I've finally booked my tickets for #FOSDEM, after some delays due to decision paralysis.
Once again it will be bus Helsinki-Warsaw and #NightTrain Berlin-Bruxelles (#EuropeanSleeper), because I don't feel like spending 300 € on Swedish trains this time. For some reason, Berlin-Warsaw doesn't run the whole way on February 5th, so I'll need to catch it in Frankfurt (Oder).
Got on the (in)famous bus Vaasa-Warsaw in Tallinn. It seems today I'm the only one going all the way to Warsaw from Finland. Two smiling drivers, that's new.
Got to Warsaw on time. The bus ride was uneventful, the driving not reckless. The usual one passenger who sometimes couldn't stop talking. I got a decent sleep and even managed to extend my legs sometimes. We got stuck on the S61 after Łomża for maybe 20 min due to an accident (?).
My go-to (Kulturalna) was still closed so I went to my usual fallback, a spacious chain place where I get an overpriced coffee to use the facilities. It's full of fancy office workers; and me washing in the bathroom.
I am now in #Berlin waiting for my night train. The train from Warsaw was a bit late as we spent some time in Rzepin waiting for a new locomotive.
Of course I met a FOSDEM attendee on the train, a Debian person.
CO2 levels were high at the beginning but quickly decreased as the train moved, thanks to generous drafts from the corridors (as long as you kept the compartment door open). The restaurant wagon was well ventilated (but also almost empty).
I am now on my final train to #Bruxelles (hopefully). ETA 11:35, about 2 hours later than planned.
My night train was 210 min late so of course I switched to a train via Köln which ended up being 200 min late (officially 169).
The Reisezentrum in Köln was very timely and had my seat reservation and delay confirmation printed and ready for me to pick up, so I managed the 6 min connection.
On the train I found a Pyöräpaja friend, how random.
"Changement de voie!!!"
As usual after 15 min at Bruxelles Midi station, I have this tattooed on my eardrums.
Now on my way from Bruxelles to #Amsterdam to catch my EuropeanSleeper night train there, as one does.
This #ECD9547 is very comfortable. It takes just 2 hours, 30 €.
Ventilation seems good, with 1100 ppm CO2 even after the wagon almost filled up in Antwerp.
«Make eye contact», I was reminded at many intersections when cycling in #Amsterdam.
It's probably the only instruction I remember from my driving lessons with my father (passed on from his father). The only (minor) bike crash I had in Helsinki was for failing to follow it.
Amsterdam-Frankfurt (Oder) went alright.
#NightTrain #ES453 was on time, pulled by locomotive #E1862895. Our train steward was a survivor from the 2026-01-29 #ES452.
Trusty S3 and RE1 go me via #Erkner to Frankfurt (Oder) a couple hours early (originally booked as #RE92319).
DB cancelled all trains between Berlin and Warsaw today, including #EC45 which was supposed to run from Frankfurt (Oder). No official reason; PKP staff says lack of overline power.
The EC45 proceeds on time under #EIC45 / #IC71009 flag from #Rzepin.
We got there by taxi from #Słubice after walking across the border. I convinced a group of people not to wait for the hypothetical replacement buses from DB. It is not clear whether any other train will make it to Poznań from Rzepin today.
Nemo_bis 🌈
Matthew Vernon