Brandy rides a train. (And compares it to automobiles and a transatlantic flight.)

 2) The train ride to Hamburg: What was it like to spend 2 hours on a train? Why do you think Germans take trains? What are the dis/advantages of taking the train?

As a little boy, I had always been fascinated with trains, flying through the countryside at 130 mph. It was a wonderful experience to be able to board the ICE train to Hamburg, sit and relax, not have to worry about crashing into cars and things, or falling out of the sky in a large fireball of death! (After a trans-Atlantic flight, just about anything seems incredibly safe.) Compared to in the USA, where we can always hop in a car and drive wherever we want, the train system seemed somewhat limited in nature. However, it's incredibly efficient, when you learn how to use the system. As a whole, Europe is much more dense than the USA (Manifest Destiny!), and so building a reasonable rail network for cheap, passenger usage would be a much grander undertaking than that on the European continent. For this reason, gasoline is much cheaper in the USA, based on the need for its consumption. It's a little more comfortable than an airplane, honestly, and there's more room to move about. There's a dining car, it's much easier to board and get off than an airplane, and honestly the ride is much more comfortable. I'd take a train over a plane almost every time! Being American, though, I haven't much choice in the matter, if I want to see exotic places and not have to pay first-class prices...

The ride to Hamburg was quite pleasant. The view was essentially only of snow and large windmills, but it was much better than a large wing, flexing more than you would think the only thing between you and 34,000 feet of death and screaming should be flexing.

I took a few pictures of trains, while in Germany. See for yourself, America.

 This photo is taken from where my face is. You can see, barely, Dr. Sheehan's head grazing the roof of the cabin. I'm a bit taller than he, and as can be imagined, I busted my skull a few times on the way to my seat. It's funny that I pay the exact same amount for a flight as a 110 lb lady would, but her legroom, comparatively, is so much greater than my own, right? I didn't ask to be tall. Did I mention that they manufacture airplanes based on the characteristics of the average Smurf?

 The look on Regis' face says it all. Traveling over the Atlantic, and he is clearly not amused. He's just as tall as I.

America, this is how we get around. He even had an American-shaped tag on the back. Try this when fuel isn't cheap, though, and you'll be miserable, especially when you're driving and you see the train doubling your speed right next to you, every passenger simply reading, sleeping, using the restroom at will, and purchasing sweets off the trolley.

 The inside of the S-Bahn during a slightly-less-busy time of day in Berlin. Note the spaciousness and plethora of seats available on the urban rail network.

 Is this platform not much easier to board from than the little airplane-arm-tunnel-thing? This is living, people.

 Final night in Berlin, at Hauptbahnhof. Admittedly a little later on in the evening, but it's not crowded and swarming with security or red-lights, car-wrecks and traffic laws.

 It should be noted, on our never-should've-happened flight back to Frankfurt a.M., I had a whole row to myself. This was nice, if only for an hour of our 10+ hour excursion. (Yes, I did strap the bag in.) Even the newspaper had room for the newspaper to have its own seat. When Bandy travels, he travels like a boss, as is clearly indicated by the thumbs-up being displayed as the focal-point of the photo.

This looks better than a lot of cars on the road, no? Just /look/ at that glass. It's been wiped very well, free of bird-droppings (Unlike my coat in Hamburg, but that's another tale entirely...) and the great risk of collision and running over cyclists. Take that, cars.

 Here, you'll see an example of my least favorite form of transportation: the bus (bendy, triple, double-decker or otherwise.). While in this case it appealed to my love of football to see a bus like this, I nearly witnessed the death of a fellow student by way of the triple-bus-splatter-kill. It's the only time I ever saw bus x3, and someone nearly died. What does that tell you?





All in all, I think riding the train was a good experience, but I have to admit, it did feel good to get behind the wheel of my car again, and hit the open road. I think that the train system in Germany is magnificent, and I would utilize it often. However, I don't like all public transport. I'm sorry, bus-lovers, but I just can't hear your opinions... over my freedom.