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WP's Rail Tour

 

East to west, north to south: Tramper Monthly Season Ticket

Exit: Immediately after the school-leaving examination together with ex-classmate Martin a monthly tour started travelling all over Germany. That meant in those days only the old FRG, the GDR remained shelved. However, some trips to the neighboring countries were included yet. Three other fellows found that too small. They travelled all over Western Europe with their Interrail-Ticket. But we had our fun as well. By the way the limitation to Germany allows a visit at home in order to chance laundry. Thus there was no need to carry a lot of luggage along.

TEE Rheingold
Original wagon sign TEE Rheingold

It was just a small escape from the organized every day life: Just entering any train at any station in order to ride in any direction. Nothing more nothing less. That was almost better than the visits of numerous big cities, monuments, places worth seeing, ... We met many kind people, were just invited to have breakfast on a terrace we went by, get into museums with less money and even ride a certain distance on the TEE-Rheingold for free. That was the most noble one, first class only. Because the ICE high speed trains were not yet available in those days - but the legendary BR 103 instead.

In this month we gathered not less than about 21 278 km (13 224 miles)! And this with converted daily costs of living of less than € 5.- (everything included; 10.- D-Marks at that time). This was only to manage because we generally used the night trains between Northern and Southern Germany to sleep. Here the (obsolete) compartment coaches were proved to be a win. A compartment offered just sufficient space for two persons to lie down. So the train got to be our new home and it could happen that two figures in pyjamas and bathing-slippers, with their electric razor, towel (remember The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy ;-), shampoo and dentifrice in their arms made a pilgrimage through the train late in the night or early in the morning. So we didn't waste any time searching for bed and breakfast (the food was from the supermarket) or for the approach. We arrived fresh and very early in the morning and had the complete day for our disposal until we retired into a train for our well-deserved night rest again (nice phrase, isn't it?! ;-).

It wasn't bad to read in a newspaper at the Schliersee, a lake near the Alps that in the Hamburg shopping mall (about 650 km = 400 miles as the crow flies away) during a public event free coffee was offered and therefore just travel to it. And then further on to Sylt or Puttgarden to take a bath in the sea. It was just fantastic! Often there was some kind of disco in the platform area of the wagon, when another passenger turned loud his walkman or radio. Always when I hear the hit of that time Don't you (forget about me) of the Simple Minds I'll remember those four weeks - in the real meaning of the word - on the move.

(Still today I like to take the train. Because the only difference between passengers in a plane and sardines in a tin is that the later are at least already dead when they are packed in ;-)

 

Enjoy the tour diary (short form)

Exclusive the short rides; they are not registered explicitly.

Phase 1 (circa 4 580 km = 2 846 miles)


Phase 2 (circa 6 180 km = 3 841 miles)


Phase 3 (circa 2 353 km = 1 462 miles)


Phase 4 (circa 4 835 km = 3 005 miles)


Phase 5 (circa 2 740 km = 1 703 miles)

 

Supplement

Extended seamlessly in July. This time at the cost of the government. I used the IC train (InterCity, a fast train) at the weekend to commute between my residence and the barracks near Aachen. Each time about 7 hours to go in one way.

 

To the model railway dreams:

TOUR

 


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Update: V8.4, 2012-03-02


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