EuroTrip - Day 36

The German Experience

Just to save 5 euros each, two Indians traveled for 8 hours changing 3 trains in between. This journey from Lyon to Manheim resulted in us crossing three countries (France, Switzerland & Germany) in a span of a couple of hours (for the country-count types people that must be like a treat - 3 countries on the list in no time).

With three different countries, we could experience the way their police works.

France has the least number of checks on the trains (of course our Scandinavia trip was an exception where we were never asked for our passport during the entire duration). You are checked for your tickets once and you are good for the journey. No more hassle for the rest of journey.

Switzerland, being a new entry to Schengen regime, is still coming to terms with this border-less Euro Nation concept. The Zurich railway station has a custom duty office just next to the platform where International trains arrive (the first time we saw such a thing). Even to cross over to some other platform, you might need to cross this counter. Only consolation is that it is deserted now (or may be it had not opened by that time). Hopefully it will be removed soon to lessen the discomfort and confusion for the travelers. While entering the country, there is a thorough identity check done for all traveler - something that cannot/should not be avoided.

German story is altogether different though. They have passport checks at regular interval. There are many random checks apart from those near its boarders. And I feel a little sorry to admit that somehow the pattern and experience so far shows that these checks are not entirely random. It's the skin color that decides to an extent if you will be asked for your passport/identity card during those random checks. While we escaped with just a passport check, the guy next to us had to undergo a full security screening of his luggage and documents. It seems his passport was in Urdu.

The oddness of the moment cannot be explained here but that day I felt that we indeed were outsiders for Europe. Our skin colours determined this for us.

Bora and me discussed it over our long walk in Manheim. While the European countries are more than welcoming outsiders like us, their apprehensions are still holding strong. We don't know if we should blame anyone. I don't recall any better treatment we have given to the foreigners who come to India. A nation's security is prime and I feel the police has to do its job. Just that a little less discrimination should make souls like us more attached to their concerns.

We have not yet experienced any misbehavior or rude dealing in Europe and that really amazes me. It's a really great feeling the way every officer - ticket collector or security personnel - behaves with everyone. The smile on their face so nicely hides the toil of their job. We the Indians should learn this art of hospitality from them (we say 'Atithi Devo Bhav' and still give such a bad treatment to travelers - outsiders and insiders alike).

About the day: After spending most part of the day in traveling, we reached Manhiem on a sleepy Sunday afternoon. Bora gave a guided tour along the university area sharing the stories that he picked from his stay here. This town was severely destroyed after being one of the major target in the world war. They have reconstructed most part now. Preserving is the rule of the game. Its businesses and proximity to Frankfurt makes Manheim an important town in Germany. This part of Germany is also the hub for car makers. It's a university town too. There are more than 600 exchange students here at this point of time and the town council proudly boasts about this fact. It's their attempt to bring this city on world map. Apparently the MBA program here is right on its way to become the best program in Germany. Any guesses on how much time did it take to achieve this?? Just around 4 years. Amazing it is! And we talk about legacy and crib for associations.

I had another bad experience with French railways. It is almost impossible to find reservations in French trains and I was going to suffer because of this again. I could not get any reservations to reach Paris, and that means tomorrow it will be a long day for me in the trains. And the worst part is that I don't even save any money for incurring this pain.

The night in Manhiem are pretty chilly and I should really be thankful to Bora who spared his cozy bed for me.

Tomorrow it's a long day for me and to my bad luck that day will start with an early morning train.

Good night world.