Back on Track

Once again, I am writing on a German train. I have just left Amsterdam and, while it has been a great month in the city, it is strangely comforting to be back in Germany. The Dutch are not known for their customer service, but buying my train ticket yesterday convinced me that some places are so incompetent only to show how incredible the German train system is. In Amsterdam, I had to line up for about 15 minutes to be given a ticket to line up for another 45 minutes to be served by someone to buy my train ticket. In Germany, I can buy almost any ticket from a machine or by minimal queuing in the ticket office. Sure, Amsterdam Station has ticket machines, but they only accept coins, which is not so practical for a train ticket costing more than 100Euros.

The trains are so clean and fast and easy to travel on. The seats are comfortable. There is space for luggage. My reserved seat is clearly labeled so that no-one else sits in it and it is easy to find. My seat even has a power point so I can plug in my laptop! I particularly love the Reiseplan (journey plan) that they give you listing all of the stops with times accurate to the minute as well as lists of all the connections available from each stop. The photo is not particularly legible, but it gives you the idea.

I was planning to be on the night train from Amsterdam to Munich, but unfortunately it was full, so I stayed an extra night in Amsterdam and left at 6.40am. I am in Munich for an hour and a half before catching a train to Innsbruck where I will stay overnight before leaving on Tuesday morning for the Aqua-Dome (my next gig in Laengenfeld, Austria – the gorgeous village in the alps where I worked last October). I am really looking forward to going back to the Aqua-Dome and reconnecting with the people that I worked with last year.