The Ongoing Saga of Our Trip to Octoberfest, Part 2

At the Nuremberg train station, we found the train that would take us to Munich.  People crowded around it, and we had a hard time squeezing through the throngs to get on. Ken and I entered at one side of a compartment, and the girls and Keith at another. Ken and I stood in the aisle, wedged in by many other people, wondering how we would find our children. The smell of beer was even stronger.

Eventually I saw the kids through the window, running along the train, looking for us. They squeezed into our compartment. Departure time came but the train did not move. Instead, two train officials opened the doors and called, “This train has exceeded the limit of people it can transport. We will not leave until everybody standing in the aisles has left.”

Someone called, “But we want to get to Munich.” Other voices agreed and someone clapped.

“There is another train on track five that will leave a few minutes after this one does. Please. Everybody in the aisles leave the train through the doors ahead of you and get into the one on track five.”

Since we stood close to the door where the officials were, we turned and tried to get out that way.

The train official stopped us. “You can’t leave from this door. You need to get out the other way.”

I looked back. Nothing moved. “Please, let us get out,” I said in my best American accented German. “The line isn’t moving and it will take forever to get out the other side.”

“This is a security door, but, well, go ahead,” she said and stepped aside so we could leave.

We left, grateful for the fresh air, and along with a large group of other travelers, hurried to track five, where we found another train, maybe half full, waiting for us. The announcement board above the track didn’t say this train would go to Munich, but the people inside assured us that it would stop there.

We found a set of free seats and settled down for the second leg of our trip to the Oktoberfest.