When you visit a new place, every single day is an
experience. Sometimes there are challenges which make you learn and grow. Isn’t
that what travel all about? Apart from the immense joy it brings to your life,
of course!
So this year when we went to Germany and Hungary, the Boy
and I had our share of interesting experiences which I thought I’d share here.
Transport offense
Our hotel in Frankfurt gave us a complimentary pass for the
local transport for the length of our stay which was 4 nights. It had my name
spelt wrong so I had to change it when I noticed the mistake the next day. On
day 3, we were on a local tram when the inspectors came to check the tickets. We
took ours out and as I was holding and waiting for the inspectors, I noticed
that the receptionist had given me a 2-day pass by mistake and it was now
expired! The inspector came to our seat and just as I was about to show him my
ticket, he walked behind us where a drunk man was sitting and spitting all over
the place. We had actually noticed him before and therefore decided to change our
seats and sit away from him. Anyway, the inspector and his colleague dragged
him out and made him get off at the next stop. We too got off without them
checking our tickets!
It was a narrow escape. Even though the fine was 60 euro, I had
major palpitations because I am the types who follows the rules to the T.
Lesson learnt – drunk people are super cool.
License blunder
While we were in Baden-Baden, we went to pick up our
pre-booked car. We had plans to drive around the Black Forest for 3 days. We had
done the area before in public transport and so this time we wanted to do
something different. It was quite exciting because the prospect of stopping
anywhere, going to random places without planning, and just exploring at our
own pace was fun in itself.
When we went to Sixt to pick up our vehicle, the manager
asked the Boy for his international driver’s licence, his passport and his
licence from the country of residence. Now when we travel, we tend to empty our
wallets and keep only the necessary cards and cash. The Boy had left his
national licence in Bahrain because it was not required. The manager refused to
give us a car without it.
Frustrated that all our plans will need to change now, we
tried to contact the other car rental agencies. Avis readily agreed to give us
a car with our documents in hand and we had a Volkswagon in less than half an
hour!
Lesson learnt – keep only the important things with you when
you travel. Oh, we know this from before!
Health struggles
I always plan my trips very diligently because I don't want any health struggles. I have difficulty climbing steps and walking uphill and so before going to a place of interest, I see how the location is wheelchair friendly because if it is good for a disabled, it should be ok for me.
This trip was planned at the last moment due to forever changing covid numbers. I was not able to plan every single thing. When we were in Budapest, we decided to go to a cute near-by village called Szentendre. This town was one hour by train. When we reached the train station I saw that the step into the trains was very high. Usually the Boy lifts me up in such situations. But I have a thing with trains. Since they stop only for a minute or two, I panic in case of a difficulty. That is exactly what happened. I could not climb, it was a huge step, the Boy tried to help me but his usual style wasn't working, and the train's door was about to shut and leave the station!
It was the scariest moment ever. But my Knight in shining Armour lifted me with all his might and I was in the train. It took me a while to get over this and while returning I was just glad that Szentendre was the first station for the train and I had ten minutes to get into it!
Why o Why do they make steps like that! We need a more inclusive society and this is one reason I dread going back to India. There I can't do anything alone!
Leap of faith
I love being in nature. The idea of being in a dense forest with the smell of nothing but trees and wet sand is my most favourite thing in the world. But unfortunately, most of this involves hiking which I cannot do. When we were in Baden-Baden, we took a cable car to the top of a hill. This place had mesmerizing views and a dense forest along the way. It was approximately 4 kilometres from the base which didn't seem like a difficult task going downhill.
I entered a part of the trek on the top and was amazed by how serene it was. Emotions took over me and I started walking downhill convincing the Boy that I will manage the whole way. After one kilometer I realised what a mistake this was. Although I was loving every breath I took, each step felt like an enormous task. With several breaks we managed to reach the base but by then it had started raining and I was drained! I lost balance and fell down, without getting hurt, thankfully. We didn't have a car on this day and the bus was about half an hour away. With no bench in sight, we decided to call a cab.
The next day was super scary! When I walked out of the hotel for breakfast, the floor was moving. My nervous system had completely gone bonkers from the experience! I prayed for this to pass which it did in two days.
Will I do the downhill trek again! Oh, yes, but probably towards the end of the trip so that I can have my bed rest for two days!
Sweetest gestures
When we called the cab after my experience mentioned above, it was raining heavily. On arrival to the hotel, the cab driver told me to wait in the car. He ran to take out an umbrella from the boot and escorted me to the hotel door! I cannot forget his sweet face ever!
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Ah, sweet memories, I want to go back already!