Right!

[jon@gruene.social]

Ah

Now another passenger with a headscarf boards at Saarbrücken

If the Bubdespolizei control her… that’s going to be interesting

(But my guess is they’ve walked through upstairs and won’t come down)

[jon@gruene.social]

And we have a posse of German retired people talking loudly. That’s very German

And we‘re moving - without further delay

These controls (or not) are weird

[jon@gruene.social]

Counting my railway lives here…

‍ ‍

Diversion via Darmstadt from Mannheim… it’s going to add 20 mins

But I should still get the connection in Frankfurt

[jon@gruene.social]

Ahhhh

Got to Frankfurt with enough time to get my onward train
🧳 Three elderly passengers couldn’t shift their bags in the heat, so I helped them - while other passengers kept an eye on my bags
ICE is here

All’s good!

[jon@gruene.social]

Americans in the next train. They exclaim when they sit down “But how were we supposed to find our seats? No one told us anything!”

Well, maybe *ask*? Just an idea. Or is asking strangers for help passé?

[jon@gruene.social]

They open food

“This is Germany. They don’t know what salad is!”

Errrrrr…

[jon@gruene.social]

#CrossBorderRail Finale Train 63 of 158
ICE 627
13:54 Frankfurt (Main) Hbf - Nürnberg Hbf 15:56
DB Fernverkehr

Train type: Siemens, ADtranz, Bombardier ICE 3, 8 carriages
️ (15kV ac)
: ️
🦽: (needs lift on platform)
🛜:
️: ️ (staff shortage, dining car closed)
🧳:
🧽:

Interrail: (accepted)

[jon@gruene.social]

ICE 627
13:54 Frankfurt (Main) Hbf - Nürnberg Hbf 15:56

Distance: 226.1km
Average speed: 111km/h

3 stops:
Aschaffenburg Hbf
Würzburg Hbf
Nürnberg Hbf

This train, mapped: https://umap.openstreetmap.fr/en/map/crossborderrail-2025-finale_1163738#10/49.7848/9.8664

[jon@gruene.social]

This is outright hypocrisy from Tusk

"Auch an der Grenze zum östlichen Nachbarland Litauen soll es künftig Überprüfungen geben."

Errr, every bus and I think even every vehicle has been controlled on the motorway there for the past 12 months ‍️

Not that any German media would both checking that

Or checking that - honestly - multiple absurdities do not make a right

https://www.tagesschau.de/ausland/europa/polen-grenzkontrollen-108.html

[jon@gruene.social]

#CrossBorderRail Finale Train 64 of 158
RE 33 (5291)
16:37 Nürnberg Hbf - Cheb 18:23
DB Regio AG Bayern

Train type: Adtranz, Bombardier 612 tilting DMU, 2 carriages (4 more carriages to other destinations)
️
:
🦽: (lift on platform)
🛜:
️: ️
🧳: (tricky with large bags)
🧽:

Interrail: (accepted)

[jon@gruene.social]

RE 33 (5291)
16:37 Nürnberg Hbf - Cheb 18:23

Distance: 151.2km
Average speed: 86km/h

7 stops:
Neuhaus(Pegnitz)
Pegnitz
Kirchenlaibach
Marktredwitz
Arzberg(Oberfr)
Schirnding
Cheb

This train, mapped: https://umap.openstreetmap.fr/en/map/crossborderrail-2025-finale_1163738#10/49.7378/11.6215

[jon@gruene.social]

In the next train there are 5 Belgian (Walloon) men opposite me

“I’m looking forward to getting a goulash in Prague!”

Errr…

[jon@gruene.social]

Joys of #CrossBorderRail

We’re +8

But the Czechs don’t know it until we cross the border ‍️

[jon@gruene.social]

But #CrossBorderRail worked well enough. Bit of sprinting and I’m onto the Cheb - Praha

[jon@gruene.social]

Ok, a poll

When you hear goulash, what do you think?

[jon@gruene.social]

#CrossBorderRail Finale Train 65 of 158
IC 565
18:33 Cheb - Praha hl. n. 21:22
ČD

Train type: Škoda 362 locomotive, 5 InterJet carriages
️ (25kV ac, 3kV dc)
:
🦽: (ramp on board)
🛜:
️: (mini bar trolley)
🧳:
🧽:

Interrail: (accepted)

It gets a top score! Plus air conditioning ️ works well

[jon@gruene.social]

IC 565
18:33 Cheb - Praha hl. n. 21:22

Distance: 212.9km
Average speed: 76km/h

6 stops:
Mariánské Lázně
Planá u Mariánských Lázní
Stribro
Plzen Jizni predmest
Plzen hl.n.
Praha hl.n.

This train, mapped: https://umap.openstreetmap.fr/en/map/crossborderrail-2025-finale_1163738#9/49.8734/13.3717

[jon@gruene.social]

There’s even #BeerOnTrains

And it’s half cold

[jon@gruene.social]

Train managers in Central Europe have a very particular style of footwear: leather shoes with holes or perforations, like this on this Cheb - Praha ČD train

I’ll try to document more during the rest of #CrossBorderRail

[jon@gruene.social]

I’m not someone who lives with regrets. The decisions I’ve taken in life were sensible when I took them. And there was never really a moment when I could have learned a Central European / Slavic language. But as I’m so somehow drawn to Czechia, to Poland, to Slovenia this linguistic shortcoming rankles.