I thought Europe’s trains were more efficient than Britain’s – then I almost missed my wedding
Let’s take the train, he said. It will be romantic, he said. It’s better for the planet, he said. Mike’s points were all good, so I was quickly on board.
We were headed to Copenhagen – the Las Vegas of Europe – to get married.
Why Copenhagen? Mike’s Canadian, I’m British-German, we live in Berlin and the Danish capital is one of the most bureaucratic-free places to get hitched in Europe. Lots of international couples like us are doing it.
Our plan was to make a special weekend of it, not just legally get married but also enjoy some time just the two of us, ahead of our bigger wedding celebration with family and friends later in the summer.
There was something romantic sounding about taking the train. What could possibly go wrong?
We factored in plenty of time – the wedding ceremony was at 11.10am on the Saturday (May 18) and we set off on what we thought would be a straightforward journey. Our train was scheduled to leave Berlin Hauptbahnhof at 12.38pm on Thursday which would get us (via Hamburg) into Copenhagen at 7.34pm – just in time for dinner. We were asked to hand in our documents on Friday to keep the 10-minute Saturday wedding slots on schedule.
We had just settled into our window seats when we heard the announcement that due to recent warm temperatures, the “train tracks had overheated” – so we’d be taking a different route to Hamburg. This would cause an hour’s delay, meaning we’d miss our 2.53pm connection to Copenhagen. Not the most romantic start.
No matter, there was a later train from Hamburg at 4.55pm. Or there was meant to be. We waited on the platform as the departure time came and went. When it became abundantly clear that the train was not coming (despite still being listed on the departures board), the hum of voices on the crowded platform rose. Evidently there was an issue.
Impatience and confusion took over and we all cornered a Deutsche Bahn employee who informed us that “a tree had fallen on the track” and our train to Copenhagen was in fact cancelled.
We then joined a sea of people outside the Deutsche Bahn office where rumours of a replacement bus or taxi to Denmark were circulating. At this point I felt my first proper panic that we might actually miss our wedding.
A man with a megaphone was bellowing out numbers and we were told to listen for ours to signal our taxi. I tried hard not to think about the 55-minute flight we’d chosen not to book from Berlin.
Eventually our number was called and we piled into a taxi with a couple who’d travelled from Paris that morning. Our driver let out a gasp at the destination – “D?nemark”! Mike spied the €560 (￡475) voucher he’d received from Deutsche Bahn. We were one of some 30 taxis heading to Denmark. It definitely wasn’t a cheap solution.
But we were on the move again and the three-hour drive to the Danish town of Fredericia involved a beautiful sunset and renewed hopes. As promised, there was a 10.53pm train to Copenhagen, waiting at the station. I finally started to relax and think we might just make it. Credit where credit is due, Deutsche Bahn did manage to save the day, getting us to Copenhagen around 2am the day before our wedding.
We woke to glorious sunshine and everything was quickly forgiven and forgotten, especially when we got to Copenhagen City Hall, which, draped in Danish flags, looked stunning. The ceremony was brief but perfect. We made it – and were now married, especially grateful after the drama. The registrar mentioned a couple of no-shows that morning – I couldn’t help but wonder if they had been travelling with Deutsche Bahn.
We were ready for a honeymoon – in the wonderful city of Copenhagen (rich with taster menus and plenty of pastries) and then on into Sweden where we enjoyed early-season kayak rides around the Koster Islands and marvelling at those never-ending Nordic sunsets.
The troubles of getting here had all but faded and we felt we were being rewarded for our turbulent start. But it was time to go back to Berlin. And what could be nicer than the overnight train from Sweden?
I got a bad feeling when there was no platform number on the board at Malm? station. Our departure time, 10.25pm, came and went. Not again, surely. But yes, our train had indeed been cancelled.
The best Sn?llt?get could offer was accommodation in a different sleeper train that would remain in the station all night and then (possibly) a bus to Berlin the following day.
Maybe I’m getting old, but it was at that point I decided it was time to take matters into my own hands. We booked a hotel for the night and flights from Copenhagen to Berlin the following day. This was my honeymoon after all.
Sn?llt?get later informed us that an electrical fault had prevented the train from departing. We submitted our receipts and have been promised up to 1,500 DK (￡170) compensation per person. We are still awaiting this.
The next afternoon our Norwegian Air Shuttle flight got us into Berlin five minutes ahead of schedule – it was good to be back.
I love travelling by train when it works but unfortunately the days of efficiency and punctuality on Deutsche Bahn have long gone and there’s work to be done to get things back on track.
One thing I would say is this: however you travel, you’ll face challenges so choose wisely who you share life’s adventures with. I was lucky to have come back from this trip with a husband. And we’re still talking to each other…
