m., we were expected to be greeted by my aunt ... however, her neighbor met us instead!  My aunt had experienced a mini-stroke and was in the hospital!  Thankfully, it only took her speech for a brief moment, and she was able to notify her neighbor and ask for her assistance in getting us back to the apartment, getting us a key, etc.  I even talked to her on the phone once we got back to the apartment, and she was coherent and able to speak clearly to me.

So, the lesson learned here is one we all already know - you just never know what will come your way!  We were so thankful that my aunt was okay, even though she had a short lapse of speech - while at the bank earlier in the day.  The bank workers called an ambulance, when actually, my aunt stated she felt better and wanted to go home!  However, it was the right call to go to a stroke unit and be fully examined, which would be the plan for the next days...

This incident would lead us to the next unexpected lesson to be learned the next day ... stay tuned!

For more information about Bamberg, see this previous post- German Cities & Towns:  Bamberg

German Adventures: Lessons Learned, Part 1

2019 is my year for travel to Germany ... I guess it makes up for all the years since 2013 that I haven't been able to go?!  I was able to spend 6 days in Germany again this month - from October 6-12.  

This trip was fast - and filled with some unexpected twists that altered our original travel plans, but it was still awesome to spend some time with my mother in Germany!

The first lesson we learned has to do with the Schengen Agreement.  Have you heard of this treaty signed on June 14, 1985?  I sure had not ... until now.  Well, if you are a US passport holder and wish to travel to Germany or any of the other European countries that have signed on to this treaty since 1985, pay attention! 

The Schengen Treaty was formed as a result of the abolishment of most of the borders of the European countries as they formed the EU.  This allowed for travel without border control throughout Europe.  As it pertains to international travel, however, this treaty affects American and other non-European citizens differently. 

Because the treaty assumes that most travelers to its 26 countries will stay for the full 3 months allowed for a non-visa stay, these Schengen areas require at least a 6 month validity on the passports of those non-Schengen countries' passport holders.  Does it make sense?  Not to me ... but that's the rules as explained by the US Department of State's Bureau of Consular Affairs.  

What did that mean for us?  Well, for my mother, whose U.S. passport expires in January of 2020, it meant she was not allowed to travel on the day she was to fly to Germany (with my brother's family, who were also going to Germany, Austria, and Switzerland).  It meant she had to make an emergency passport renewal appointment in Atlanta in order to fly out the next day.  Thankfully, it all worked out, but wow ... what an unexpected turn of events. 

My mother flew to Germany a day delayed - October 1st, arriving October 2nd.  Sadly, she missed a big family reunion lunch with several relatives that at least my brother and his family were able to attend.  They were able to call her and pass the phone around to everyone, but it sure wasn't like being there.  

My brother and his extended in-law family with several of our German relatives, meeting for lunch at the zum Adler restaurant in Ginnheim/Frankfurt.

Anyway ... that was lesson learned #1.  More lessons were to follow on this trip!