AnneMarie Hunter
The train and me and how we became friends

Last Friday, I took a train to Göttingen. That may not seem HNA-column worthy, or even an accomplishment worth mentioning. However, it was for this visitor who lives in an American city virtually devoid of public transportation.

By AnneMarie Hunter

Kassel – So, when I arrived in Kassel, public transportation and I were not friends. Navigating it seemed insurmountable. Yet, just four weeks later, I can think about public transportation without quivering.

It was a rugged start though and a steep learning curve. My second day at HNA, my colleague, Michaela Pflug and I rode the train together where she introduced me to the ins and outs of public transportation. After work, we grabbed tram 5, caught tram 4 at Rathaus and got off at Karthäuser Straße. I walked home from there. Simple enough. I can do this.

Wrong.

The next morning, I boarded the right tram – in the wrong direction. With the help of conductors and passengers, I got straightened out and made it to work – two hours late.

Not only did that Wednesday start poorly, I worried I’d make the same mistake that evening. I envisioned circling Kassel for hours, never making it home and having to sleep on the tram that night.

To avert this, I made preemptive preparations. Like Hansel and Gretel’s breadcrumbs, I wrote down every detail of the trip, including tram numbers, direction and names of the stops. I was determined not to get lost.

Happily, I made it home without a problem and was at work on time the next morning. I considered taking a bigger step. Colleagues had told me about Bergpark Wilhelmshöhe and this was my next goal. However, there were jitters about venturing out of my new, but comfortable, tram routine.

Clearly, the time had come for a ‘talk with self.’ These fears were not going to get the best of me, especially when an adventure to a beautiful place was on the line. On that sunny Saturday, I found and rode Tram 1 to Bergpark. The park was amazing and the adventure a success.

My final weekend in Germany, I took that trip (right train, right direction) to Göttingen. Even better, I boarded the correct train home.