CPH to HMB

Today started off like every other day of the past week; I spent it with my mother and our family friends living in Copenhagen. Today, however, was the day for me to say goodbye to Denmark and hello to Germany as a start to my three-week long study abroad program. One of my friends was also traveling from Scandinavia to Germany, so we thought it would be safer (and let’s be honest, more fun) to travel together.

I was filled with anxiety and excitement as the time to board the train slowly approached. We had some trouble with our previous tickets, so my mother kindly paid for us to get new tickets, first class and directly to Hamburg. I must have checked our tickets at least five times to make sure we got on the correct train. When we got on we were pleasantly surprised to find that few people were in our cart, so we decided to sit in the private booths.

The train ride was about four and a half hours, but somehow only felt like one. Olivia and I did our best to multitask, catching up while trying to get some last-minute work done. After about two hours, the train slowed down and next thing I knew the train was pulling into what looked like a cemented tunnel and the voice over mumbled something about getting off the train. I wasn’t sure if it was mandatory so Olivia and I sat there slightly confused until an employee came and told us we had to exit the cabin before it was locked up for safety. The train had pulled into a ferryboat! As got off the train we were instantly hit with the smell of dead fish and sea salt. We walked down the train and up the stairs where there was a food court waiting. We ate lunch by a window and took in the beautiful view of the water until it was time to go back on the train and continue our journey to Hamburg on land.