Train Transfers

Traveling by train is always an interesting and often better way to travel, especially if you want to see the countryside. Our train was going at about 200 MPH at top speed.

Once we left the city most of what we’ve seen is miles and miles of farm land and the occasional small village. And every village appears to have quite a large church right in the middle. 

One brief stop we made at a small town had an area for bikes with hundreds lined up neatly in a row.  Obviously how many locals get to the train in the mornings.

None of us have slept yet since leaving on this trip, and we all seem to be getting a bit delirious. Best I can figure it’s been 12, 16, wait more like 32 or maybe 24 hours, no must be more. I can’t think well and my mental calculator is malfunctioning. 

We were all stressing over the first 6 minute transfer at the Strasbourg station. After Joe’s near miss at the initial station we were even more anxious. We spoke to one of the conductors and they came and told us 20 minutes before we arrived which station we needed to go to next. We all gathered our belongings and stood in the stairwell. We needed to exit the train, carry our luggage down a flight of stairs, then cross over to another platform, then back up the stairs to the next train. 

When the doors opened we made haste and were the first off and had no idea which way to go. Others exited behind us so we followed the crowds, which all seemed to be in a hurry, down and across and up and onto the next train. We no sooner got seated when it pulled out. We were so relieved. That was the closest and most anxious connection this whole trip and it was finally over. But we had one more transfer to make at Basel. I’ve passed the word, Joe is not allowed to go to  the bathroom, buy ice cream or shop for chocolate or pastries at the transfer point. 

As our stop approached we again gathered our belongings ready to jump off and again we had no idea where to go. We followed the crowds and followed the signs to the only Zurich train and we made it with 13 minutes to spare. Joe offered to get us a snack while we waited and we all in unison exclaimed NO!!!

We made it to the third and final train for the day. Our tightest connections were over and we had now crossed over into Switzerland. By the time we arrived in Zurich the effects of 30 hours without sleep was hitting us all.

I was delirious, Bryan was a zombie, Larry was dopey, John was confused, Joe was in a stupor and Alan was, well Alan was still just his usual self. Even though exhausted we managed one final picture together before the sun set and so did we.

We exited the train in Zurich to everyone Speaking German and the realization that we had yet one more local train in another strange train station in another strange language. 

We stumbled around lost again until a local had pity on us and oriented us with the station. After a couple more missed trains we figured out the system and by the third train and a short ride we were at our destination. 

We quickly found our Air BnB, left our luggage, ate Gyros at a Greek restaurant and headed right back to the apt for bed.

At this point we have all been up for 32 hours. We looked like a group of old men just escaped from the nursing home. Bryan and Alan have even acquired a limp.

There have been many funny moments with us trying to communicate and function while this tired. I only remember one and only because it just happened, but at dinner we were discussing the different currencies and the question came up, when we break a US dollar we have cents, but what do they call it when they break a Euro? None of us knew. Then Larry remembered that he had to break a Euro earlier in the day and he had a half a euro in his pocket. He pulled it out and started trying to make out the small wording on the coin.  There are two words there, gu, gar, yar, I’m not sure, he replied, I think the second word may be cents but I can’t make out the first word. I took the coin from him and read it, it says Euro.

We all really need some sleep.