travel woes, but blessed.

oh goodness gracious, where do I start? I will go back a ways...

on Nov. 10, I left Norway and started my trek to Huemoz, Switzerland. Yikes. The reason it's so "yikes" is because I have a rail pass...and I need to utilize it. So, that means more train stations, more sleepless nights.

My train from Bergen to Oslo. Fine. No big. It was actually beautiful. I don't understand how people live in the middle of nowhere on the top of a mountain, however. That is curious to me. What do they do for a living? It's like the north pole in early Nov. What's Jan. like? Food for thought.

I took a plane back to Frankfurt. Frankfurt is not top on my list at this point...simply because of my complicated middle-of-the-night travel I have had to do there.

I arrived at the Frankfurt main train station at 10 p.m. My train to Switzerland was scheduled to leave at 2:22 a.m. I took refuge in a McDonalds (never thought that would come out of my mouth), as it was the only establishment connected to the train station open until 2:00 a.m. Around 12 a.m. I was suddenly aware that I was very nearly the only girl around--at least the only girl alone. Over my 4 hours of sitting in McDonalds with my eyes glued to my Time magazine (trying to avoid any strange encounters with others) I witnessed a drug dealer try and sell something to several guys. He made several rounds throughout the night. He was harmless, but his presence made me a bit uncomfortable. He didn't ask me. If he did, I don't think anything bad would have happened. Just saying.

I was a bit distracted as well, since, the only other lady that was by her lonesome in McDonalds was talking and laughing decently loud. She was talking to...no one. She was a bit crazy. She, also, was harmless. It was interesting though, because she was quite enjoying herself. Whoever she was talking to was making her happy.

Okay, what I am about to tell you are some of the reasons why the actual travel part of traveling is so stressful to me. Of course the odd people (drug dealers, crazies that sleep in train stations, and theives) all make my anxiety level rise. Here are some additional experiences...

• Got on train in Bergen, all situated. Some trains you need seat reservations, others you don't. You can figure it out by looking up online. I DID NOT need a reservation for this train. Just to be thourough, however, I asked the conductor as he walked by. He told me "you most definitely do need a reservation. You have 10 minutes to get one." Well shoot, I have to grab all my crap just in case I don't make it back on the train. Then, get a reservation, and run back. Fricken-a.
  

• Sometimes trains split during their journey at certain locations. Make sure you are in the "correct compartment" so you actually make it to the destination you want to.
  

• The McD's @ Frankfurt was connected to the train station, but also had a door leading to outside. I assumed the door leading into the station would stay open as long as McD's was. Nope. When I tried to open the door, it was locked. It was one of those moments when your heart starts beating rapidly and blood rushes to your face, and when you try to talk it's hard because you throat has closed up a bit. I asked them to open the door for me. They wouldn't. They told me to go around to the main door. None of them could speak English very well, so I had a hard time feeling confident in their suggestions. My train was leaving in 20 minutes. There was no way I was going to spend the night with druggy and Miss talkerson. Walked outside pretty upset. I was telling myself if this doesn't work out...then...SCREW traveling! I give up! I walked by a couple guys that looked me up and down...but by that point I was so mad, I probably would have had the adrenaline to beat them up all by myself anyway. The first door I tried was locked. Praise the Lord the next set of doors was open. Oh dear.
  

• Not long after I found my platform for my 2:22 a.m. train...it played over the loud speaker over and over that, "Train from Frankfurt to Aigle will be 25 minutes late due to persons on the track." First, that made me more mad. I am sitting in this cold station, and I have to wait even longer for my train?! Not only that...I was almost sure I was going to miss my connections. That meant, I had to go over to a self-serving train-router-machine to re-plan my journey. I was SO over this. I did what I needed to do, and then got over myself.
  

~~~I sat down my complaining-self and waited for my late train. I realized that the train is actually late because of "persons on the track"--meaning death, probably. And most likely suicide. I made friends with a 20-year-old German boy and he told me they are late because they have to "clean it up." Very sad. I was suddenly very grateful for my circumstances--the "person on the track" is much less fortunate than I. For that, I am thankful.

• You can't sleep on night trains in 2nd class. People talking, lights on all night, people getting on and off train, ticket checker walking through the cabins after every stop, each stop being announced over the loud speaker...in several different languages.

Are you through with listening to me complain? Good, because I am getting sick of it myself. No matter what has happened, I feel thankful for the experience. I have learned so much. I am thankful for the opportunity to travel, see more of the world, and meet people from all over.

I feel blessed. I just pray my anxiety doesn't get the best of me next time I have a troublesome travel experience...