There Is More Than One Way To Get On A Train
Trains are fun. I enjoy them and have ridden trains in numerous places. In Washington, DC and Chicago I have taken Metro trains and commuter trains. At Disney I have ridden the monorail. I have ridden British Rail and Amtrak.
I am in Dusseldorf, Germany for a long weekend. And I learned today I have just been getting lucky getting on trains here. Before this afternoon I was going to popular places where lots of people get on and off the Rheinbahn trains that go around the city. Doors open and people get on or off. Pretty straightforward.
Until today. I visited Classic Remise — a center for vintage cars.
More on Classic Remise in a post to follow shortly. Back to the train.
After I was done being wowed by the car collection and lunch, I headed back to the hotel. My train arrived and I walked towards it to get on, but the door did not open. The ones at the very front and back did, but I was in the middle. So I ran for the open door. And it closed while I was still ten feet away.
I can only imagine how many Germans I entertained this afternoon. “Is that an American running for the door?” “Yes, he’s not going to make door before it closes.” “He doesn’t know there is a button for each door! Ha ha!” “Yes, silly American. Let’s drink more beer.”
On the DC Metro, every door (that works) opens when the train stops. Not so on the Rheinbahn Dusseldorf. If a door does not open, you can press a button beside it. Or you can entertain the locals.
Things that should be simple, well, sometimes they might just be different.
