saturday
Düsseldorf, DE
somewhere between Kettwiger Straße and Hauptbahnhof.
what do these two guys want? tickets? something about tickets.
i'm next. where's mine? here.
three stops for €1,30.
i'm going more than three stops. they're gonna know.
time to play stupid tourist.
what?
i don't understand the first guy. and he looks pissed.
using a three stop ticket to go seven stops is bad enough.
until the second guy informs me that my ticket is not only the wrong one, but it hasn't been validated.
what? wie bitte?
shit. forget playing stupid tourist.
i am him.
wie bitte? what is he saying now? he's getting red in the face.
tut mir leid. ich bin tourist.
no kidding.
where's my german gone anyway?
i see. still in 2007. right where i left it.
train stops. get out with us, he says.
not in so many words. not in english. but that's what he says.
Hauptbahnhof. at least i've been here. about 45 minutes ago.
something about vierßig euro. was? really?
i don't have 40 euro to spare.
time to really milk this tourist. play to my strengths.
i just arrived today. ich komme...heute.
PASSPORT.
hmm. distinctly remember leaving that document at Merle's.
when was i going to need it today?
nein. tut mir leid.
i produce my boarding pass instead. proof.
Gerstern, he says, upon analyzing the stub. nicht heute.
well, yes. i left home gestern.
but i arrived heute. about two hours ago.
why's he so upset?
i didn' know, i maintain. and, in a way, i didn't.
the whole ticket validation thing.
a little red box at the top of the escalator. anyone could miss that.
who am i kidding? i deserve this fine. i can learn from it.
tut mir leid. tut mir leid.
ich...something...ein anderes. i'll go buy another one right now.
jetzt.
i plead to the second guy. the quiet guy. he knows a bit of english.
about as much english as a tourist under pressure knows deutsch.
we have common ground.
next time, they say. the little red box.
alles klar?
i'm off the hook.
danke schön, Herrn.
if i don't start paying attention soon, i'll be dead or deported by next week.
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LOL. That happens to everyone their first time I think. The same thing happened to me my second night in Japan when I decided to be adventerous and go to Yokohama by myself. On the last train home, I didn't realise I was supposed to drop my train ticket to the conductor guy on the other side of the tracks and not in the little box on the side I was getting off at. We had a huge thing but he was very kind and not as militant sounding as these unfriendly train dudes! Anyway it all worked out in the end through physical gestures. I'm glad you did not have to pay the 40 euros. That is stupid, especially considering they don't check tickets all the time and many tourists don't even BUY a ticket to begin with.
ReplyDeleteHang in there honey! You're doing great!
This one deserves to be passed around the office! Sounds like things have settled a bit at Jutta's.
ReplyDeleteCheers!