Ruminations from when I got stranded in an unknown German town, at 1 am in the night!

A 7-year-old story that I remember moment by moment and that still gives me goosebumps.

When I was backpacking across Europe as a student, and the turn of events led me to live the most adventurous night of my life.

How it all started

I was travelling from Amsterdam to my university in Strasbourg, France after meeting an old friend. During the last leg of my train journey, I looked at my watch to confirm that I would arrive at my destination in about 15 minutes.

It was late in the evening and I was super tired from all the ice-skating we did during the day. Without realising, I fell asleep only to be woken up by the train announcement 3 hours later, somewhere in Switzerland.

I panicked, got out of the train, and ran towards the train timetable displayed on the station boards. There was no way I could reach my destination as the last train would only take me to a German town closer to Strasbourg.

I could wait at the station for the next train in the morning, situation under control, I thought!

I reached the station and realised that it closed during the night and no one could stay or wait there.

Long story cut short; there I was stranded in a small unknown town in Germany, at 1 am on a snowy night, with my phone switched off, and no place to go to.

This was my first international trip and the thought of being alone on the streets of a secluded town terrified me from within.

The adventure continues

There was no time to panic, I had to quickly figure out a way to be safe somewhere. I got out of the station and checked a few nearby pubs if they would open all night, but all of them were about to close.

I tried to look for places like petrol stations, all-night grocery stores, etc. and after about an hour of directionless walking on the streets, I spotted something that made me jump with happiness.

I saw the familiar golden ‘M’ of McDonald's on a huge tower at some distance. I ran towards it praying it to be open and was overjoyed when I read on a poster outside that this particular outlet opened 24x7.

More twists. It turned out it opened 24x7 except for 2 days in a month when they had to deep clean the store, with no one allowed in except the staff. And it was one of those 2 days. Good luck, Neha!

I went in and requested the staff if I could stay. They didn’t understand English and told me the store was closed. I tried to explain my situation with some broken English + French + welled up eyes, and finally, they understood I was in trouble.

They discussed amongst themselves and made an exception by arranging a small corner for me to sit and started cleaning other sections of the outlet, letting me be in peace. On top of it all, they offered me free beverages to calm myself down.

When the time came to clean the section of the store where I was sitting, they politely asked me to leave, informing me that the railway station would open soon, and I’d be allowed to sit there for the rest of the time.

I thanked them and left a note on the counter, not sure if they would understand it, but I was so overwhelmed with their help, that I had to convey my regards.

I walked back to the station, waited there, and finally took the 6 am train back to Strasbourg.

To be honest, the drama did get on to me at the end and I lost my calm when I was walking back to the station on a footpath.

It was still pitch dark and a tiny branch of a tree got stuck in my backpack and pulled me backward. I swear I haven’t screamed that loud, that panicked, ever! I ran as fast as I could and only breathed when I reached the station. All’s well that ends well.

Key Takeaways

Hands down, this was the most adventurous night of my life and it went by making me contemplate a few things.

• I realised the ‘power’ of a brand. At the moment when I couldn’t fully trust a human, I trusted a brand without a doubt – a brand that I was familiar with, a brand I had happy memories with, a brand I felt safe with even though I was in a completely unknown territory.
• A brand is as good as its staff. When the staff goes out of their way to help their customers, no competitor marketing can beat that. You don’t win customers from exceptional service, you win loyalists!
• Language is never a barrier when it's about expressing your emotions.
• When in tough situations, our mind works in mysterious ways. I am certain that my mind hasn't worked that fast ever. The number of situations that I was able to think of, about what I would do if this happens or that, the quick decisions I was able to take, and most importantly, how my brain didn’t let my emotions take control over it – it was surprising! I was exceptionally alert as one would be after 5 cups of coffee.

Looking back, it’s more fun to travel as a student, on a limited budget, without internet access & no airbnb.com!