It's official. I am a certified travel snob. Probably not in the ways most people think. I don't require much in terms of clothes or shoes... I can survive fine with the 2 pairs of jeans I brought on this trip, and wear the same scarf everyday. And as long as the food we have on hand is healthy and tasty, I only require the occasional foodie-caliber dinner. And I could never justify in my current state of non-employment an upscale hotel. What I CANNOT tolerate anymore is drunken-craziness. I have no interest in it. And I'm heading to Munich for Oktoberfest... what the H-E-double-hockey-sticks was I thinking of? The whole culture of this “festival” is drink, drink, drink to life!! A non-stop frat party featuring the best-of-the-best drunks from all over the world!!
I got my first taste of things to come on the train from Wernigerode to Hanover on the first leg of our trip down to Munich. There were probably 30-40 20-somethings piled into the first 2 cars wearing the same T-shirt, blonde wigs, fanny packs, and spilt beer or body fluids of some kind staining at least 1 article of clothing yelling and singing in support of their soccer team. They even managed to have their own police escort... cops in riot gear were stationed at each door, and were immediately put to work once they arrived at the Hanover train station (the opposing team). And guess where we got to sit... in the bench-seats across from the bathroom. These guys had broken the seal long before we got on the train. For 2 hours, there was a steady stream of drunks stumbling in and out of the WC, sometimes 2 or 3 at a time. And why, you might ask, did these young gentlemen need this kind of buddy system to use the can? Because as 1 used the toilet, the others could piss in the sink. Awesome.
In contrast, I am currently seated in the 1st class car on the super-fast ICE express train at a small table typing on my laptop in peace and serenity. No shouting, no spilt beer. Support staff in pressed uniforms walk by... newspaper, coffee, beer or wine?? Why yes, thank you. Only 4 stops on this 3 hour ride? Perfect. I could easily give up flying if trains in the states had digs like this. We're currently traveling at 250 km/hr through a hilly and lush countryside, towns and villages dotting the landscape. If I'd like, I could get up, walk around, head down to the café for a nice lunch, or hide away in one of the private rooms. This is a magical land where children are quiet, the seats rest at angles that are conducive to sleep, and I can keep my over-sized luggage nearby. We even left our stuff unattended and undisturbed... like I said, Magical.Maybe this doesn't make me a travel snob, just more of a foodie (or maybe just a reasonable human being). Sean and I are admitted beverage snobs... we drink for taste, and only rarely for effect. The few times I've gotten drunk in the last few years, I've always regretted the headaches, dry mouth, and unsettled stomach the next day. Or maybe I've just been stepped on, spilt on, and pounded into enough times in my life at bars and clubs that my resulting tolerance is very narrow. I'm not really worried about Oktoberfest. I'll be there with my manly husband and some good friends who will help to keep the crowds at bay. This IS a chance of a lifetime, and I'll be sure to drink it up ;) (in 1 liter increments). Prost!!
We, too, have found train travel to be far more civilized and comfortable than airplanes.
ReplyDelete