Andreas Vaulenberg had received the letter from Ireland more than three months ago - and he still thought that it was extremely puzzling. Anyway, he had decided to travel - and now there was no chance for him to go back. His subway train was just approaching Cologne Central Station. "Next stop - Cologne Central," the monotonous loudspeaker voice informed him. People started to push their way towards the automatic doors; the train reduced its speed, and Andreas wielded his rucksack towards the exit. As soon as the comprehensive school teacher with the moustache had reached the escalator, he checked his ticket again - Thalys 9444, 2nd class, non-smoking.

Actually Andreas would have prefered a direct flight from Cologne or Duesseldorf to Dublin - but when he had tried to find out about it, the woman behind the counter had shrugged her shoulders. "Everybody seems to be travelling to Ireland at the moment. The only flight that is available is the flight from Brussels to Dublin." Andreas had accepted that - though he felt somewhat uneasy about the long train ride which lay before him.

At least he had reached the Central Station in good time. The station, a nineteenth-century building with a modern shopping mall underneath, was a hectic place. Everybody seemed to be crazy... Right before him, a man with a drum was talking to a German Rail employee. He was gesticulating, and he had obviously lost the way. When Andreas heard the words "Thalys 9444", he knew that this person was going to Ireland, too. Andreas wanted to invite him to join him on the way to the platform, but when he turned round, the man with the drum had disappeared. So Andreas went up all alone and waited for the train to appear. There was a faint smell of hot dogs and cold cigarettes on the platform - and this platform was especially crammed with people. Andreas was lucky about the fact that he had reserved a seat in advance.

Finally the train arrived - and it happened to be on time (quite unlike the other trains he had used for his journeys abroad, he thought). Andreas was now definitely in a good mood, especially, when he found his seat without any difficulties. In the seat opposite his own, there was a young woman with dark frizzy hair and red sneakers . Andreas knew that he had seen her before... maybe with Mrs. Nagelschmidt-Boehlau? Andreas shuddered inwardly. Next, the man with the drum appeared again, but he moved on, probably in search of his own seat.

However, a young senior asked whether the other window seat was still vacant. It was... and Andreas politely offered to lift her rucksack and her suitcase into the luggage rack. Some minutes later, a young woman took the seat next to him. Softly, the train moved out of the station. The journey had begun.