After the magic of Old Town Tallinn, I felt that I was ending the “wandering” part of my journey on a high note. Despite the rain on my last night and the morning of my departure, I was really enchanted with Estonia and definitely want to return to explore more of the country and meet more of its people. But I had another flight to catch; so I grabbed a shower, repacked my stuff and walked to the bus stop to head back to the airport. I had a long day of transiting today and wanted to make sure that I got to where I needed to be going without rushing around.
On impulse, I decided to see if I could walk through the glossy shopping center to the bus stop; since when I first arrived in town, I walked around it to get to the Old Town. Plus, it was starting to rain pretty hard and being inside sounded a lot better of an option. Walking in, I was really impressed, super modern with a bunch of shops that looked fun to investigate (I’m looking at you TopShop, Zara, and Mango). I probably looked like a tourist from the hinterlands, walking slowly and gawking at everything. I even had a security guard looking at me oddly and following me for a little ways. (I’m sure my rain jacket and backpack probably looked like shoplifter accessories…) I came out of the mall right near the bus stop, so I got to be dry for a good portion of my walk.
The bus eventually showed up and I was able to snag a seat for the 20 minute ride to the airport. I checked in online the night before and was able to use my phone for the boarding pass (good thing since Air Baltic will charge you for printing out your boarding pass at the airport). Tallinn’s airport is super new and modern and it was a comfortable place to pass the time while waiting for my flight (the free wifi was definitely awesome).
I had a quick trip to Riga International where I had three hours to kill before my onward flight. Unfortunately, the weather was atrocious; so I didn’t even bother trying to figure out if I could stow my bag somewhere for a few hours and try to squeeze in some sightseeing in Riga. Instead, I lounged on a seat at the gate doing Sudoku puzzles and watching the rain, hoping it wouldn’t result in a flight delay. I was irritated that my original non-stop had been cancelled; then replaced with a connection; then replaced with another connection that forced me to spend even more time in RIX. It felt like a finely tuned plot to try to get me to spend money at the airport; and so, on matter of principle, I did not even buy water while I was waiting. I even was surveyed, asking me how much I money I spent at the airport. The survey taker looked surprised when I said nothing. Ha, take that! Finally, it was time to board my next flight – to Berlin.
The trip to Berlin passed by pleasantly enough. From my window seat, I watched as the rain clouds broke apart and suddenly, blue skies appeared and the sun was shining down on me. Landing in Tegel Airport, I just missed the TXL Express bus to the train station and had to wait around in the cloud of cigarette smoke for another 20 minutes until the next bus. My stomach was rumbling at this point but I was worried that I would miss the bus if I tried to find the food stand where the guy next to me bought the fries he was scarfing down.
Finally, the bus arrived and the mad crush began to try to get seats. I scurried to grab one of the last remaining seats and settled in for the trip from the airport to the Haupbahnhoff, or the main train station for Berlin. The trip took about 20 minutes and I spent that time gazing out of the window. The route took us past the Tiergarten, the large park in the middle of Berlin. I was amazed at how large the park actually is. On the map, you know it’s pretty big, but when you’re down on the ground, the trees seemed to stretch forever. So beautiful to see in the middle of a modern metropolis.
The bus pulled up to the train station, and my jaw dropped. The place looked like they had just taken off all of the plastic off of a very shiny new toy. From my wandering around Europe many years ago, I had this romantic notion of European train stations being housed in these grand, old, probably historic buildings. (Because really, most of them were like that…) The Berlin Haupbahnhoff, on the other hand, was sleek and chrome and looked like a place where you might catch a space ship. Despite my love of old buildings and history, I loved the station even before I got inside and realized how easy it was to navigate around.
So, when I bought my train ticket, I had plenty of advanced purchase time and was able to get the really low-priced saver ticket. And for the difference of 10 Euro, or roughly $13, I could go first class instead of second class. Let me say right now, I’m not a travel snob. I fly economy, even (or should I say especially) on international flights, and usually take buses and metros instead of taxis in a city. I had a second class rail Eurail pass back in the day and never once pined for the opportunity to hang with people who actually showered that day. But for $13, I could get a seat assignment (which in second class was not part of the ticket price and would cost more if I wanted that option) and, more importantly, get access to the DB First Class Lounge in the train station. Knowing that I had roughly an hour before my train journey, being able to hang out in the First Class lounge was super tempting. So I splurged.
The doors to the lounge silently whooshed open and I approached the desk with a nervous smile. “Am I in the right place?”, “Yes, welcome. Take a seat anywhere you would like”. I stopped to grab a free glass of Sprite on my way to a plush leather chair in the quiet part of the lounge. For $13, I was determined to get my money’s worth. But then an attendant came over, would I like anything else? I saw that some of the other tables had wine and some small sandwiches. Could I get wine as well? Red or white? Red, of course (you know, for my health). He set down a small half bottle of German red, a glass, and some water – all on a fancy tray. Now, this was first class living. I sipped my wine, people watched the others in the lounge – making up stories about them and where they were heading and why – and took every advantage of the free wifi. I never did get any of the sandwiches though, which was probably just as well, seeing as I hadn’t been very good about eating regular meals.
About 10 minutes before my train was due to depart, I mournfully left the cosseted confines of the lounge and made my way down to the platform where my ICE train was scheduled to depart. Once at the platform, I found the diagram of the placement of the carriages and figured out where to stand so I would be close to my assigned compartment. I got a familiar sense of excitement while waiting for the train to arrive. I guess because I’ve been fortunate enough to fly often or something, I get a little blase about air travel. But living in the U.S., the only trains I get on are subways and the occasional commuter train. I’m ashamed to admit that I’ve never been on an Amtrak train. (Thinking about it now, that is something that I need to remedy very soon.) So, when I’m in Europe, I get a thrill out of riding the rails. The whole thing – from getting to the train station, finding the correct platform, figuring out the train diagram and where to stand on the platform, boarding the train, and watching the scenery whisk by the window, even to the arrival at a new station and figuring out which way to go to get into the part of the city you’re trying to get to – all of that gives me a little frisson of excitement and more than that, gives me a feeling of accomplishment that I’ve managed to make my way around an environment that isn’t quite as familiar to me. (I do miss the flipping schedule signs though – the large video screens are modern, no doubt, but they don’t make that clacking noise that I love so much…)
The German InterCity Express, or ICE, trains are a joy for any train traveler. They are clean, usually punctual, and quickly get you from one city center to another. I found my plush and comfy leather assigned seat in the open-plan, first class compartment and stowed my backpack directly above my head. In first class, there are outlets at every seat and free wifi as well. The $13 was definitely worth the upgrade to me. I jumped on my phone to catch up with my iMessages, Facebook, and to text my friend to let her know that I was on my way. In less than 2 hours from now, I would finally be seeing my friend Natasha, whom I had not seen in over 20 years.
On the train, it suddenly occurred to me that I had no backup plan if Natasha and I didn’t get along. I hadn’t even researched hostels in Leipzig. I had a small moment of discomfort realizing that I, someone who likes to be at least somewhat knowledgeable in case of needing a second option, hadn’t made any sort of backup plan. Natasha and I had seemed to get along well communicating electronically, but that is totally different than spending 5 full days in person with someone. Hmmm, things could go really well, ehhh, or even hideously sideways. But I realized that we seemed to have a lot in common, even if it is electronically. And that even if things went really wrong, I could handle bumping around Leipzig or Berlin by myself for a few days. But I was thinking logically that I really didn’t have to worry; Natasha and I would get along great…
Comforted by my resurgent confidence, I settled in for the remainder of my train trip, excited to see Natasha, excited to see Leipzig, and excited to just be in the moment. The day was a long journey from the shores of the Baltic to the heart of old East Germany; but I had a feeling that it was only the beginning to another great chapter to my already amazing trip.
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