The joy of train travel

On the one hand, there was my flight from Munich to London with one of those "quick and dirty" airlines. It begins with expectation management, which in this case is more like disappointment management. You start the booking online with an absurdly small amount: the outward flight for € 0.00 and the return flight for €2.89. And then with every click of the mouse, more fees appear and you end up with €141. Why not just tell us the truth from the start?

Then there’s the over 30 km drive to the airport only to find there are no staff at the counter, just stranded passengers from the previous evening grumbling about the lack of communication. When I finally got to hand over my computer printout, which I had diligently printed out the previous evening, the counter staff member just tore it up. When I asked why I should bother wasting my precious printer ink she said, "It helps us to identify you." It didn’t help me in the least.

Then of course there is the queue for security and the checks on liquids and shoes. There are no seat reservations, but priority is given to families with small children, the elderly and those who have decided to pay a bit more; that’s all fair enough but made absurd by the fact that we had to go to the plane by bus, so the first to leave the terminal were actually the last on the plane.

Finally, we were herded onto the sleazy looking jet and scrambled for a good seat. Overhead lockers are too full, we are informed, which is not surprising since you have to pay extra for luggage. Reassuringly, the flight attendant then adds that passengers should put their coats on their laps as it will be cold anyway as the air conditioning is not working properly.

On the way home, they even wanted an extra £20 because I had two kilos too much in my luggage; I managed to avoid this by transferring three books that I had bought in London to my rucksack. When I asked what the purpose of this was, the answer was: "I’m only doing my job."

Now the good news was a train journey from Munich to Paris last week. The French TGVs now run directly from the Hauptbahnhof in Munich to the gare de’l’ est in Paris. I arrived ten minutes before we were scheduled to leave and simply got into the train and sat in my reserved seat. There was plenty of space for me and my luggage. I could have used my mobile and computer all the time, if I had wanted to, although I chose to read and enjoy the subtly changing landscape and catch glimpses of beautiful architecture, like Strasburg cathedral. I arrived in Paris six hours later in good time for a delicious lunch with my friends. It was simple and effortless. The return fare was €128: well worth it for the elegant and excellent service, the relaxing experience and a few hours of contemplation.