During the sample period we also did some train travel in France. As that was either overloaded chaos (TGV Ouigo) or total bliss (coastal small train route) I just forgot to sample there. Toddler and I did see a cute cat in a Ouigo colored container though.
Train travel in Sweden was excluded as well. Again as I just forgot to sample there..
Some people might like to know that Martha (https://mastodon.online/@Pepijn/115247663386586962) was counted as knitting (crochet to be precise).
->
Exciting life update: Toddler just offered a blueberry to the #DSB conductor. We lost a blueberry but she completely forgot to check our ticket.
The second conductor was not offered a blueberry even though they held out their hand for one.. Toddler just waved and said Hiiiiiiii.
This is the #train experience I pay good money for.
🫐
On Europe's local-less-busy-routes train future now: a battery powered Stadler Flirt (Nordbahn, top of Germany).
It's.. just a nice spacious quiet practical boring commuter train. Has a spacious toilet with well designed diaper changing table.
And clean, maintained even! (looking at you GoCollective)
I ❤️ it
Edit: with toddler and @juliette. Both agree it's a good train.
Toddler and I are doing international travel (Niebüll (DE) - Tønder (DK)) in the luxury of an old-style diesel railcar. It has little curtains and comfy seats. The high and narrow entrance would block most baby strollers.
I'm a bit confused on what this railcar actually is though. From what I gather it's about 30yrs old, named T4 and based on the ÖBB Class 5047 (designed in line with BR627/628 / Wadloper trains?). Is it a special thing?
No border police.
I like the level of good contact with other passengers while traveling with a small child.
For one: your average basic-bitch-grumpy-arsehole is more likely to just stfu / stay away. More importantly, it appears nice people (=most) are more likely to feel confident to be actually nice in public. It honestly seems as if every interaction with others is just.. nice 🙂
Toddler just made a toddler friend. His mom shared blueberries. Fyi ten is the threshold for weird poop. 🫐 💩
Toddler and I are doing some #CrossBorderRail. I'm both super looking forward to it and massively crossing my fingers DB does its job well :-)
As requested two bonus photos of TGV #train #cat. Only as it's #Caturday ;-)
Reminds me of the ICE trip where I spend a couple of hours feeding bits of my lunch to two #parrots: https://mastodon.online/@Pepijn/108656311072158226
Very different experiences. I'd love to repeat both.
I'm traveling in an #Ouigo branded TGV for the first time. It goes fast through the landscape, so there's that* but otherwise I am really unpleasantly surprised at how much #SNCF managed to downgrade the TGV experience.
Ougio feels like an Eurolines bus doing 300kph.
Here's two photos with the view from our seats.
*Toddler Grande Vitesse #train #toddlerRail
The X52 train in #Sweden has ONE entry fit for people in wheelchairs, large strollers etc.
Just after the entrance there's stairs (on both sides). The extremely slow elevator lifts the entire floor and then swivels.
It's an awesome technical solution (for a created problem) but only fits one item. If two wheelchair users enter together they're stuck. If one enters and one leaves it's chaos.
The lift stays up between stations, blocking access for all others.
Pepijn