So Much More Pleasant When Described In Song

I live in the center of the city, just a few blocks from the main train station. It's close enough that I could walk to the train station in about fifteen minutes - twenty if I'm feeling particularly pokey - and yet I never hear trains except in the wee hours of the night. Most nights around 3:00 or 3:30 AM I can hear a train's horn. It doesn't disturb me as I'm usually awake at that time. In fact were I asleep it likely wouldn't awaken me at all.

Every time I hear this train horn I think of the one time I was on a train in the middle of the night.

In March, 2001 I was taking a trip back home by myself to visit my family. I don't remember exactly all the reasons behind it but it was determined that my best flight would be from Frankfurt to Detroit to Memphis. Maybe it was the cheapest flight and that's why I took it. At any rate, I had to get myself to Frankfurt. Before when I'd flown out of Frankfurt I'd flown in from either Hannover or Berlin but this time B and I got the notion for me to take a train from Magdeburg to Frankfurt, take the commuter train from the main train station to the airport there I'd catch my flight. At the time it all sounded so reasonable. Fun even. Very Arlo Guthrie and City Of New Orleans. I now look back on the trip with the thought of "Exactly how far were our heads crammed up our arses?"

About a week or so before my trip I booked a seat on an overnight train that started in Berlin would eventually end up in Munich after meandering around the country for a painful amount of time. I believe you could book one of those sleeping berths but I wasn't interested in investing that sort of money in what would amount to a 6 1/2 hour trip. My seat was in a compartment in what was supposed to be an extra comfy seat that one could sleep in while sitting up.

The fact that the trip was scheduled to be about 6 1/2 hours should have tipped me off to something. The trip from Magdeburg to Frankfurt doesn't normally take that long but what did I know about such things? I figured the train went slower than normal or make a bunch more stops.

After spending the day shopping, packing and hiding and stuffing away clutter so my MIL wouldn't find it cleaning I tearfully left for the trains station around 11:30 PM. My departures are always accompanied by a crying jag and this, added to the fatigue I was already experiencing, was lending itself to me getting a grinding headache. Once I jumped on the train and found my compartment I found that my seat was occupied by the head of an man. I hated to awaken him but I figured my ass on his ear was going to have the same effect with less desirable results so nudged him and let him know he'd have to confine himself to his own extra comfy seat designed to allow you to sleep while sitting up.

On overnight trains they expect you to sit in the dark. This is logical, of course, but somewhat of a pain in the neck to me as I wasn't sleepy and fear sleeping while sitting up because I'm likely to snore so loudly glass in is peril of shattering. Curtains block out most of the ambient light from the aisles so I had to make myself content with just sitting and looking out into the cold March night. It was sort of soothing in a way until the compartment began to get stuffier and stuffier. I'm not claustrophobic but I don't feel comfortable being cooped up in a small room for hours. Finally I had to get myself out of that compartment.

I wasn't aware of this but evidently meandering aimlessly through a train is frowned upon by its employees. I'd walked quietly through a few cars when I came upon a Deutsche Bahn employee who asked me what I was doing. At this time my ability to explain in German that I had to get up and walk around or go crazy was sorely lacking so I ended up saying that I was just walking around. Yikes! Wrong answer! She chided me about my aimless wanderings and sent me back to my compartment.

I'd been out long enough that I could gladly take my seat again but my contentment was short lived. The train began going slower and slower until eventually we came to a halt. Not at a station but out in the middle of nowhere. Three o'clock in the morning in the middle of God knows where and for God knows what reason. I figured that the train has to stop once in a while in order to keep it's strange, long schedule and that we'd be going again in no time. What I didn't figure is that being at a standstill in a train compartment in the pitch dark with two strangers was going to turn me into the claustrophobe that I claim not to be. And dammit it was getting stuffier and hotter by the second.

Why is it that whenever I'm on a train or streetcar, the windows won't open for me without an extreme amount of tugging and/or a lot of loud clatter? I couldn't get that window to slide down and let in a bit of fresh air for love or money. That coupled with not moving at all was starting me to go into high wig-out mode. My run in with the Deutsche Bahn lady was keeping me riveted to my seat and this trip was starting to look like it wasn't going to be worth all this effort.

Finally the train started again and just knowning that I was getting closer to my destination was serving to calm my nerves. I sat quietly and I believe I even nodded off for a few minutes. Once again the compartment began to get stuffy and once again the train stopped - this time for about forty-five minutes.

The train started on its way once more and I took that opportunity to go out into the aisle. At this point I didn't care what the consequences would be, I had to have some fresh air. I made my way towards the end of the car, found a window to open and for a few happy minutes I stood on tip-toe in an effort to get a bit of fresh air on my face.

I now know why dogs love so much to hang their heads from a car window.

Around 7:00 AM my train arrived in Frankfurt. I grabbed my bags and wasted no time in getting out of that rolling prison. All I would need to do now is go down a level to the commuter trains and take the one going to the airport.

I couldn't do it. Even if it was just a fifteen or so minute ride, I couldn't face another train. I took up my bags once again, walked out the main doors of the station, found a taxi and took a rather pricey ride to the airport. With the window down.

Now when I hear the lonesome sound of a train's horn in the middle of the night I think of the folks who may be sleeping in those swaying cars. And that one poor tired person who would give her eye teeth to get off that train.