I flew with Qatar Airways from the Bengaluru International Airport to the Frankfurt Airport ( I think it is called Frankfurt Flughafen here) via Doha, the capital of Qatar. Since it was my first time at the Airport, I was a little nervous and jumpy and had to ask a lot of directions :D Immigration presented the first challenge. The official knew I was a kannadiga and asked me the usual questions - Birthplace, where I am from, where I studied etc etc. After a long time he sent me over to some kind of data check counter which never happened to anyone else. That got me more nervous and the person at the DC counter asked a lot of questions too. He seemed surprised that I was working after my third year of engineering. Anyway, I had to stand in the Immigration Queue all over again and answer more questions from the Immigration guy about my education, my 10th grade percentage, my 12th grade percentage, CET rank etc. etc. Finally satisfied, he let me through and I moved on to a series of security checks.
In a half hour I was on the flight and slept my way through most of the flight only waking up for breakfast. Getting down at Doha to change flights was a well drilled routine. At the Doha airport I met a few fellow Indians going to Frankfurt which meant I had company and help when I got down. The second flight was spent much in the same fashion and I finally landed in Frankfurt after 6 hours on the plane. There the regulation visa checking and baggage collection was done and I was on my way to the train station. I had to call someone from a public phone to let him know I was here and this was the first instance of German help that I experienced. I asked a passerby how to call on the phone and he was exceedingly helpful and taught me how to use the phone patiently. After my call had ended, he directed me to my platform and I set off for it.
European trains are incredible! Their mid-range trains travel at speeds exceeding 150 km/h ! I hopped on to one of these and the view of the countryside as I traveled was the first taste I got of the limitless greenery here in Germany. The trains are extremely comfortable when they are not crowded and I started comparing them to trains in India. But the comparison is hardly fair since travel, which might cost Rs. 250 in India, costs about Rs. 5000 here. Quite obviously the trains and facilities are proportionally better. The trains are never late by more than 5 minutes (which incidentally is the case in India too) and the stations are splendidly organised.
Getting off at the Dortmund Hauptbahnhof (central station in German), I waited for Benjamin, the person who was to meet me and take me to my apartment. It was very cold even in the afternoon! And it has stayed so since then :D Conversation with him was insightful and he gave me quite a few details about living here. He showed me where I would work and showed me to my apartment.
The apartment is set in beautiful surroundings which are supposedly the outskirts of Dortmund. There is greenery everywhere and rabbits scamper about on open lawns. The birds here are not scared of people and approach you with those tiny little jumps if you are sitting down. That surprised me to no end! Everything is very disciplined and sometimes cars just stop to allow a single pedestrian to cross the road !
It has been an enjoyable two weeks. 6 more to go!
