Oct 07 2008
There’s a procedure to follow.
I’m supposed to be going to Hanover on Friday, and while the trip is now in doubt because the tail end of the cold I brought back from Poland has turned into the flu, complete with shivers and aches, I had already gone through the process of booking a train ticket, and what a process it was. Deutsche Bahn run a generally good service that I’m satisfied with, but with being sick, the run-around of trying to make the seat reservation was more than a little irritating. German institutions tend to have rules and procedures, and people with authority love reminding you of them.
As I’ve mentioned before, it’s important to call and let them know when you’re traveling with a wheelchair, just in case there’s a reason you can’t travel. In the case of the Inter-City Express trains in Germany, the issue is one of space: there are only a couple of wheelchair berths per train, sometimes only one. You have to reserve the berth or risk not being able to travel at the time you wanted, because they can’t take more wheelchairs that they have berths. However, you can’t reserve the berth online: I’ve always had to do it by phone. Not this time though.
