January 7th, 2016
Last Saturday morning, we decided to take the train to the city of Worms to see the 12th Century cathedral, Dom St. Peter. Worms, pronounced “Vorms,” is one of Germany’s oldest cities and is closely associated with Protestant reformer Martin Luther.
After packing the hubby’s backpack with rain jackets, snacks and card games, we drove downtown to the train station and bought our family ticket using one of the kiosk. Thankfully, you can change the language on the machine to English. We found our platform number on the main board and headed over to our platform to wait for the train.
We were grateful for taking the USO train tour back in December to help us learn the ropes. Our train was late which caused us to miss our connection further along the route. However, knowing this in advanced helped us figure out a backup plan. As we travel, hubby keeps track of our route through a train app. on his phone. We are learning!
The boys LOVE riding the train, especially when we get seats around a table. On our way to Worms, we pulled out Old Maid and Crazy Eights. The boys laughed hysterically when we played Old Maid so we eventually had to switch games for the sake of the other passengers!
One of the things I have come to appreciate about our time here in Germany is seeing other families doing life together. I’ve been struck with the commonalities we all have in our global society. We may come from different cultures yet we share our humanity. I find such beauty in this. On the train, an older gentleman boarded with a young boy and sat across the aisle from us. They played together with small knights and a dragon on their table as the scenery flew by outside their window. You could see the delight on their faces as they chatted and I couldn’t help but smile as I watched…
When we arrived in Worms, we each paid our .50 Euros (2 Euros total for our family) to use the restroom at the station. We have quickly become accustom to paying for a clean restroom and save our coins for potty breaks. At this particular restroom, we put money into a machine to allow us access through a massive steal turnstile.
We ventured out on foot in the rain, another thing we are getting accustom to. Thankfully, hubby had the foresight to have us all get rain jackets as part of our preparation for Germany. Walking with the boys through rainy city streets takes some coaxing at times but they are pretty good troopers. Its a good distraction when we find interesting sites.
The Dom St. Peter towered over us as we approached. We welcomed the opportunity to dry off and walk through the sacred space with it’s various alcoves. A beautiful Nativity captured the boys’ attention long enough for us to dry E’s wet gloves on a heating vent. Hubby noticed the pipes of the pipe organ, reminding us of Popo and his deep appreciation of pipe organs. I pondered the thought of those who came and worshipped here over the centuries.
Our time eventually expired, a reality of traveling with two little boys. We refueled our bodies at a little cafe we found near the station and then headed home on the train. Both the cafe and the train had restrooms we could use free of charge. An added bonus!
