In Europe things are a little bit smaller. Seats on the Strassenbahn (tram), houses, apartments, cars, food portions, drinks, etc. To go along with the smaller spaces, your personal bubble also gets smaller. People come closer, sit right next to you so that your thighs touch, push around you etc.
Usually the small spaces are ok. But not on the 7:18 train. This is a new development. The children of Baden Wurtenburg headed back to school last week. Much to my surprise, many of them commute on the 7:18 train that takes me to the main train station on my way to Basel. So many of them in fact, that we do not all fit in the train.
I stood one morning, half a sleep and slightly out of breath after my brisk walk / jog down to the train station (I'm always running late, or think I'm running late.) The train pulls up. The first strange thing I notice is that the windows are all fogged up. Completely opaque. Why? I look a little closer and notice that the entire train is jam packed with people. Some are sitting, many are standing in between the aisles, and in the little entrance section, they are packed. I rush over to a train door along with the Germans. How will we get in the train? Apparently by shoving and pushing and wedging our bodies in. But on no...only one person can manage to shove their body in at this entrance. So we sprint to another one. The outlook is not much better, but we are more determined and desperate, because if we miss this train, there's not another one for 30 minutes and we will be late for work. So I get into the train followed by several other people. At the point my feet are at awkward angles and I am leaning to the side due to the large backpack pushing into me. It is hot and early morning breath is not the most pleasant of odors. Luckily, I only have to stay on the train for about 6 minutes, but they are a very uncomfortable 6 minutes.
After two experiences with the dreaded 7:18, I am never taking it again. Sadly, that means I must take the 6:01, but an hour less of sleep is a small sacrifice for a comfortable morning.
1 comment:
that doesn't sound like fun but i guess that's the trade off for having good PT...you could always take the reg strassenbahn in, although all the contruction is around the Hauptbahnhof now, right? get a hold of the B-W school schedule so you can sleep later on the numerous vacations the kids get....And on a good note it's getting colder so the digusting euro BO levels can only decrease
Post a Comment