Two Worlds

Of my nine hours on trains today, four hours were pleasant; not just because of the lovely, green landscape. The trains were on time and clean; both changes to other trains happened on the same platform and without having to either run for it, or wait for ages. 
That was in Switzerland. 

The German train „service“ DB had already sent a message yesterday, informing me that my train from Basel to Frankfurt had been cancelled. So, the pleasant part of the journey ended in Basel. 

I waited there for one hour (at 35 °C) for a train to Mainz. It was neither clean nor on time, and the AC didn’t work very well. So, I was feeling as parched as the fields in the Rhine valley, when I arrived in Mainz. There, I changed to a local train, and had to get to another platform via broken escalators, schlepping my bag up and down in the heat. 

The local train to Wiesbaden was crowded and delayed, so I stood for this part of the trip - crammed in between bicycles and prams. And then I needed to change to another local train, only had one minute to do so, and sprinted across the station from track 6 to track 1 to catch it. And I did - just before the doors closed. 

Now I am home, greeted by a happy P and delighted cats. But my mood has gone sour during the stressful journey with DB. 

Extra: Yesterday’s evening sky over the Engadine mountains. A lovely memory.