The Deutsche Bahn Experience

If you ask any German about the Deutsche Bahn, chances are they will respond with a weighted groan or disapproving sigh. Due to its infamous delays and chaotic organization, the Deutsche Bahn is a nation-wide topic for complaints. However, as a Texan who has no public transportation in her town, I personally love the Deutsche Bahn. 

It’s honestly amazing being able to get on a train and go to nearby cities without having to sit in traffic, or ask your parents to drive you. In the past four weeks, I’ve been able to take solo trips to Bonn, Cologne, and Dusseldorf just by taking the Deutsche Bahn and other public transportation—no cars at all! Sure, there are some delays, but with the use of the DB App, one can somewhat-easily renavigate their route. To be fair, I have engaged in many sprints in order to catch my connecting train due to delays, but I just think of it as adding fun to the travel experience. 

Another thing I love about the Deutsche Bahn is that you meet so many people through it—sometimes mean, but mostly nice. For example, this past Sunday I had to embark on an eight-hour travel day to Jena, from Dusseldorf. It was exhausting, and by the time I was on my last train, my arms were about to fall off and decay with all my luggage. Seeing that I was struggling, these nice people helped me find places to store my luggage and a place for me to sit in the crowded train. When it was time to get off, a kind lady saw me struggling and helped me carry my luggage onto the platform. That same train ride, like I said, the train was very crowded and some people had resorted to sitting in the hallway between the carriages. The conductor told the passengers on the intercom to “take care of each other” and help one another find a seat, which I found really sweet, despite it being an oddly sentimental thing to say on the intercom of a train. But, I think that is such a kind principle to live life with—”take care of each other”—and that is just what I often see on the Deutsche Bahn. I give it a 7.5/10 stars.