October 21 Amsterdam

Mike bought us Eurail Passes. I’ve always wanted one. You buy the pass and it entitles you to travel on trains and some ships throughout Europe within a time frame. Reserved seats cost a little extra but it’s worth it not to have to search for a seat.

We’ve ridden second class in local trains in Italy and first class in high speed trains from Switzerland via Germany to Amsterdam. I’ve loved every train.

As far as I can tell, all the trains are electric. They are very smooth and quiet coming and going. The fancy trains have a sort of jet nose, like a monorail.

You board on a numbered platform. A sign tells you the train’s number. When it arrives you walk along the platform to find your car. You push a little button and the door slides open. You haul yourself and your bags up a couple of steps, pass through another automatic door, enter your car and walk the aisle looking for your seats.

Seats are configured facing both directions. In Italy we were always assigned aisle seats facing each other between a little fold-down table. The seats were pretty close and our long legs jostled to find room. I would not be very comfortable facing a stranger and trying to avoid “leg contact.”

You can put your suitcase in an overhead rack, and hang your jacket on a little hook. The seats are large and comfortable with armrests and a small cushion behind your head. Some even recline.

We had first class reserved side by side seats today on the fancy ICE (Intercity Express) high speed trains between Basel and Amsterdam. For an hour we were riding backwards. At some point the train reversed direction; facing forward was a relief.

On first class rides an attendant checks tickets and serves food. In Italy we got a towelette to clean up, a little pack of biscuits and a small coffee in a paper cup. On the ICE, we ordered coffees delivered to our seats in china cups (for a fee.) The attendants came through with little Ritter chocolate bars every couple of hours.

People slept, played games on the little tables, read, drank their beers and coffees and used the excellent internet. I dozed, read, knitted and gazed out the window at scenes as lovely as this

or at more industrial factories, graffitied overpasses and long black tunnels.

The trains are smooth and some are pretty fast. The movement is soothing: like on the Alaska ferry, the train is a great place to doze. The bathrooms were modern and fairly clean, with lots of push buttons. On every ride, the train was never more than a few minutes late, but usually right on time.

The train is a comfortable little oasis. You have no responsibilities except to keep track of your stuff and get off at the right station. Today in Germany the announcement that “there are pickpockets on the train” was issued at three urban stops. One guy walked through our car asking for money. Other than that, I felt safe and carefree.

Arrival in a new city is abrupt and disorienting. In Siena we rode a long escalator into town. In Assisi we followed Rick Steves’ advice to take a really crowded bus up the hill. In Basel and Amsterdam we disembarked in gloomy rain. In each city you have to figure out your direction and walk to your lodging. My iPhone helped but not always. We seem to overshoot frequently. Each destination seemed a little grim arriving by train but by the next day, oriented and rested, you saw why you came.