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The Christmas Interrail pass has been activated. Time to head to Germany. All the ICEs out of the Netherlands have big red “forget about it” warnings. Eurobahn has told their subcontractor that they are totally fine now and don’t need them any more, so – no surprise there – every second Venlo train is cancelled. I’ll try for one of the not-yet cancelled ones and hope for the best. It is the quickest non-ICE way towards Köln, after all.

Before the Great Belt fixed link, railway ferries carried trains between the Danish islands of Sealand and Funen between Korsør and Nyborg. But in some winters the sea was frozen so thick, particularly the harbour in the bay of Nyborg, that the ferries couldn’t operate. So, short branch lines were build to Halsskov and Knudshoved from where passengers and goods could be carried over the frozen sea by ice boats, essentially sleighs with a sail. This happend in 1887/8 and 1892/3. Later, piers were built in Halsskov and Knudshoved and ice breakers kept a passage open between them during the strong winters of 1922/3 and 1928/9. In the 1950s, both Halsskov and Knudshoved became ports for car ferries and the railways disappeared.

Colleagues came back from Stockholm on the night train and missed their connection in Hamburg. They didn’t know of AJC (my fault for not briefing them properly) so believed staff when they told them they have to buy new flexpreis tickets. Do we think there is a chance of them getting the money back? And if so, who best to contact about it in what way? Also, so much for “We don’t need regulation, we have agreements.”

The special feature of the Deutschlandticket isn’t really its price but that it is valid not just on trains but on all the things. So, for my second weekend, I have come up with the idea to travel from Dortmund all the way to Bonn using only trams. As usual, I haven’t done any research or, God forbid, planning, so I don’t even know whether that is possible. Join me and we’ll find out together!

Eurostar 9322 to Paris Nord is expected to arrive October next year. (Edit: Someone posted before first coffee. The delays is, of course, 9943 minutes, not 9943 hours, i.e., just a couple days …)