I will come to the adventure part in due course but let me first start from the very beginning. It so happened that one my good friend and colleague was singing at the choir in a Church near Bichenbach Station to celebrate the Advent of Jesus this Sunday. So he invited me to join him there and since I was free on the Sunday evening I agreed.
As it was the first time I was going there so I used Google maps and rmv.de and got the directions. I first took the P Bus from Modaubruecke/Pfungstadter Bus Stop and got down at the Eberstadt Bahnhof Bus Stop. My train was at 5:37 PM and Bichenbach was just the next stop from Eberstadt with the train RB 60 so I was well in time until then. And then the problem started.
First problem was that it had snowed in the morning and temperature had gone down appreciably. It showed 1.5 degrees but it felt a lot colder so I was literally freezing out there. The Second problem was I didn't know the direction to go from the Bus Stop to the Train Station since it was my first time. And Lastly it was a Sunday evening so the whole place was deserted and dark.
But since I had some time in hand so I chose a direction in Random and started walking. After walking about 10 minutes I finally found an isolated Petrol /Gas Station and asked for the direction to the Bahnhof to the man in charge using my rudimentary German. Somehow i got the summary of what the fellow was saying and it was as expected; I had chosen the opposite direction. So I had to turn back and retrace my path and just as I was approaching the Bus Stop again I saw a train passing over me (Literally :P).
Actually the Bus stop was located below a bridge and the train passed over the bridge. But the problem was that I didn't see any road to reach above to the bridge. Also it was very dark which made it even more difficult. But i knew that if I reached above to the bridge then I can follow the rail tracks to the nearest Train Station. So I started looking for side alleyways which might take me up to the bridge and luckily I found one. This alleyway took me to a dark deserted complex of warehouses which disturbingly resembled the Counter Strike Game maps where we used to ambush the Terrorists. The more disturbing part was that it the whole complex was completely dark and empty. But just as i approached the nearest warehouse the Motion Sensor activated the nearest lamp and it continued happening as I stepped ahead. It was eerily similar to many horror movies I had scene earlier and I was just about expecting a group of thugs to attack me anytime :-O.
But I knew the direction I had to take and I remembered my German Friend David's advise that in Germany you can run around drunk anywhere at nay time and no one will bother you (But i believe he wasn't serious that time :P); so I kept moving in the general direction I had scene the previous train go by. Just then I saw the very train I wanted to catch cross at some distance just ahead of me and I knew at least somehow I had reached the Railway Tracks. I decided that although I have missed the train I should at least see where the train goes next.
Luckily I saw the train pull up a few 100 meters ahead of me and I knew that the Bahnhof was somewhere nearby. Now the next problem was how to reach this place. The Railway tracks were about 2 feet below me and due to rain and Snow in the morning the whole area was damp and slippery. I decided I can't go back and search for a different way so I would keep moving forward. So I jumped onto the Railway tracks and decided to follow it ahead and pray that no train comes by that route since the tracks were very narrow with not space separating them from the edge of the bridge. Surprisingly my luck held good and no train approached and finally I was able to get to the Eberstadt Bahnhof. However there were more surprises for me left even now. The whole damn train station was empty , you can picture an entire Railway Station completely devoid of any shops or people. It was as if I had entered into a Ghost Station. There was an Automat to buy ticket but there was no information desks and not a soul could be seen anywhere. I wondered how a station can be this empty and still be functional but there was nothing I could do then so I decided I would just wait for whichever train comes by and get into all of then and ask if it goes to Bichenbach or not and keep doing this until I get the correct train.
But I think God finally had had mercy on me and I saw the door open and an angel in disguise walk in (i call her angel because of my frustrated condition :P). You can imagine my relief when I finally saw another soul and the relief got magnified when I learn that she could speak English too. :D And so the girl , helped me get to the correct platform and train and I could finally attend my Friends Performance, although I was 45 minutes late :(. While coming back I decided to follow the same path with some other guys who were also going to Eberstadt and you could imagine my irritation when I realized that the actual route to the station was very short and easy but it was covered by a few buildings so I was unable to see it in the dark.
So ended my great adventure at the Eberstadt Bahnhof and I hope I live happily ever after.:P
PS: The moral of the story is you can reach any destination if you brave all the hurdles, but that would be stupid. Play smart , if you are doing something the first time always do it with someone who has done it before, it saves a lot of pain and trouble. ;P
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