Note: My Passport took me not only to the Middle East to live, but throughout Europe to travel as well.
Why?
Why did I travel by train to the US Embassy in Bern, Switzerland?
Why?
Because my Passport was stolen and I needed an Emergency Passport.
Why?
Why did I miss my Emergency Passport Appointment at the US Embassy in Bern, Switzerland on Monday, September 19 at 11 am?
Why?
Because my travel companion, Margery, and I missed our connecting train from Vevey, Switzerland to Bern.
Why?
Because our luggage was stolen from a train, along with my passport, only the week before while traveling from Colmar, France to Basel, Switzerland with only two stops between these towns.
Why?
Because I stupidly put my passport in my luggage for a brief train ride from Colmar to Basel. I know, I know, I know… I’ve traveled internationally quite a lot and have always kept my passport in my handbag. But, I knew that I would be in ‘total control of my luggage’ for the short train ride or so I thought. Actually, we both put our carry-on luggage in the luggage rack area just inside the door of our train carriage.
Why?
Because the Luggage Rack area is where passengers always store their luggage, bikes, skis, baby strollers, etc. Luggage racks are on most trains and usually near the toilet. The overhead racks inside the train carriage are super small and typically only have space for a jacket or backpack. There is never room under the train seat for your luggage. And, when you sit facing the other passengers, there is very little room to put your luggage between your legs on the floor.
Why?
Well, European train stations are wide open to everyone and anyone who wants to walk in, use the restroom, buy a croissant and coffee in the snack shop, get out of the rain or cold weather, and, apparently, steal luggage from other people.
Why Didn’t We See the Thief?
Let’s say someone just walks into a train station in Europe. You don’t need a train ticket to do that. Nor is anyone checking to see if you have a ticket to get on a train.
So, the train pulls into the station. The doors quickly open and remain open for about 5 - 7 minutes for travelers to grab their luggage and depart the train. Then, passengers who are waiting for people to get off of the train quickly get on, store their luggage and find a seat (unless you have purchased a seat in a certain car and section).
Again, no one is checking passengers to see if they have a ticket for that particular train. Actually, we only showed our tickets about 50% of the time when a Conductor would travel through the train after departure to check tickets and seat assignments.
So it's really very easy to just hop on a train, grab a piece of luggage, turn around, get off of the train with all of the other passengers, and slowly walk away in the middle of a crowd of people all carrying luggage heading into the station or to their connecting train.
Vevey Departure
Our train journey should have been short and easy. Started off OK. Just take two trains from Vevey to Bern.
Should arrive in 2½ hours at 10 am with ample time for my Emergency Embassy appointment at 11 am.
Departed at 7:30 am from Vevey on the correct train. But, somehow we missed our connecting train along the way.
So, five (5) hours later, we arrived in Bern at 12:30 pm after taking three trains and backtracking on one of the trains. Missed my Embassy appointment.
Then, we had to frantically find our way to the US Embassy for my Emergency Appointment. Seemed as though no one in Bern even knew that there was a US Embassy only a few blocks from the train station in the city center which had several connecting avenues and trams running every which way!
Talk about difficulty crossing those streets!
Everyone we asked gave us a different suggestion as to how to get to the Embassy at Sulgeneckstrasse 19. Take the tram, take the #31 bus, hop a taxi, or I think that you can walk there. Well, that is exactly what we finally did and it only took 15 minutes.
We finally found the Embassy located in a very quiet, non-tourist neighborhood on a small street surrounded by an enormous black iron fence about 6 feet high. No signage. But, we knew it was the US Embassy because of the ‘Stars and Stripes’ waving in the breeze. The main building was behind a closed, secured, guarded gate.
Armed Guards everywhere, even on the street corners nearby. Guard Shack in front with bullet proof windows, no doubt. Tall black iron fencing surrounded the large brick and glass building.
The five-story building itself was quite sterile looking, very imposing and cold, rather Soviet block style of architecture. It did not look very welcoming nor were they as accommodating as I had hoped.
I found the Passport Entrance and inquired about my appointment. They refused to see me. I was late for my appointment. I was not even allowed to enter the Embassy building. I had to show my ID and the email with the Emergency Appointment scheduled while talking through a small glass window.
But, too late. I was 1½ hours late for my 11 am Emergency Appointment. This was a big problem because the Embassy only has a limited number of time slots per day.
This was also a major challenge for me because I had exactly ONE DAY remaining in Switzerland to get my Emergency Passport.
We were leaving Switzerland on Wednesday, September 21 taking an EasyJet flight from Geneva to Nice, France.
I didn’t have any more days to get this done.
Not only that, but I would not be allowed to board the EasyJet flight to Geneva without my Passport! Not to mention, I couldn’t leave France to fly home without my Passport! So, time was truly of the essence.
The Embassy said they do not process appointments in the afternoon. However, they told me to return at 2 pm that afternoon to reschedule my Emergency Appointment for the next day.
In the meantime, Margery had gone to a small cafe around the corner to have lunch and wait for me. But, after this horrible news about needing to remain in Bern overnight and returning to the Embassy the next morning, I just sat outside on a concrete bench crying my eyes out. I felt so upset about missing my emergency appointment, plus having my Passport stolen.
I finally composed myself and went to ‘The English Pub Company’ cafe to talk to Margery. Not really hungry for lunch now. We discussed my situation and even the cafe owner gave me some good ideas, including an inexpensive place to stay overnight. More on that later.
So, at 2 pm, I returned to the Embassy where they had rescheduled my Emergency Appointment for the next day, Tuesday, September 20 at 10 am. Apparently, they only do interviews in the morning. Then, I was informed that I would also need to come back in the afternoon to pick up my Emergency Passport and take my Oath. Does this nightmare never end? Wonder when I can take a train back to Vevey?
And one more thing that went wrong...
The Embassy informed me that their credit card machine was broken. Therefore, I would need to have $165 in cash, either Francs, US Dollars or Euros. Great! Now, I needed to hit the ATM back at the train station to get a large amount of cash and carry that around with me!
Now, mind you that an average hotel room in Bern costs about $175 or more per night. Yikes! I didn’t want to pay that much, so I opted for the Bern Backpackers Hostel Glocke which is a hostel with a communal kitchen. Yep, that sounded about right. This is what it had come to!
But, have you ever stayed in a youth hostel? Well, I had not had that life experience either. Mind you, I’m 73 years old and this was a ‘first’. So, this was going to be interesting, but cheaper than a hotel.
Margery and I set out to find the hostel without a map, just an address of Rathausgasse 75, in the center of the city near the Zytglogge Tower. OK. And, once again we asked several people if they knew of the Backpackers Hostel and relied upon the advice, suggestions and kindness of strangers who spoke some English to help us find the hostel. Actually, a very nice young man from Austria knew of the hostel and walked us there. So far, so good…
I registered for a room and paid my $47.80 Francs. OK, so what do you get for $47.80? Well, not much.
You get a set of twin sheets, a pillow, a key to the door and a second key to a tiny locker in the room with my number on it. I found my room, said ‘Hello’ to the young women in the room, grabbed a lower bunk bed and quickly made my bed, therefore claiming my spot.
I opened the tiny locker stashing my plastic bag of toiletries.
Yes, I said ‘Bunk Beds’, as in upper and lower. Thank goodness I found a lower bunk because I did not want to climb up/down that ladder getting in/out of bed, especially in the middle of the night when I would most certainly need to get up and use the bathroom. Tricky…
Then, I walked Margery to the train station around 4 pm as she was returning to Vevey. I would take a late afternoon train the next day to meet up with her there.
Now I needed to find a Coop store to do my quick ‘Commando Shopping’ for a new toothbrush, toothpaste, deodorant, sunscreen, water bottle and make-up remover wipes. Mind you, I had not prepared for an overnight stay in Bern. Who knew? Therefore, I did not have clean underwear, PJs, make-up, or any toiletries. Go figure…
And to think that Margery and I had just done a very large ‘Commando Shopping Spree’ in Ile Saint Louis, France, after our luggage was stolen a week earlier! So, once again, I needed to buy the bare necessities for the next 24 hours.
But, now I was free to go sight seeing in Bern.
I enjoyed a lovely dinner after which I explored this amazing ’Federal City’ taking in some historical sights. Much to my delight, I came upon an outdoor Indian music concert in a plaza with wonderful musicians and an exotically beautiful Indian female dancer! I was mesmerized and swayed to the rhythm.
Bern is built around a crook in the Aare River and I walked over the bridge connecting one side to the other. This ancient city traces its origins back to the 12th century with medieval, colorful architecture beautifully preserved in the Alstadt area (Old Town).
Passed by the enormous Neo-Renaissance Bundeshaus or Federal Palace which is where the Swiss Parliament meets. Also near my hostel, the French Church and the medieval tower known as the Zytglogge which are also incredibly beautiful and date back to the 13th century.
And about the many languages of Switzerland...
How many languages do you think are spoken by Swiss citizens? I discovered that there are four (4) national or official languages of Switzerland. I had no idea!
But as I listened to people during my Swiss travels, I did hear German, French, and Italian being spoken. However, the 4th language is called ‘Romansh’ which is only spoken in Switzerland’s largest canton, Graubunden, located in the southeastern corner of the country.
Actually, 60% of Swiss citizens speak various dialects called Swiss German, each spoken in different regions, depending on which border country you live near.
Switzerland is a very small country bordering Germany, Austria, France, Italy and Liechtenstein, hence the large number of languages spoken.
As many of us do on a holiday, we check to see how far we have walked each day. Well, I walked 6½ miles and 9 flights of stairs that day!
Around 8:30 pm, time to return to the ever so popular Hostel. Trekked up three flights of stairs to the Communal Room with a very large kitchen, tables and chairs, sofas, and most importantly, a computer which was available to me.
Full house tonight with several young travelers drinking and having a great time. Also, overnight guests of varying ages from all over the world.
Several other hostel visitors were sitting together talking and eating. They were also charging their cell phones.
Oh, oh… Guess what? Yes, you guessed it. I did not have a cell phone charger. Oops!
I chatted with two women from Tehran, Iran who loaned me their charger, but their plugs were not compatible with my cell phone. But, they were very nice ladies. We talked about Dubai and Abu Dhabi. One of the ladies also treated me to some of the most delicious dates I’ve had since I lived in the Middle East.
But, I needed to find someone who spoke English better than these ladies and who also had a phone charger which was compatible with my phone.
Success! I found a Mom and her daughter who spoke English in the Communal Room. I asked if I could borrow their charger for a short while and they graciously agreed. We began talking about why we were staying at the hostel for the night.
As it turned out, the younger woman, the 31-year-old daughter, also had an Emergency Appointment at the US Embassy the next morning because she had been traveling in France and Switzerland on her Italian Passport. However, she had just found out that her US Passport had expired.
Earlier that day, her father and two brothers flew back to Miami without her and her Mom. They were all at the airport waiting for their return flight when she was informed that her passport had expired. Therefore, she could not leave Switzerland without a new passport.
Her Mom decided to stay in Switzerland with her. So, here they were. The daughter was a mess - just crying and crying.
Come on… Your Mom is with you. Everything will be fine. Get over it. Just go to the US Embassy tomorrow and get it done. But, she was hysterical.
She was also upset because her Mom was in a different hostel room than she was. Remember, this young lady is 31 years old. Time to grow up!
So, I asked them what room the daughter was in. It turned out that it was my room. So, I kindly offered my lower bunk bed to the Mom so she could be in the same room with her daughter. Rather nice of me, don’t you think?
In turn, they then gave me the key to her Mom's room. We all trooped upstairs to check out the rooms and make the switch. They were super happy to be together.
But, guess what? My new bed in the Mom’s room was the ‘Top Bunk’! Nooooooooo…
Not only that, when I entered the room to check on my bed, I saw a very, very large pair of men’s black dress shoes under the bed directly across from my bunk! What???
Then, I saw a very large man under the sheet sleeping there. Yikes!!!
Don’t hostels have ‘All Women’s Rooms’ where the women sleep? Don’t men sleep in ‘Men’s Rooms’?
Apparently not. I went into the lobby and picked up the ‘House Phone’ to call the manager. I asked why there was a man sleeping in my room with women?
He said that it was a ‘Mixed Room’ and that I had not specifically requested an ‘All Female Room’. What? How did that happen?
He said that I had not asked for an ‘All Female Room’ when I requested a bed for the night. Really? I told him that I didn’t know that I needed to do that. He said I should have known.
Once again, I told him that I had never stayed in a hostel before and that he should have informed me of the types of rooms they had to offer. Nope! He said that I should have known or asked. So frustrating! It’s hard when you don’t know what you don’t know!
Apparently, I had also neglected to request a towel. So, no shower for me which was probably best after all. The showers weren’t great and the door locks weren’t so good either.
There were ‘Women’s Only’ bathrooms, but most were communal.
I returned to the Community Room and chatted with some other travelers. But, more importantly, I quickly jumped on the computer and emailed Bill back and forth for quite some time. My phone was still charging. That battery charge needed to last me the night and through the entire next day at the Embassy, plus the two trains to return to Vevey.
Late in the evening, I noticed a young woman in her thirties who was diligently working all evening on her computer. We began talking and she told me that she was living/traveling all over Europe because she can work remotely. She told me that she absolutely loves her nomadic life and staying in hostels in new cities.
Finally, after midnight, we both decided to go to our rooms. We were the only people left in the communal room. Turns out that we were sleeping in the same room. But, the best news was that she offered to change bunks with me! Hurray!!!
I was able to take her lower bunk and she climbed the ladder to the upper bunk! People can be truly kind and generous after all.
So, I gave up my original lower bunk bed to the Mom so she could sleep in the same room with her daughter. And, then this young woman showed kindness to me!
Well, when we opened the door to our room, the large man with the big shoes under his bed was snoring! Not only that, but he wasn’t quite covered by his sheet and his hairy leg was sticking out for everyone to see, along with some other body parts!
Welcome to ‘Mixed Room’ sleeping arrangements! Hello Hostel.
Oh yes, isn’t it also lovely and fun to sleep in your clothes? And, isn’t it great to wear them for two days in a row? Now that’s an adventure!
Waking up very early the next morning, I quietly slipped out of the room, brushed my teeth, washed my face and put my ball cap on. I stripped my bed and took the sheets to the laundry room, as instructed. Can’t get out of the front door fast enough!
First stop, the train station to find an ATM. Remember, I needed $165 in cash for the Embassy where the credit card machine was not working.
I also stood in line at Customer Service at the train station to find out exactly which train I should take from Bern, which town to change trains, what time I could leave Bern and when I would arrive in Vevey. I wanted no margin for error. I bought my train ticket and looked forward to my late afternoon departure. Whew…
So, with cash in hand and full of high hopes, I arrived an hour early at the US Embassy for my Interview. Surprised that they took me immediately.
I went through the Embassy’s very tight security process: X-Ray machine, body wanding, and shoes/blazer off. I had to put my bag of toiletries and my cell phone in a secure bin which I was able to claim upon departure. Absolutely no photos can be taken. No cell phones inside the Embassy either!
While I waited for my interview, I talked to other unfortunate, unhappy Americans who were also going through the passport nightmare process. One man had his wallet and passport stolen out of his pants pocket in Venice. Similar stories from others. Most passports are stolen from your jacket or slacks pocket or from your handbag or backpack.
US Embassy Passport Procedure
No one can enter the US Embassy building with you. Only the person who needs to renew their passport or obtain an Emergency Passport can be admitted. No friends, spouses, and any other relative can enter the embassy with you, unless the person who requires a passport is underage (children). All others must remain outside to wait for you.
Guess who was also being interviewed while I waited inside and was still crying? Yep, the girl from Miami who had the expired passport. Mom was waiting outside.
I had all necessary documents to present:
- New Passport Photos taken at the Thun train station the week before.
- Copy of my original Passport pages copies from my phone.
- Copy of completed US Embassy ‘Lost or Stolen’ Passport online form.
- Copy of Stolen Passport Police Report from Ile Saint Louis, France.
- Copy of the US Embassy Emergency Request Appointment form.
I had all documents printed FREE at the Customer Relations Office at the train station in Thun, Switzerland where a very kind young woman helped me.
I was ready, yet a bit nervous, for my Passport interview.
A young man with a German accent sat across from me with a very thick glass barrier between us similar to a bank with the center mouthpiece and a tray below that went in/out as I presented all of my documents.
Interview Questions:
Why was I there?
How did I lose my passport?
Was it stolen?
When was it stolen?
Where was it stolen?
Why was it stolen?
How quickly had I reported it to the US Embassy?
Had I filed a Police Report?
When did I arrive in Europe?
How long was I staying?
When was I returning to the USA?
He requested my ID (Driver’s License) which he made copies of. Last, he asked me to sign all of the forms in his presence as he referred to my signature on my ID and Passport copy.
Next, I was directed down a hall to another area with yet another thick sheet of glass with the talking mouthpiece and in/out drawer where I was instructed to give them my $165 (which I had in Euros). No change would be given, so exact Euros was necessary.
The cashier gave me a printed receipt to show later that afternoon to pick up my new Emergency Passport.
Back through Security to collect my cell phone and other personal items which were there. Now, I had to kill 3½ hours and return at 2 pm to take the Oath and get my passport.
I walked to the City Centre to have lunch. But, I was so anxious and nervous to have this experience behind me.
I had some extra time after lunch before returning for my Embassy appointment. I stopped at a beautiful, very old Romisch-Katholische Kirche or Basilika in the neighborhood near the Embassy. It was Romanesque and I just had to see the inside. I suppose I was ready to pray for divine intervention and closure to this passport situation.
The inside of the church was exceptionally colorful and full of light. Feeling a sense of peace, I sat alone for a short time. No others in the church. Far from the crowded, hectic streets full of traffic and trams of Bern. Took some great photos. Time to go.
Back to the Embassy and first in line for my 2 pm Emergency Passport Appointment and Oath. Talked to some of the same people from earlier that morning. We were all ready to move on with our travels.
Again, through the tight Security process placing my cell phone and other items in the secure bin, X-Ray, body pat down, wand waving and shoes off/on. And, back into the waiting room.
Finally, my name was called. The same young man from the morning interview administered the Oath to me. I held my hand up and swore that I am an American citizen here to pick up my Emergency Passport. I breathed a huge sigh of relief once he handed me my new passport, I truly did.
My Emergency Passport was bright Purple, very different looking from the deep Navy Blue color that we typically have as US citizens. Every country has a different color passport. It’s so interesting to see all of them when you go through Passport Control and Security at International airports.
I raced back to the train station where I took the two trains from Bern to Vevey. This time I did not miss my connection. I arrived at our Airbnb around 5:30 pm just in time to freshen up and go out to dinner with Margery.
Actually, Ruth, her friend of 40 years, picked us up and we went to her lovely home for an amazing dinner and superb wine. The views of the lake and mountains from her terrace were spectacular! And the sunset was magical!
Time for the next adventure, tomorrow! Plus, now I can easily return to the USA with my new purple Emergency Passport in my handbag! Or, can I? That’s another story…
I did have some difficulty at the Charles de Gaulle Airport in Paris trying to get through US Passport Control for my return flight. The red lights lit up along with an annoying buzzer as I tried to put my new purple passport through the automatic passport scanner. I had already waited 30 minutes in the US Passport line when this happened.
I was quickly pulled out of line by a very stern looking Passport Security woman who checked my passport and directed me to the ‘Foreign or Other Countries’ line which was quite long. However, she did put me near the front of that line. I still stood in line for another 20 minutes before I could pass through the Passport Security turnstile. Whew…
But, I had neglected to put my toiletries in a ‘Quart Size Bag’ for easy Security Check. Naturally, the bells and whistles went off. Again, I was summoned out of line and my bag was taken away from me. They put it on another conveyor belt with no less than 12 other bags from travelers like me who had forgotten to use the precious clear Quart Size Bag.
All of these bags now had to be searched by hand - by one airport official. Then, he put all of the toiletries in a quart size bag, all the while basically shaking his head at the stupidity of all of us.
Another 30 minutes or more passed during this ordeal. I was getting dangerously close to missing my flight from Paris to Dallas. Too much time had passed already.
Not to mention, upon arriving at de Gaulle airport which was totally packed with passengers, Hurricane Ian had just hit Florida two days prior. Now, many people could not access their home airports in the USA. I was one of them. Fort Myers International Airport was closed - no electricity, no water, tons of debris on the roads in and out, etc.
So, I had to fly to Tampa instead of Fort Myers. That new booking took over 30 minutes also. Talk about sweating profusely.
My husband, Bill, was without Internet and cell phone coverage due to the hurricane. So, we had been unable to communicate for the last 48 hours. He didn’t know where I would be landing in the US. I sent him a very quick email asking him to pick me up in Tampa at 8:30 pm that night and prayed that he would actually get the email and information. Who knew?
Good News! Bill did receive my email and was waiting at the Tampa Airport for me at 9:00 pm on Friday night. However, it had taken him 5 hours to drive to Tampa which normally only takes about 3 hours.
Bad News! We tried to drive home, but 5 1/2 hours later we returned to Tampa and most likely found the last hotel room in Tampa due to the hurricane nightmare!. It took us another three days to get back to our house in Fort Myers. But, that's another story.
Stay tuned for the 'Never Ending Vacation'!
Note
An Emergency Passport is limited to one year or less and does not have an embedded electronic chip. Caution: Some countries may not accept an Emergency Passport and you could be refused entry by Immigration officials or denied boarding by airline personnel.
Moral of the Story
Always keep your Passport on your body, literally. Keep your passport in a small lightweight nylon passport holder worn around your neck, tucked into your shirt, and never on the outside of your body. I have one of these passport holders. Where, you might ask? At home, of course!!! Next time I’ll wear it 24/7.
Have Passport, Will Travel!
