One of the great benefits of covering the World Cup – besides hearing the national anthem of Togo – is a free first-class train pass. I love trains. Trains love man. European cities have less pollution than American ones merely because you don’t need a car in Europe. The trains are that efficient, particularly here in Germany. I’ve traversed nearly the entire nation by rail and I’ve never been more comfortable and had fewer hassles covering a sports event. The trains are like living rooms. I’m writing this on my way to Nuremberg in a comfy, high-backed seat that leans back twice as far as a plane seat in coach. Sliding glass doors separate train cars. Little electronic messages under the roomy luggage racks next to seat numbers indicate the seat’s reservation on each leg of the trip. Each seat has a printed, detailed itinerary of your journey. The dining car has white tablecloths with full menus including dishes such as chicken fricassee with mushrooms and chef salad. Even the rest- rooms are clean. Second-class has almost the same comforts but has four seats per row instead of three. The trains go everywhere. All the time. One leaves every hour from Hamburg to Munich. I like to take trains in America, but back home in Oregon, the route from Eugene to Portland, only 120 miles, has two trains per day, one at 5:45 a.m. The only time you need a reservation here is on game day. I learned the hard way not to take the wrong train. I had to double back to Frankfurt and pile onto a train packed with Mexican soccer fans. It was worth it. Beats driving up Alpe d’Huez.
auf Wiedersehen,
John
