Overnight

Overnight at Bremen Airport. On hindsight, I should have done more thorough research before buying the tickets for my journey to Manchester. The train ticket to Bremen cost about 3 times more than the Ryanair flight to Manchester. I take this as an expensive lesson learnt. Nonetheless I felt like it was money well spent because the entire journey was nothing short of amazing. And they say, "travel is the only thing that makes you richer." I quite agree.

Right from the beginning, I was running. Running, running, running.

I left class on time, zipped back home for a quick lunch and packed my luggage.
Left Vauban to catch the 1436 tram, thinking that I will make it in good time for my 1457 train at the Hauptbahnof.

At 1455 I was PANICKING. 1 stop to the Hauptbahnof, and I knew for sure that if I didn't accelerate at full speed, I could kiss my train to Bremen goodbye (along with that darned expensive train ticket of course). I still remember texting Sophie and Lokky with shaky hands before I shoved my phone into the bag, camped at the door and bolted out as soon as the tram came to a halt.

Run I did, looking a little insane with my bulky backpack but I MADE IT! Can you feel the exhilaration/relief/exhaustion? I still believe, to this day, I have not fully recovered from those aching pains. Talk about being unfit.

Anyway I boarded the train right as it pulled into the platform. The next obstacle was to find a seat, because a good majority of the seats were reserved. I was a bit of a nomad for the first part of the journey, but thankfully managed to find a seat in the end.

Train transfer at Frankfurt. Duration of transfer: 8 minutes. Only a couple of platforms away. I could do this, right?

I forgot how big Frankfurt's Hauptbahnof was. And packed. With people. With people and kids in tow. With people and those bulky luggages they drag along behind them, also known as "things easy to trip over when you are running for a train"

Broke into a run again, this time faster and for a much longer distance than before. Made it in the nick of time to board the train from Frankfurt to Bremen. Settled down beside a gentleman and (nearly) died for about 5 minutes, as I tried to catch my breath that was conveniently left behind because I presumably ran too quickly.

Somehow, I struck up a conversation with the gentleman next to me.

"Wohin fahren Sie?" Every conversation begins easily with a question.
"Hannover. Und Sie?" It continues with a reply, and a further question or two.

At the end of it all, I was so profoundly affected by our exchange, and so happy to have met this gentleman. His name is Frank, and for a little over 3 hours entirely in German, we had talked about everything from the geography of Germany to future careers and agreeing that the world is what we make, our time is as good as the ways we use it. He encouraged me to travel, to pursue a career I see a bright future in, and to visit him the next time I drop by in his city.

Right before he alighted, he walked back to my seat, "Ich möchte etwas verschenken / I would like to give you a present"and took out a bottle of homemade jam. It was so simple and sweet and I felt really really touched by his gesture. Unfortunately I had to turn down the gift due to liquid restrictions for carry-on luggage but my heart was filled with warmth and a fondness for this very nice person.

In retrospect, it was a meaningful conversation, well-paced with genuine curiosity and an unaffected sharing of ideas, thoughts and experiences.

This is one train ride I will always remember.

Things were a little ho-hum after that, but I was pleasantly greeted by the atmosphere of Bremen's City Airport. Perhaps it was not such a bad choice after all, since Bremen's airport was so close to the Hauptbahnof and it was comfortable to sleep in. The reviews from http://www.sleepinginairports.net/europe/index.htm were reassuring, of course.

I thought jokingly to myself, this is as good as accomodation in a shared dorm - shared (but clean and almost always empty) toilets, "comfortable" beds (you can lay down flat on one of the many couches) and safe! I actually slept beside some security office so...it counts.

Not encouraging everybody to sleepover at airports, since it is not always allowed and it may be really unsafe in some places. This was a last minute and cost-saving move for me, and I am just glad I survived it all now. The lights were on throughout the night so I ended up with approximately 5 hours of choppy sleep, but I really cannot complain.

The next morning: waiting for my 9am flight at Ryanair's terminal.

For the ridiculously cheap fares and no-frills flights (just don't select any extra options, just don't), there is really nothing to complain about Ryanair. It was my first time on this airline, and it was so on-the-dot punctual, getting me from point A to B. I loved it.

The flight to Manchester was another surprise as well, chatting with the German next to me about a range of topics like the European Union to German stereotypes (Lederhosen?) and travelling. The time just whizzed away and we were both pleased to have gotten to know each other.

What an eventful journey to Manchester.

Till next time!

Remembering the pretty sunrise taken in the few moments I spent stretching outside Bremen Airport