As many of you know, I was in Germany for a week as part of my official trip. It gave me a lot of insights about Europe, the EU, and specifically about Germany. It was a wonderful week that I spent there. In this mini-series, I'll share the things which I had learned and observed there.
I visited three cities: Karlsruhe, Braunschweig, and Berlin. In each city, I spent roughly a couple of nights and had the chance to explore Berlin a little more than the other two. I also traveled through other cities by train or bus and learned a few things along the way.
What was my first reaction?
Like anyone else, I too felt a little nervous and anxious before traveling. Even though I usually travel alone to many parts of India, this was my first international trip, and I was traveling alone. I became more conscious and observed even the smallest details around me to avoid making mistakes and not miss anything. My travel agent suggested to go with Qatar Airways, which required a connecting flight in Doha, instead of Lufthansa, which offers a direct flight from Bengaluru to Frankfurt. I was so conscious that I even asked this question - where to collect the check-in baggage in Doha or Frankfor?- to three different airline staff members at different points, which could have made them think I had gone mad.
Moving on to the trip itself, the visa process was not that bad. In fact, it was very smooth. Since this trip was driven by both governments, the process was easy, and I received my visa within a week. I then booked my air ticket. Initially, I was advised to take a flight from Bengaluru to Frankfurt with Lufthansa and then take the high-speed (ICE) trains to reach Karlsruhe. However, at the time of booking, my agent suggested to take Qatar Airways. I was initially hesitant, but after reading positive reviews about the airline, I finally agreed. When I landed in Germany, I realized I had made a good choice by choosing Qatar Airways. The service was good, and I liked the airplane and its complementary offerings. Basically, I decided to prefer Qatar Airways for any upcoming international travels (if any ЁЯШЬ).
Upon landing, I noticed that German and English were both displayed. The German language generally uses English alphabets, so if someone stays there for a month, I strongly believe they can start understanding what's written. I then proceeded to the Immigration gate. There were two lines: one for EU passport holders and another for other passport holders. For EU passport holders, it was self-scanning and walking out. But for other passport holders, the queue was very long to get the immigration seal in the passport.
I noticed an interesting work culture there. The queue was long, and people were waiting for more than 15-20 minutes to get stamped. About four officers were on duty for stamping, and at one point, an officer pulled down the screen and said their time was over. This is unimaginable in India. Our government employees may come late, but they won't leave halfway, and even the people around wouldn't allow it. I'm truly amused by this and don't know whether it's right or wrong. Then, after 5 minutes, the next person started working.
After getting out of the airport, I reached the train station at 3:50 PM. The next train was at 4:06 PM, and if I missed it, I would have to wait for an hour. However, I couldn't find the ticket counter, and there were no railway workers to ask for help. There was only a ticket vending machine, and it was in German. The train was supposed to arrive at the station by 3:51 PM, but it was running 15 minutes late, so I couldn't even book it using their DB app (the app in which you can book all public transport tickets to travel across the country). Finally, after searching for help, I decided to get the ticket from the machine.
I somehow figured out that one row was for "From" and the other for "To," but I missed the payment a couple of times because I didn't know when to insert the card for payment. After struggling and learning on my own, I got the ticket and made it to the platform. Then came the next task of figuring out which train to board. There were two trains on two platforms going to Karlsruhe. I asked a girl nearby, and she directed me to a person wearing a red jacket, saying he was the station in-charge (like our TTE). The guy asked me to take the train from the other platform as this train was for confirmed seat ticket holders. Even in that train, I had to change trains in Mannheim, which was the next stop.
I got off at Mannheim and took the right train with the help of the in-charge at that station. Finally, I reached Karlsruhe. The hotel where I needed to check-in was about 4 km away from the station, and I needed to take the tram to get there. I faced the same struggle in getting the tram ticket, but I finally managed to get it and reached the hotel. Later, I learned that I could have traveled to the hotel using the same ICE ticket without needing to purchase a separate tram ticket, as it covered city travel as well. Poor me!
By the time I arrived, all my colleagues had left for the intro meeting. I quickly refreshed myself and rushed to the meeting. When I reached there, the meeting was almost over, and I was like, "Did I miss something?" Then my colleagues said that I hadn't missed anything except some fun. We walked down to have a group dinner. Karlsruhe city was so nice and beautiful with very few crowds and many historical buildings. I loved it a lot because of its calmness and beauty. The entire city could be covered on foot in an hour and a half, and it had a population of about 2.5 lakh, which is something we can see even in Tier-3 Indian municipalities.
Though I was slightly tense and cautious, I loved the local travel and the way I explored the places. It was summer there, so the daytime was long, and the sun would set around 10 PM in the evening. My first reaction was, "For the first time, I'm having my dinner under the sun!"
Dinesh
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