Travel by train in Germany

I had tickets to watch the World Cup quarter-finals between England and Portugal at Gelsenkirchen stadium in Germany.

My travel agent arranged for me to fly to Dusseldorf and to stay at a hotel near the stadium. As the taxi fare to the hotel is quite expensive (Euro 80), I decided to take the train. It was an interesting experience for me.

I learned the following lessons about the train system:

- You can look at the train schedule
- You have to be at the right platform
- The train will usually arrive on time
- The schedule will state the various stops and the time of arrival at each stop
- You can ask for directions
- If the destination station is deserted, you can call your hotel to get a taxi to fetch you.

Actually, a better arrangement would have been to check into the airport hotel and travel to the stadium and back by train. This would have been easier, fun and less costly.

With this experience, I am now confident of using the train system in Europe. I intend to take a holiday and around Europe by train.