Sunday, April 27, 2014

Deutsche Bahn Passenger Rights


Know your rights when travelling with the Deutsche Bahn. Many people do not realize that they may be able to request reimbursement in the case of a delay. If you miss a connection due to even a 5 minute delay, you may be eligible for as much as 50% of the cost of your tickets. The following link will direct you to the appropriate form: Fahrgastrechte bei der Deutschen Bahn

I learned about this the hard way. We had planned an overnight train ride from Freiburg to Budapest with stops in Munich and Salzburg. The train from Freiburg to Munich had approximately an hour delay, which meant we missed our train to Salzburg. In theory, the Deutsche Bahn is responsible for finding and paying for a reasonably priced hotel and a taxi ride to get to that hotel, in addition to reimbursing a portion of the travel costs. Unfortunately, it was the night of the Football Champions League Munich vs. Manchester United; in other words, every single hotel and hostel was fully booked within 50 km of the city. Although the Deutsche Bahn was still obligated to find us accommodation, they didn't. They also refused to give us internet access and would not pay for a locker for our belongings. So we had to "sleep" on the ground in the cold train station that night.

At the end of my trip, when I returned from Münster to Freiburg, there was also a delay. I had to change connections in Düsseldorf and I was expected to arrive in Freiburg at 15:59. Due to the delay of the first train, I knew I wasn't able to make my connection in Düsseldorf. So I was given a new route: From Münster to Cologne, then to Mannheim and then to Freiburg. I arrived in Freiburg at 16:59, exactly an hour late, which means I was eligible for a 25% reimbursement on my ticket. I was also lucky enough to see the Cologne Cathedral, in the 1880s the tallest building in the world, which sits right outside of the main train station.

If a delay of even 1 minute causes you to be more than an hour late to your destination, then send in this form (Fahrgastrechte bei der Deutschen Bahn) along with a copy of your tickets and any additional proof of your arrival time in order to receive a 25% compensation on the costs of your tickets (excluding tickets valued at 4 euros or less). If you arrive at least 1 hour and 30 minutes after your expected arrival time, then you will receive a 50% reimbursement.

And have a nice, safe trip with or without the Deutsche Bahn.

Saturday, April 5, 2014

Mitfahrgelegenheit




Mitfahrgelegenheit (Mfg., lit. opportunity to ride with s.o.), is a very convenient and cost-effective way of travelling between European cities. I would describe it as registered hitch-hiking. Just log into mitfahrgelegenheit.de and enter your start and destination, and you're likely to find someone who will be able to take you along. It's mostly very safe, because people are required to register before offering rides, but users should make sure only to ride with people who have confirmed their phone number, email address, and/or Facebook account and have a reasonable picture to their profile. Also make sure that the meeting location is safe, central and easy to find.

I had no reasonably priced means of getting from Geneva back to Freiburg. So I decided to ride with a woman who works at CERN in Geneva. She was on her way back home to Germany and was offering rides for only 20 Euros. Since she wasn't headed to Freiburg, I decided to get off in Zürich, where I could get a Fernbus back to Freiburg. I was even able to spend a couple hours in Zürich! And I had the pleasure of speaking with an engineer from CERN.

Mein Fernbus


If your traveling throughout Germany and its surrounding countries and are looking to pay a fraction of the cost of a train ride with the Deutsche Bahn, look no further than Mein Fernbus. Until 2013, the Deutsche Bahn had monopolized public long-distance inter-city transportation by land within Germany. Following the Passenger Transportation Act (Personenbefördersgesetz) in 1964, no long-distance bus lines can compete with the existing German rail or bus lines, which enabled the Deutsche Bahn to successfully monopolize this service for nearly 40 years. Then, with the help of the internet, students offered trips with rented buses so that people were able to travel around Germany inexpensively. The Deutsche Bahn was not very pleased and brought the students to court. It was then decided that the Fernbusse could not be considered bus lines, because they did not have regular departure and arrival times. The case even gave Mein Fernbus so much publicity, that they were able to develop their company further. Now, hundreds of Fernbusse travel throughout Germany regularly, at only a fraction of the price the Deutsche Bahn would charge.

I took a Fernbus from Zürich (CH) to Freiburg (DE) for only 8 Euros, whereas the Deutsche Bahn would have charged me nearly 60 Euros...The driver in the advertisement above was actually my driver, if I'm not mistaken. He was great! I highly recommend travelling with these buses if you want to get around Germany.

The Undercut

The Undercut hairstyle has been recently gaining popularity among men in the USA. In Germany, every other guy I see has this haircut. On the side, the hair is much shorter than on top, where its usually styled upward or toward the side. I decided I would give this "European" hairstyle a try.



I usually don't like taking pictures of myself, but I was mostly satisfied with my new haircut. The woman who cut my hair recently came from Romania and we had a fascinating conversation about our travels to Freiburg.