So I'm back on trains today. The initial plan is an ICE from Munich to Cologne, a 30-minute layover and then 2 Eurostar service Cologne to Brussels and onto London. The shortish change in Cologne got slightly nervous initially but there is an ICE an hour later which still comfortably connect to the last Brussels-London service of the day so I'll see how things pan out.

Munich station is a huge building site at the moment, the whole of the front of the building has been torn down (it was raining quite a bit so I didn't stop for pictures, but who wants to see cranes anyway). I followed the signs to the side entrances, helping a couple of American tourists on the way who were a bit lost.


A fast train, German style

There was a never ending flow of announcements over the PA system, giving platform changes and delays. It isn't usually a good sign, but my train left 2 minutes late so not too bad for now.

The German railway system was once a well-oiled machine where short connections were a no-brainer because things worked (my personal best was 7 minutes in Mannheim), but years of under investment has left some lines in a state of disrepair which needs tending to. I can see some improvements already even if they are far from their usual reliable selves.

Still, they have an extensive network and numerous high speed trains running to all corners of the country. The seats in first are pretty comfortable (which is just as well because I'll be in one for the next 5 hours), and the ride is smooth, even at 200+kph. 1st class also includes at-seat service from the onboard restaurant. An attendant walks through the carriages to take orders.

This train goes from Munich to Hamburg over about 9 hours. The screens in the carriages have up-to-date information about the position of the train and updated arrival times. It's interesting to see the delay go up and down by single minutes as the driver tries to make up the time.

I'll have a quick kip first but I might report later on the menu.