Surprising logic

Tonight on the train from Amsterdam to Brussels somewhere around Dordrecht after getting slower and slower: “We have a problem with the train engine and will stop in the next station to reboot it”.

I think that the conducter was only giving it a shot because it would have been a hell of a hassle to get a replacing train or alike but after all; why should something that works for 8 out of 10 IT problems not work for a locomotive… And it kind of did, arriving in BXL only 25 minutes late.

Coger el tren en España

One of the most interesting experiences was taking the train in Spain. First, I missed my train to Toledo because I did not manage to buy a ticket on time. I had to wait 30 minutes until I could buy a ticket and had plenty of time until the next train which I used to visit the Botanic garden – just next to the Prado.

As I did not know when I would be heading back, I had only bought “Ida” but in Toledo, I was clever enough to go largely in advance to the station. Only, that the train was fully booked. I must have made a pretty worried impression and two guys asked me if everything was OK. I started explaining them the problem and there advise was:

1. Ask for a train ticket for the 19:30 train – maybe someone has cancelled the ticket.
2. If you can’t get a ticket for this train, just buy one for the following train (21:30) and get on the 19:30 train nevertheless. Go to the bar, get a coffee (or beer) and wait if someone controls you. If so, just pretend not to understand as much as you do.

And the best was that this whole conversation took place in Spanish, after 45 minutes waiting I managed buying a ticket (ticket machines were invented for a reason obviously not understood in Toledo), got on the 19:30 train to be back in Madrid just on time to meet a friend.