Catching up on the news

Two porters meet for a coffee break standing outdoors beside the train. They have a chat during a longer stopover. We on the train wait patiently for a connecting train to arrive. 

The porters look so relaxed... spending the time getting caught up on their news.

(10.08.2015)

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

DB Holiday Cheer

(This is a true story.) I go to the train station to buy some tickets for two up-and-coming trips to Berlin. Late Friday afternoon. Crowded. One DB employee is trying to issue an elder woman her ticket for her grandson’s visit over Christmas.  The woman explains to the DB employee that she insists on paying one way for her grandson  to come up to visit her, while his parents insist on paying for their son's return trip. The elder woman knows her grandson had a DB card (discount card), but she doesn’t know if the discount is 25% or 50%. The DB employee patiently suggests that the woman should go home, call her daughter and find out whether it is 25% or 50%, and then come back to purchase the ticket another time. The woman is obviously distraught at the prospect of having to come back again. The DB employee sees the elder woman’s disappointment and offers to let her call her daughter. She asks the woman for the telephone number. She doesn’t remember. Then... how about the name and ad
Read more

Scaring off the passengers

So, I was riding on one of the new local trains this afternoon. I noticed two unique aspects of these new trains.   First, the funny and often confusing announcements from the train personnel over the intercom system are gone. Now there is a calm slow-speaking male voice that sounds somewhat like a smart robot announcing all the information. (Or, maybe it is just someone who no longer speaks like a normal human being.) Secondly, if you try to open the bathroom door when someone else is in the bathroom, there is a loud voice coming over the intercom for all to hear (!), stating the toilet is occupied and please come back when it is free. You have never seen someone disappear so quickly. It was hilarious to see how people raised their faces from their cell phones to see who dared touch the bathroom door. This might be a good way of scaring off passengers considering using their toilet facilities.
Read more