Also Germans...

When you exit the train station and find a skuzz of homeless punks sprawled on the sidewalk, your best option is to move away quietly. Don't make eye contact, keep your hands at your sides, and don't make sudden movements, or they just might charge. Of course charging would consist of them de-entangling their legs from sleeping bags, putting down the beer bottles and standing up. So really the risk is very low if their to lazy do anything but sit in the rain at the train station then their probably to lazy to do any charging. However when in doubt move away is my motto.

So we did. Then because we weren't sure if we were moving in the right direction we moved back again. Missing our ride because of punks wasn't really a step in the right direction. However, after much careful detective work it was ascertained that, no indeed, this was not the place where we should be. No MacDonalds for instance. Also at this point it became clear that speaking no German (for once) had an upside. Whatever they were hollering out wasn't hitting their target and that gave me a rather warm and happy feeling. I almost wanted to go and pat them on the head and say "You poor little, foul mouthed dude, nothing you are saying means anything to me. Just stop talking and drink more beer." Actually not really, but it was nice we didn't understand.

Also it might be best NOT to buy train tickets for travel on Friday afternoon in Germany. Everyone is going home from work, or away for the weekend. And every child from ages 12 to 17 is in a hiking club that is going hiking. Our second train had roughly 634 of these alpiners on it, they were slouched over under packs as big as they, squashing into the cars with vim and vigor appropriate to their age and healthy pursuit. The club flags and some very odd stick things with small chains attached to them were endangering the train and other passengers. Perhaps they played a game in which you gained points for every unsuspecting person you impale.

And to wrap up our last train ride we met The Guy. He was wearing a sparkly, blue, sequin covered cowboy hat. Carrying a big flower arrangement. And a beer bottle. Sadly the train was really full and that meant he was going to sit...right....across.....from....us. Beer stink was also wafting from him.

Our plan of action was to turn up the music, lift up the books and be really deep in reading. However that didn't stop him from asking for my help to fix something on his hat. I am happy to report I understood his German and knew exactly what he wanted and I'm even happier to report that the German came springing to my lips to say "I speak no German." He was disappointed, but I not. After trying for a long time to fix his hat he went off in a doze or beer sleep for a time, only snapping out of it to attempt to talk with Tivoli. After that I as the intrepid leader decided it was time for us to go, we went so fast we almost took out the flower arrangement. Thank goodness we were only ten minutes from our stop so jumping up and rushing to the door to stand with our packs on wasn't hardship. And so ended our second to last train trip...