Going Back to Frankfurt

Timber Framed House in Lorsch

Timber Framed House in Lorsch

I was thinking that my visit to the town of Lorsch would be short one. While there really is a UNESCO World Heritage site here in the town, the actual site itself is small and can be easily seen in half an hour, or if you were like me, ten minutes. I thought that I was making good time and that I would have time to go back to the city of Worms where there sites related to the ShUM Sites of Speyer, Worms and Mainz all of which have their own individual sites. I thought that I should just go to Worms because I would be able to take a train back to Frankfurt when this is all done.

Church in Lorsch

Church in Lorsch

I was looking forward to getting back but I somehow missed the train back to Worms. The train was somehow on the wrong side of the tracks. I was pretty sure I got off that side and I was surprised to see a train going the opposite direction on the same side. This would be very confusing to any passenger. I wasn’t able to cross the tracks because the barrier was down. I was reluctant to just go under the barrier as a local was telling me to. I was thinking that it should be okay, because there will be another train in an hour, right?

I ended up going around the town again while I was waiting for the train to come. I wasn’t straying too far from the train station lest I forget and end up missing another train. A few minutes before the train’s arrival, I hurried back to the train station but there was no train to be seen. Did I miss the train? I checked the local train schedule and it says that should be one arriving. Maybe I didn’t understand how this works. This is the first time, okay, second time, I missed a train here and I was really puzzled.

Market Square in Lorsch

Market Square in Lorsch

I ended up just staying at the train station to make sure that I don’t miss the train. The temperature was below freezing and it wasn’t a pleasant wait. There weren’t any establishments open nearby so I was pretty miserable the whole time. The scheduled train never came. I was walking around the train station near the tracks looking and hoping that there is a train coming. Eventually, a local resident approached me and told me that there is really no train. His English was impeccable and it was obvious has no issues communicating. Apparently, the train services stop at four in the afternoon because they don’t have enough staff to man the trains because of COVID. The gentleman pointed out that there is shuttle service which will take me to Worms.

The bus station was only behind the train station so I didn’t have to go far. It just so happened that there was a bus waiting there and I thanked the gentleman for his help and quickly got on board. I was thinking that I would have ended up spending the night in Lorsch because there was no one to tell me that train services have stopped for the day. There was no train station staff so basically I was on my own. It was frustrating to waste all that time waiting for nothing. I was thankful for the gentleman who helped me out, not only was he helpful, but he was willing to help out someone who is a foreigner.

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