Trains, planes, travel, and SNOW!!!

Well, it's Christmas break, the time we've all been longing for, and thought would never come! I can say I have been a very lucky girl this winter vacation, and got to continue my European Excursions, and added a few more stories to by little collection.
Now, I absolutely love snow, but it seems that most modes of transportation do not. This is something I've become increasingly aware of over the past week or so, and have never been more grateful to be sitting in my temporary room here in Spain safe, and sound, and warm.
My latest traveling experience began in Germany (which I will tell all about, later) I was supposed to leave Sunday afternoon on a train to Paris so that I could catch my flight to Madrid the following morning. I had it all worked out for a friend from school to meet me at the station so we could go see the Eiffel tower at Christmas time, as well as a possible Hillsong concert at their church in Paris. Needless to say I was pretty excited about all that. However it seems that God had a slightly different agenda for me that day and the next one as well.
Sunday morning Saabrucken, Germany got the most snow it's had in years, according to my friend Hanna. So as we inched along the icy autobahn towards the main station we kept our fingers crossed, hoping that my train wouldn't be canceled. We were lucky, the Train wasn't canceled, but there was a 30 minute delay. So Hanna headed home in her car through the snowy weather, and sat in non-heated station and waited with a cup of very bitter coffee. At long last my train arrived, and after some confusion over changed arrival platforms and asking a few questions I managed to get on what I thought was the right train. I was wrong.

About 5 minutes before the train left the station someone came in and tried to take my seat. This left me very confused, but I got up and switched to an empty seat. Just when I realized that the train number on my ticket did not match the number of the train I was on it began to slide forward. What had happened was the train coming from Paris and the train going to Paris had switched platforms due to the delay, which they announced repeatedly, in German. When I had seem PARIS in large, bright letters in the window of the train I didn't think twice about it.
Above: as you can see it really wasn't the best day for travel =/

Oddly, the picture to the right was taken before I realized my mistake =P

You know that feeling of dread you get int he bottom of your stomach when you know something is very very wrong? Well, when the conductor came over the intercom and announced the trains destination, that was me. I was headed toward Frankfurt! For those of you who don't know your European geography very well all you need to know it that Frankfurt is pretty much the opposite direction from Paris. After sitting there for about five minutes praying my little heart out that I would somehow manage to get to Paris I got up and asked an English speaking family for help. Turns out the mother was American, the father was German and they had an adopted daughter for India, who they got from no other than Mother Teresa herself. When they asked me where I was from and where i wanted to be headed it took a while to explain, but we came to the conclusion that I am an American missionary kid, from Brasil, currently studying in Hungary, visiting a friend in Germany, on my way to Paris en route to Spain! Now If you can follow that you should have no problem following the rest of this little adventure. They were very helpful and promised to pray for me as I made a swift exit at the next stop and processed to the DeBahn information desk. I only wish I had gotten their names or and e-mail address so that I could thank them and let them know their prayers were answered.

And this point I was rather nervous, I was down to 10 E in my pocket and a US debit card that I wasn't sure had very much money on it even if they would accept it. So i explained my situation to the thankfully English speaking attendant, who looked at my ticket and promptly printed off a ticket for the next train to Paris that was due to arrive in about an hour and a half. "Enjoy your trip!" he said, and turned back to his computer. That was it, I didn't have to pay a dime! So breathing a prayer of thanks I quickly went in search of a pay phone to tell my friend i was not on the train she would expect me to be on. After buying some gum at the convenience store with my limited supply of cash  in order to get change to use the pay phone I was able to reach Hanna who promised to call our friend Laura who was to pick me up in Paris.
Above: Me in some random town in Germany...not too happy about it.

From that point things went relatively smoothly, well at least from my end. The train station I was in in this random town in germany had a rather small train station. one room (not heated) and information      (Above: this is the town I managed to get stuck in, you can't tell here but it was still snowing.) counter, a convenience store, and bathrooms that you had to pay 50c to use. in the main room there were three cold metal chairs. So i stationed myself there to wait for the train. Outside the snow was still falling full force, and i had long since lost all feeling in my toes when to my horror my train was delayed. the first time it was 15 minutes. That wasn't so bad. but then it happened again, and again, and again.  I began making half hour rounds between the much warmer little store and the icy metal chairs. So finally after about four hours in the station I went up to my platform where the train was once again delayed for another 10 minutes. there was quite a little group of us up there stomping our feet and walking up and down along the tracks to keep warm.

At long last the train pulled in and climbed on with legs and feet so numb I could barely walk.  I climbed into the wrong car however. Having made myself comfortable in the luxurious first class car, I was forced to move back to second class (a whole 6 cars away) because I couldn't read my German ticket and had mistaken the platform number for the car number. It was a rather ironic moment for me when the train rolled through Saarbrucken, the same town I had started in nearly 6 hours before. Once the train crossed the border into France things just took longer and longer. Because of all the snow the train was forced to stop three times in the middle of no where, each time for about 15 minutes.  I did manage to borrow a cell phone from a french couple across the aisle from me, so I could call Laura and let her know I was going to be later than expected. At this point i have to take back every mean thing I've ever said about the french and their treatment of foreigners. They were all extremely helpful, and for that I am very grateful.

    Right: 

Me and laura! Finally in Paris!

     Below: unfortunately all I saw of Paris this time was the train station.

At long last the train rolled into Paris EST where a very cold and I can only guess quite bored Laura was waiting for me. After getting some food in me, we went straight home. By that time I had missed the Christmas market, Eiffel Tower light show, and concert, but I was just happy to be safe.

Of course Paris got it's fair share of Ice and snow as well...which made for another adventure the following morning. If my flight had left on time, which it didn't (go figure) I very well might have missed it. We made it to the counter about 5 minutes after it was supposed to have closed, but due to the bad weather in Madrid there was a delay of an hour. Well as the story goes...one hour turned into 2, then 3, then 4. At that point the airport was required to feed us. So everyone on the Madrid flight was given 5 E, about enough to buy a small sandwich or a drink. it wasn't much, but it was more than the 2 E i still had in my pocket. When 4 hours turned into 5 we were not a very happy bunch. Still i managed to occupy my time reading homework and talking to a nice lady from the US embassy in Norway.  
(Top right: we finally made it to the airport, Bottom right: and then I waited there forever!)

Our plane finally did arrive and I'm convinced there has never been a more eager bunch of people to get on a plane! But when the plane landed in an oddly snowy Madrid it landed in a different terminal than was expected...so for about two hours after we landed you could find the passenger of the flight from Paris BVA wondering about the Madrid airport in search of their luggage. Thankfully I found mine after about an hour, by sneaking back into a different baggage claim area. Adrianna Humes, the second oldest daughter in the family I am currently staying with was there waiting for me. Mr Humes expertly maneuvered his way through rush hour traffic and ushered me into the house. Chilli and cornbread never tasted so good in my entire life!     
Through out all this mess I was acutely aware of God protection. Things could have been so much worse for an 18 year old girl traveling alone through Europe, for a large part at night time. I'm overwhelmed by how God protected me from dangerous situations and got me to Spain safe, and with what now seems like a rather humorous story. One more adventure to tell my kids some day!