Travel Stories: On a Train in Germany

Trains are good for taking "artistic shots" like this one.

Clutching my backpack in front of me, I jostled down the train aisle, murmuring “Entschuldigung” to everyone I bumped into. The train from Amberg toward Nürnberg, my transfer point, was crowded with people. At last I plopped down next to a middle-aged woman with glasses perched gracefully on her nose. We exchanged a brief “Hallo,” and then turned out attention to our reading material.

About ten minutes later, I decided that I wanted to check the train’s arrival time in Nürnberg. The only problem was, my ticket was stuffed down into my tight pocket (I was always paranoid about losing them). I laboriously shoved my hand into my pocket, squirming to grasp the ticket and pull it out. At last I ripped it out of my pocket, unfolded it, checked the time, and crammed it (again with difficulty) all the way back into my pocket.

At that moment, the woman next to me said something in German. I looked at her, but before I could blurt out the phrase I knew best (“Ich spreche kein Deutch”), she pantomimed what she was talking about. The train conductor was at the row behind us, asking for tickets.

I looked at the conductor, then back at my pocket, and I giggled. The woman chortled. I plunged my hand in my pocket again, wrestled out the ticket, and got it stamped. The woman and I shared another quick chuckle, and I settled back in my seat. 

“Where are you from?” she asked in a thick accent.

“U.S.A.,” I replied, and she nodded as if that explained everything. Some things are just funny, no matter where you’re from. 

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