3 May 2017
European Train Travel

We had visited Germany before, but our previous trips had concentrated on genealogy. This visit was for As public art, Frankfurt used a very old tram car to conceal the sidewalk entrance to the subway. It looks as if the tram has crashed through the sidewalk! Frankfurt subway station! fun and learning. We arrived on May 3, met Bryan and Donna on May 10 for ten days of castles and wine in Strasbourg and the surrounding area, and continued by ourselves till our return to the United States June 5.

On each European visit we learn more about our favorite kind of transportation, train travel.

Bob visited the DeutscheBahn customer desk in the train station and bought our tickets for the six train trips we took across Germany to Prague and then back to Frankfurt. The first trip we took had a three minute connection, from the far end of one train, across several tracks, and to the far end of the The tram looks like small train cars hitched together European tram other train, in a very crowded station. We ended up pulling our suitcases through the inside of six cars as the second train left the station and picked up speed. But we didn't have to do this; we could have waited an hour for the next connecting train and our tickets would still have been valid. This is a good question to work out when buying your tickets: inquire if your ticket is still valid if you miss your connection. The agent knows all the special fares and can save you some money on train tickets.

In most parts of the United States, bus, rail, and underground transportation serves the lower economic classes, whereas in Europe, everybody travels by foot, bicycle or public transportation or all three! So if you miss a bus or tram, another one will be along in a few minutes, while if you miss a long distance train, another one will come along in an hour or two. We love going to Europe just to ride the Parked along the platform in the train station, the silver and blue French TGV (trein de grande vitesse) looks streamlined and swift French high speed train public transportation - it's fast, fun, and affordable.

Frankfurt has an extensive transportation system, with a huge international airport and a 25-track hauptbahnhof (Main Station) and a fast underground (or U-bahn) and a widespread regional train system (or S-bahn). For city travel we prefer the street-level tram system, as it's easy to figure out and you can sightsee from the tram.

Generally, one buys the ticket at a machine in the local railroad station (for example, in Frankfurt for a day in Darmstadt). Instructions are given in several languages, including, thank goodness, English. The diagram shows the cars of the train laid out along the sections of the platform, marked with distinguishing letters. Guide to train cars Punch the ticket on first boarding a train or tram. Keep your ticket handy for the rare visit from a conductor, otherwise you don't have to show it.

Within a regional area, it's a good idea to buy a day ticket, which includes local transportation in both the city of departure and the city of arrival, as well as return tickets. We discovered the day ticket for a family of up to five is usually less expensive than two individual day tickets. We often hopped on a tram just to familiarize ourselves with a new city; we could ride to the end of the line and then ride back and get off where we wanted.

For a ride on one of the longer trains, you can reserve a seat; the best seats in second class have a Elsa sits next to a tall young man dressed in a blue shirt on the comfortable high speed train Ukrainian train companion table where you can rest your purse or a book or laptop or bottle of water. There's an extra charge for the reservation, but it's worth it. When you reach the platform, a big sheet will guide you to where to stand to be close (generally) to your train car. This just adds to the fun! The high speed trains are allowed to travel at speeds of 250 kilometers per hour - that's 156 miles per hour! So you reach your destination quickly, and there's no need to arrive at the station long in advance of your train, and no security screening; trains don't even slow down at national borders!

Meeting strangers is one of the added benefits of train travel. They can come from anywhere, and the Built around the turn of the twentieth century, the Frankfurt train station is crowded with people Frankfurt hauptbahnhof time passes pleasantly when you're talking to someone you don't know.

A typical European railroad station has a bunch of parallel tracks at ground level, and an underground passage for passengers to get to and from the platforms. In the bigger stations there is an escalator or even an elevator from the underground passage up to the train platform, but in the smaller stations there are stairs to climb, carrying a suitcase. Strangers will offer to help, but occasionally there's no one else there! On board the trains, there are usually other passengers to help you stow your luggage. We travel as light as possible, but we are getting older, year after year! This year, the bottom line was we managed all our trips and train changes successfully if slowly, and we're eager to return to Europe and do it again!