All the Americans on the trip anticipated punctual, relaxing rail travel based on our varied previous experience with European rail. It turns out that vision may have been colored by international rail travel. Regional rail travel in Germany was a mess of overcrowding, mislabeled information and obtuse staff assistance. Conversations with wedding goers confirmed this was not an unusual experience. Were it not for Jessi's conversational fluency in German, we likely would have missed a train somewhere along the line. As it was, the experience greatly raised my esteem for services like the Long Island Rail Road and the Metro North.