Moof!

Recreational Trainfluencer. Currently on Sabbatical. IT and Logistics are my industries. Travel and Linguistics are my hobbies. Hats are my headgear. Tea is my drink of choice. Trans rights are my rights. Based out of Barcelona, Spain.

Pronouns: he/him, él/le, il/lui, en/es
Travel plans and past travels:: https://trainlog.me/public/Moof
Real time travel log:: https://traewelling.de/@moof
Blog: https://moof.space/

Public Key

npub173f9erkxl7xr7m50w738pq36zcxxs3mek6wy0ldhupyd9vmlpzequ7ac6t

NIP-05 Address

moof_at_cupoftea.social@momostr.pink

Profile Code

nprofile1qqs0g5ju3mr0lrpld68h0gnssgapvrrggaumd8z8lkm7qjxjkdls3vsprpmhxue69uhhyetvv9ujumt0d4hhxarj9ecxjmnterv2g9

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relay.momostr.pink

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npub173f9erkxl7xr7m50w738pq36zcxxs3mek6wy0ldhupyd9vmlpzequ7ac6t

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Last Notes

2026-05-02 17:30:32 UTC

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We spent the afternoon sightseeing in Bern, said hello the bears, and decompressed in a café for a bit
We are now on another Interregio Twindexx on our way to Genève for the evening.
Switzerland is amazing.
There you are, doing your thing, and you look out the window as you exit a tunnel and there's a huge mountain there just looming over you in a difficult-to-ignore manner. A little while later, you feel the train pulling round and look out and you're jumpscared by a massive lake a couple of hundred metres downhill from where you are right now, on the sort of steep escarpment only a goat would love, and your train is inexorably just trundling along as if there were nothing weird about this, just heading to the station in the next town…. Meanwhile in the background, snow-topped alps just sit there and look majestic.
Photos don't do it justice. I haven't taken any. This is searing itself into my brain instead.
Take the train through Switzerland. You won’t regret it

2026-05-02 10:43:17 UTC

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And we change onto a SBB IC, a delightful Twindexx. I do love the interiors of these trains, for the social spaces they have in first class…
Also, this train is going through a lot of tunnels. I’m sure they are all marvels of Swiss engineering that I should probably find out all the history behind, but the notable thing is that they all have flawless 5G mobile coverage.
https://cdn.cupoftea.social/media_attachments/files/116/504/565/966/854/625/original/b71e5fc81b018607.jpeg

2026-05-02 09:39:30 UTC

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Schweiz, ich bin in dir!
La Suisse, je suis dans vous !
Svizzera, sono in te!
https://cdn.cupoftea.social/media_attachments/files/116/504/315/158/112/679/original/0a3ba7635377b127.jpeg

2026-05-02 09:11:21 UTC

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Having just enjoyed another one, I stand by m that DB’s French breakfast is still the best French breakfast on rails, and far superior to the SNCF alternative.
https://cdn.cupoftea.social/media_attachments/files/116/504/204/436/150/708/original/09cc9168629539f7.jpeg

2026-05-02 09:00:10 UTC

On the rails again… #Interrail #CrossBorderRail
Today @npub1cyz…4rhm, a friend and I are starting the long train trip back to Barcelona, via the scenic route: through Switzerland.
Today’s itinerary: https://moof.space/trip/2026-05-02
My friend doesn’t really know Switzerland very well, so we decided to take a natural break in our trip and visit Bern, which was a way for them to ensure the price of their ticket didn’t balloon too much.
We’re going to overnight in Geneva, before catching the afternoon train from Lyon to Barcelona tomorrow.
Unless, of course, the train we are currently sitting in is cancelled. DB reckons it’s running, and we are definitely driving down the tracks, but SBB’s app insists that this train is actually cancelled. Which rather surprised the Zugchef when I showed him.
https://cdn.cupoftea.social/media_attachments/files/116/504/160/449/678/366/original/fa71974edb89fa9a.jpeg

2026-05-01 08:47:54 UTC

Today, in @npub1c64…jwxh still needs to clean some data, I bring you the RE1 to Hauptbahnhof (oben).
Given it’s the RE1 from Karlsruhe Hbf to Stuttgart Hbf via at least two other Hauptbahnhofen, that’s a little cryptic when trying to find it on @npub19ak…fca7
https://cdn.cupoftea.social/media_attachments/files/116/498/449/907/232/156/original/d1cce9144a593b38.jpeg

2026-04-16 15:16:24 UTC

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That is… very SNCF. An obscure reference that nobody who works on the actual service knows…

2026-04-16 15:06:20 UTC

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Not quite sure what Träwelling, or more likely Transitous, is smoking with TER numbers in France, but I can assure you they bear no relation to the numbers everyone else is using in apps and stations…
I asked the conductors, and they have no idea what it might be, it bears no relation to any internal number they’re aware of.
Edit: we have an answer. They correspond to line numbers in a TER map that SNCF has published, but nobody knows about. See: https://zug.network/@smveerman/116415031479977900
https://cdn.cupoftea.social/media_attachments/files/116/415/003/319/246/842/original/b7272f209bc545a8.png

2026-04-16 14:29:11 UTC

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At Nancy I have a 45 minute wait til my next train. I take the opportunity to look round the local grocer, and they have “Bergamote de Nancy” flavoured sweets.
I am genuinely surprised, as I thought bergamot was an Italian crop.
They’re good though!
https://cdn.cupoftea.social/media_attachments/files/116/414/857/276/623/344/original/8f991d55b752095e.jpeg

2026-04-16 13:43:26 UTC

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And in annoying SNCF signage, I present this wonderful specimen at Metz-Ville, letting me know how to get to tracks A-7.
Given that I was on tracks 8-9 at the time, I was pretty sure it wasn’t a sign for 10-7, but it appears that A was the only lettered platform, and thus SNCF decided to do hexadecimal wrong.
I now on my next train to Nancy-Ville, which is a Z 26500-series double decker Alstom Coradia Duplex.
[Edited to add the photo of the sign]
https://cdn.cupoftea.social/media_attachments/files/116/414/839/629/778/267/original/b903f949cb1c2d68.jpeg

2026-04-16 12:47:16 UTC

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To my surprise, this TER is driving on the right hand track. The SNCF controlleur who is with me in first class on his way to work tells me that trains in Moselle and Alsace run on the right, and then it’s the left in the rest of France.
At least I’m learning something with my latest hyperfixation

2026-04-16 12:37:14 UTC

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La France: je suis dans vous!

2026-04-16 12:25:17 UTC

On the rails again… #Interrail #CrossBorderRail
Today is going to be a TER day. I am crossing into France on a cute little single-car X 73900-series diesel unit, that hops over the border to Forbach and back. I will then head off to Metz, and make my way down to Langres via Nancy and Coulmont-Chalindrey.
Today’s itinerary: https://moof.space/trip/2026-04-16
I’m not sure why it’s a diesel unit, this is an electrified line.
When I planned this trip, I thought this was the first time I had ever done this crossing, but I checked my log, and in fact my first ever crossing to Germany from France was on this line, on an ICE from Paris Est that I took as far as Mannheim.
That day’s trip: https://moof.space/trip/2024-08-10
I wasn’t as chatty about my train back then, but here is a review I made of some tea: https://cupoftea.social/@moof/112936742449351634
Anyway, time to change in Forbach!
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2026-04-01 22:44:34 UTC

SPAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAACE

2026-02-12 09:23:38 UTC

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I don’t know about you, but that blot looks a bit like a train to me…
#Rorschach
https://cdn.cupoftea.social/media_attachments/files/116/056/930/252/629/213/original/0695661405f0eb59.jpeg

2026-02-12 09:19:54 UTC

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And thanks to the wonders of the Taktfahrplan—the clock face timetable—I am able to change platform and get there just as my next Interregio train arrives, taking me to St. Gallen.
This is a double decker Stadler train, and I have first class all to myself.

2026-02-12 09:09:36 UTC

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Schweiz, ich bin in ihr!
And this really is the landscape I’m here to see…
https://cdn.cupoftea.social/media_attachments/files/116/056/875/083/683/624/original/d01abdfa34ed1d69.jpeg

2026-02-12 09:00:37 UTC

On the rails again… #Interrail #CrossBorderRail
Today I am crossing Switzerland, on an itinerary that is still in flux. I’m considering dinner in an Italian restaurant, but I’m also considering the possibility of a small trip on a rack railway, a Racklette if you will.
The itinerary for today is at: https://moof.space/trip/2026-02-12 - it’ll keep updating as I change my mind or not throughout the day.
Feel free to chime in with opinions on my proposed route over on this thread: https://cupoftea.social/@moof/116053499567479694
We start the day off with an ÖBB Cityjet-branded FLIRT doing service as the S-bahn to St. Margrethen
https://cdn.cupoftea.social/media_attachments/files/116/056/839/733/380/412/original/5f8385c6f5d18d63.jpeg

2026-02-09 21:41:35 UTC

Frankfurt(Main) implies the existence of Frankfurt(Lewd)

2026-02-09 14:18:24 UTC

On the waves again…
Today I was a bit unsure of what I would do, other than some sightseeing in Konstanz
Last night, I had worked out a route to Basel via St. Galen and Luzern, but then I checked, and Max Langenhan of Team DE had won Gold in the Men’s Luge event yesterday, and under the terms of the promotional Probe BahnCard 25 Gold, that means that I get unlimited free travel on DB long distance. And so I decided to take advantage of that, and head North instead
However, to get to a station where I can catch an ICE, I have to take about 2 hours’ worth of regionals from here, so I looked at what the most fun option to get to the ICE network would be; I came across this itinerary that takes a boat across the Bodensee to the doubly-named Friedrichshafen hafen. From there I can take an hour long regional train to Ulm, and that is where my next train will leave from. I have as yet not decided where I am going, I have several options…
Today’s itinerary (so far): https://moof.space/trip/2026-02-09
https://cdn.cupoftea.social/media_attachments/files/116/041/102/392/075/040/original/82d85f6899b50258.jpeg

2026-02-02 14:55:56 UTC

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But on to Aachen, which at one point was the effectively capital of the (Western) world, where Charlemagne settled and ran the Frankish Empire, as he was fond of the thermal waters here.
The thermal spring is still here, at Elisebrunnen, and sulfurous water still emerges at an even 53°C, which you can drink if you want to… it has a vaguely eggy taste.
These days the spring has been covered by a monumental building, which has ornamental taps that allow the spring to pour out into the drainage system, and it’s free for anyone to drink from.
Spa towns like this are all over Europe, but this is one of the best known. For centuries spa towns were places where the (mostly rich) people came to heal, as the waters were considered to have healing properties. Most of the actual healing came from being pampered and relaxing, and being fed and cleaned regularly, and the contemporary equivalent of doctors and nurses would gravitate towards these spots.
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2026-02-02 14:35:15 UTC

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As often as I travel with @npub1ljp…g7w2, I don’t always get to do much in the way of sightseeing. It’s a running joke with us that, for example, we’ve been to Würzburg twice but not seen beyond the station and the hotel alongside it.
This trip I’m making a point of rectifying this issue. I am have picked a couple of locations we’ve been to already and I’m sightseeing in them. Today is Aachen, and later this week, I will get some time in Würzburg. I have also picked a town that will be a first time visit, which I’ll be sightseeing at between the two.

2026-02-02 13:32:37 UTC

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We arrive in Aix-La-Chapelle Gare Centrale
Germany, I'm in it!

2026-02-02 12:57:50 UTC

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We had a spontaneous and serendipitous random meet with @npub1hgh…el8y, @npub1udz…hmuh, and a couple of adorable Rosahajar on the Brussels-Welkenraedt train. We had a nice post-FOSDEM catchup.

2026-02-02 11:18:16 UTC

On the rails again… #CrossBorderRail
Today I am joined by @npub1ljp…g7w2, who will be accompanying me for the rest of the week.
After a somewhat hectic #FOSDEM we are having a more relaxed day, with a short hop over the border to Aachen.
Today’s Itinerary: https://s.moof.space/trip20260202
We’re doing this on a Ticket+ discounted first class ticket, because that is way under my #Interrail threshold.
https://cdn.cupoftea.social/media_attachments/files/116/000/757/920/318/559/original/6759ecf5bcbfbdfd.jpeg

2025-12-30 09:51:29 UTC

I’ve just gotten culture shock.
Those of you keeping track will know that I did a Christmas market tour early December last year. I ended up downloading the Karlsruhe transit authority’s (KVV) app and buying a day ticket or two off them.
These days I’m more familiar with German transit ticketing, so I haven’t used the KVV app since then.
And today I have received this SMS, telling me they’re going to delete my account soon.
…
⁃ A company that is systematically deleting accounts after a year?
⁃ That takes their data protection responsibilities seriously?
⁃ That proactively informs their data subjects with plenty of time to cope?
⁃ That doesn’t do so using dark marketing patterns that try to guilt me into staying?
⁃ Or upsell me?
⁃ Or trick me into clicking somewhere as the only way to exercise my rights?
I am agog. My flabber is truly ghasted.
Genuinely, this sort of attitude needs to be praised. It’s been 10 years since GDPR, and this sort of thing is still that rare.
https://cdn.cupoftea.social/media_attachments/files/115/807/898/135/314/434/original/7879fd6872f1a5f5.jpeg

2025-12-10 13:11:19 UTC

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On the 29th of May 1991 the ICE was officially launched in a press event. Trains started in Bonn, Hamburg, Stuttgart, München and Mainz and converged on the newly-built Kassel-Wilhelmhöhe station, the centre of the new Hannover-Würzburg High Speed Line. There were politicians and celebrities aboard the trains, as well as the press. More were at the station, alongside many eager train fans.
Aboard the train from Bonn was Federal President Richard von Weizsäcker, who was there to inaugurate the service, which happened on the stroke of midday, in the hopes that punctuality would be one of the hallmarks of the new service.
Story on the Hesse history site: https://lagis.hessen.de/de/quellen-und-materialien/hessen-im-19-und-20-jahrhundert/alle-eintraege/1604?zeiger=1
https://cdn.cupoftea.social/media_attachments/files/115/695/437/656/330/273/original/f8f85e1887924a1a.png

2025-12-10 12:41:18 UTC

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Another reason to pick Koblenz is that this route has the added advantage of going through Bonn Station.
Bonn was the capital of Germany at the time the first ICEs went into service. In fact, the Hauptstadtbeschluss, the Decision on the Capital was voted on 20th July 1991, 18 days after the first commercial ICE service, although it took a further 8 years before the change became fully effective. In 2006, the German constitution was changed to explicitly state that Berlin the capital of the German Republic.
Given that this trip is a voyage through time, and will be ending in Berlin, it seemed appropriate to either start from or go through Bonn early on

2025-12-10 12:40:48 UTC

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So, why Koblenz as a starting point?
Mostly, because the Rhine Valley Railway is the most beautiful railway in Germany, and I felt that it would be nice for any trip of this magnitude to go past this stunning scenery.
We tried to fit it in several different ways. There aren't that many ICE trains that go through Koblenz, all either :ice_1: ICE 1s or :ice_t: ICE Ts and we wanted to do it in the daytime to have a chance of seeing the river.

2025-12-10 12:01:25 UTC

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On the rails again… #ICEAgeChallenge #Interrail
Today we start off on a thoroughly delayed and half-cancelled :ice_1: ICE 1.
I am ably joined by @npub1ljp…g7w2 and Wendy the DBJUNGLESKOG, and we are busy enjoying the first class cabin of this refurbished :ice_1: ICE 1.
You can follow our progress on the #ICEAgeChallenge map that is available here: https://trainlog.me/public/tag/e94de609-9108-49cd-9c3c-5421472de1ae
I will be updating that map with the real trains I take as and when plans change.
For added meh, the bordbistro is running on minimum rations today. I managed to blag a cup of tea and a croissant off them, but it’s a far cry from the full French Breakfast that is now the tradition when we take the Rhine Valley line in the morning.
CW: eye contact
https://cdn.cupoftea.social/media_attachments/files/115/695/157/151/098/290/original/d68cc6f78af16372.jpeg

2025-12-10 10:06:31 UTC

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Currently, our plan is to get on the original :ice_1: ICE 1 train as far as Köln, and then change onto another :ice_1: ICE 1 as far as Hannover Hbf, where we can hopefully catch the same :ice_2: ICE 2 we intended to catch as far as Würzburg Hbf, arriving at 20:28 (DB Standard Time). Should we need more buffer, there is a later :ice_2: ICE 2 two hours later.
We are taking advantage here of one of the rules we set: We have to take the types of train in order, but we can take several of the same type, one after the other, as long as we don't break the sequence. Once we've taken an :ice_2: ICE 2, we can't go back down to an :ice_1: ICE 1, but we can take several :ice_1: ICE 1s in a row.
In case it becomes useful later, we can also use Non-ICE trains to get us between stations, e.g. Regios, S-Bahns, or even ICs, as they don't count towards the sequence.
Our original, planned route is available here: https://trainlog.me/public/tag/ac3a00b0-1f79-4707-8d8b-5456a0932130
I'll be updating the actual route on another map a little later

2025-12-10 09:51:38 UTC

Good Morning! Today is Day 1 of the #ICEAgeChallenge and boy is it starting off with a Bahng!
In case you’re not up to speed, the #ICEAgeChallenge was set to me by @npub1ege…vd5r a month or so ago. @npub1ljp…g7w2 decided to join in, as the challenge progressed, and has been a great help in setting the route.
The aim of the challenge is to ride all the 7 active types of ICE train in order of entry into service - :ice_1: ICE 1, :ice_2: ICE 2, :ice_t: ICE T, :ice_3: ICE 3 (403), :ice_3: ICE 3 (407), :ice_4: ICE 4, :ice_3: ICE 3neo) as a run-up to going on the first ICE L that is leaving Köln to Berlin this Sunday.
We are starting at Koblenz Hbf, and our original aim was to get to Würzburg Hbf tonight, changing at Hamburg-Altona. But Deutsche Bahn has other ideas, and has decided to cancel the Köln-Hamburg portion of our train. Even if the replacement service were to be an :ice_1: ICE 1, we wouldn't make any of our buffer options. I'll let @npub1ljp…g7w2 talk a little bit more about that.

2025-12-05 11:10:19 UTC

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One of the absolute pleasures of travelling by train on this route is being able to do the section between Perpignan and Narbonne, especially on a Duplex train.
On this section, you have a whole load of marshes and salt flats as well as a couple of larger lakes that create some delightful scenery, and the train line goes right through the middle of some of these marshes. The main road is a little further to the east, and much further away from the edge of these lakes, so you get a unique view from the train.
If you catch the right time of year you will see hundreds, if not thousands, of flamingos on the lakes. This time there were only a few dozen.
Sadly, we must give up some of the nicer things in life in the name of progress, and the Ligne Nouvelle Montpellier-Perpignan is due to replace this as the main access to Spain from France, but not til the 2040s
Definitely worth going past during the daytime, or if you can swing it, during a sunset.
https://cdn.cupoftea.social/media_attachments/files/115/666/649/488/250/621/original/6131e0b109134f0f.jpeg
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2025-12-05 10:01:23 UTC

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La France… Je suis à vous!
I obviously decided to celebrate it with some slightly battered artisanal croissants… that I picked up in Spain, because I know full well how terrible the SNCF ones are. The somewhat now expected police doing the annoyingly regular and thus likely illegal border check did not object to them, so that’s something.
My train tracker over at https://viaduct.world informs me that I have now crossed the Tunel de Perthús - the main high speed link between France and Catalunya - 22 times, with a 23rd happening before the end of the year.
As such, I know that this now becomes the start of when we have decent cellular coverage, at least until the start of the high speed section at Nîmes.
(CW: some battered but delicious croissants)
https://cdn.cupoftea.social/media_attachments/files/115/666/367/694/029/909/original/5c36ed65e54568c5.jpeg

2025-12-05 09:45:28 UTC

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Today’s trip is the first leg of what is planned to be over 9000km worth of trip to round off the year. It’s also likely to be the last trip of this sabbatical, so I’m trying to make it count.
This trip is going to have: Marchés de Noël, a Hot Tub Party, a ride on the last remaining Danglebahn to complete the set, Weinachtsmarkts, the #ICEAgeChallenge, a dangleway over the Rhine, Kriskindlmarkts, a new country - Sweden, a little mermaid, Junlemarkeder, Hotels that are “unfeasably close to the station”, a pod cabin on a Ferry, Julmarknader, two new Talgo 230 trains, and Saunas.
Oh, and did I mention Christmas Markets?
The full itinerary can be previewed here: https://trainlog.me/public/tag/54910132-504c-4304-a169-ef122810cf8c
Stay tuned in to see what I get up to this next couple of weeks…

2025-12-05 08:52:57 UTC

On the rails again… #Interrail #CrossBorderRail
Today, Wendy the DBJUNGLESKOG and I are heading off on an 11-hour 1,600km slog through France on a couple of TGV Duplexes, going, via Paris Gare de Lyon and Paris Gare de l’Est, to Karlsruhe Hbf.
Today’s Itinerary: https://trainlog.me/public/trip/557680,557681
On the way out towards Girona we pass through the new platforms at the as-yet-unopened Barcelona La Sagrera station. And there we saw some Renfe Series 103 trains parked up, as the station is currently being used as a depot for High-Speed trains. These 103s will become relevant next Thursday and Friday during the second and third day of the #ICEAgeChallenge…
https://cdn.cupoftea.social/media_attachments/files/115/666/110/149/142/392/original/2ded9aadf98713d8.jpeg

2025-11-25 20:20:14 UTC

OH: Someone should make a vegan protein alternative marketed at frat boys called “Brotein”

2025-11-09 18:50:34 UTC

“I dare you to find a town in England without a Wetherspoons”
“You should talk to @npub1eph…njfy”

2025-11-06 13:46:02 UTC

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A reminder to people who don’t travel in France regularly: Labelling your luggage is a legal requirement! The fines for not labelling your luggage are hundreds of euros, depending on the situation, and can be as steep as 1,500€!
This includes anything in luggage lockers and other baggage in a station, and also any public transport around France - not just trains!
(That being said, I’ve never had mine checked, and I have forgotten to label them on occasion)
Fortunately all train staff on French trains carry some nifty little disposable tags that have space for a name, surname and telephone number, and the first two are the minimum requirements. So if you forget your tags, you can just ask for them (avez-vous des étiquettes ?), fill them out, and nothing worrying will happen.
The designs and colours vary, but this time they have a nifty grey one that matches my backpack quite nicely.
#Interrail
(Edit: incorrectly mentioned that the telephone number is a requirement, but it isn’t)
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2025-11-06 13:27:27 UTC

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And I made it on time. I would have just about made the original 14:04, but I would have had to walk through most of the train in order to get to my carriage.
As it is, I am going to make it to Gare de Lyon around the same time as I was timetabled to with my original direct TGV, which is apparently also arriving on time.
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2025-11-06 12:49:20 UTC

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…this is what I mean… why does DB know about this train that is leaving Lyon late, but not about the train I’m currently on arriving late?
(That gives me a little more time for the change, though)
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2025-11-06 12:43:54 UTC

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Such a difference in weather compared to this morning… honestly, the fact that we have machines capable of outrunning weather fronts and this is a relatively normal thing to do these days is still something that amazes me.
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2025-11-06 12:32:41 UTC

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*looks out the window* but it says “Valence TGV” on that sign!
One of the problems that was talked about at #OpenTransport2025 was quality and availability of data, especially with regards to #CrossBorderRail.
DB Navigator does have some real time data for French trains, but this Spanish train has no live data that DB can access, whether from Renfe or the various SNCF subsidiaries, despite the fact that 80% of this train’s run is in France.
As such, it doesn’t know I’m late and is running per the published timetable.
SNCF Gares et Connexions is showing us as running +30 mins late.
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2025-11-06 11:59:03 UTC

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And... Oh wow, the speed increase now we've hit the LGV is noticeable. It seems whatever was ailing the train has been fixed enough that we're going at 300kph the way the engineers intended.
#ny000m!

2025-11-06 11:28:09 UTC

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Today in #Interrail firsts for me (yes, it seems it's still possible!), the train staff have come and chucked some ten or so people out of this coach because they are travelling without a ticket. They got on at the last station (Montpellier) and will be booted out of the train at Nîmes.
There's a member of SNCF staff randomly on board as a passenger who is lending a hand by calling forward to the security staff at Nîmes, and has asked them to contact the police.

2025-11-06 11:10:09 UTC

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That being said, another issue to keep in mind is booking fees. Getting reservations is a bit of an art, as not every ticket seller sells reservations for every country, and some will add a "booking fee" on top of the reservation, which is usually non-refundable. This is the case of the #Interrail Reservation shop, which is the default option presented to you when using the Rail Planner app.
A good option to check is @npub1g74…ka2t's excellent site, that will tell you which of the various websites sell which reservations, and whether you can pick them from a seat map or not. In the case of SNCF trains, https://RailEurope.com/ are who I use. There's no seat map, but also no reservation fee, so I will receive a full refund on whichever reservations I cancel today.

2025-11-06 11:00:02 UTC

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These reservation fees are not necessarily that good elsewhere. Eurostar's terms mean that if I need to modify or cancel's today's Paris-Amsterdam train, I am only able to exchange it for a different reservation, and that will incur a £10/15€ fee, and I cannot cancel it, as it's less than 7 days before the train leaves. This is why I'm still trying to make that 6pm train in Paris.
Also, Eurostar seriously limits the number of #Interrail reservations on their trains, and it's notoriously difficult to get a reservation on them without a lot of advance. It's likely that there are none left for any trains today, and haven't been for weeks.
Both Renfe and DB don't allow you to cancel. So picking this Renfe train was a financial risk to the tune of 15€, and I have in the past lost many DB reservations, which are around 5-7€.
ÖBB seems to allow cancellation of their 3€ and 15€ reservations with a 1.5€ fee, but not on the day of travel. I've been stung by this before.

2025-11-06 10:51:07 UTC

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For those of you wondering, given I've been doing many off-the-cuff reservations today, the story is two-fold:
Reservations are mandatory on TGV services in France. This supposedly allows them to ensure everyone has a seat. When you buy a ticket, it comes with a reservation.
However, for #Interrail, there is no separate ticket, and so you can instead purchase a reservation for a train for a reservation fee. This can vary depending on the route, the class, and the distance on the train, and can be between 10 and 40€ per train. It's a bone of contention with Interrailers, as it adds a significant cost to travel, sometimes as much as the actual ticket itself.
On the upside, standard SNCF terms for reservations are flexible: they are fully exchangeable and refundable up to 30 minutes after the train has left. Which means that as long as I stay on top of it, I can cancel them with no financial penalty. So whilst I have put more cashflow into the problem, I'm not going to lose any money.

2025-11-06 10:07:40 UTC

We have been told the train is running at a reduced speed as a result of the rain. However, I also think it may be due to an issue from the Pantograph, as we've audibly switched pantograph a couple of times on this trip, and you can definitely hear it dragging. Let's see what happens and whether I make my next train. I have a 44 minute transfer window at Lyon, and a 2 hour window in Paris, with a change from Gare de Lyon to Gare du Nord. I'm currently around +40, but my train isn't even showing on the arrivals board at Lyon in the Ma Gare SNCF app...
As it is, I'm booking a seat on a later train, to Paris, just in case.

2025-10-14 09:41:03 UTC

On the rails again… #Interrail
Today featuring @npub1ljp…g7w2 and Wendy the DJUNGELSKOG who are accompanying me to Munich on the first leg of a trip to Vienna for #OpenTransportCommunityConference
Today’s 6 hour 20 min journey map: https://trainlog.me/public/trip/502594
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2025-09-27 07:48:22 UTC

200 years ago today, at roughly 9am, between 450 and 600 people boarded 21 waggons with seats on them at Brusselton, County Durham, England. There were also 8 coal and one flour Waggon attached to the train, and Experiment, a closed carriage.
This train was hauled by a steam engine built by Timothy Hackworth and James Kennedy, engineers at the Robert Stephenson and Co. factory in Newcastle-upon-Tyne. At the time, it had no designation, but it was given number 1 by 1827, and was named “Locomotion” sometime around 1833.
This engine proceeded to haul the train to Darlington over the next two hours, with two stops, one due to a broken waggon, and the other for some minor repairs to the engine. It reached a peak speed of 15mph, and averaged 8mph on that trip if you discount the time needed for repairs.
This is widely considered to be a turning point for the railways, as the first steam-hauled passenger train in England, and is being celebrated for that today. #SDR200 #Rail200
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2025-09-13 13:12:24 UTC

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That being said, the actual #TramWM venue is very full of people, venue layout doesn’t really allow for a good view of the proceedings (except for the area with the Trans Lesbian Catgirls in it). So we were following it on a delayed view on the screens.
And the technical setup for the spectators was… far from ideal. The German speakers around me were struggling to make out the words, and the whistle test was…strident in the extreme.
All told, it was triggering various things the neurodivergencies in my group of people, and stressing us out in all the wrong ways. We headed somewhere quiet for lunch, and have decided not to go back this afternoon.
…it’ll be better watched online, tbh.
It was a worthwhile visit, we don’t regret it, but that was enough.
Good luck this afternoon to the participants.

2025-09-13 11:27:17 UTC

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Happy to report that the lesbian trans catgirls have the best viewpoint in the square. #TramWM

2025-09-13 09:06:16 UTC

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Of course, we have ample representation at #TramWM :QueerCat_Lesbian: :QueerCat_Trans:
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2025-09-13 09:00:04 UTC

Servus and welcome to #TramWM in Vienna, an event described by an American friend of mine as “The most European thing I’ve ever seen. Period. And that includes Eurovision”
You can watch it at home on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/live/smp0voLUgk8

2025-09-11 09:04:58 UTC

Yesterday, there were riots in France, as a result of a General Strike protesting an austerity plan by a government that has lost a confidence vote.
There was also a State of the Union speech, which included important announcements about, amongst other things, a new framework on safeguards for steel.
And yet my news and social media feeds are basically full of one subject: the shooting of a man I never cared to know about. In excrutiating detail.
The rest of the world matters, people.

2025-08-09 11:20:00 UTC

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oh! I hope it goes well and you have a swift recovery… *hug*

2025-07-14 11:46:57 UTC

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Seriously, Trenitalia? On today of all days?
#InternationalNonBinaryPeoplesDay
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2025-07-14 09:10:55 UTC

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That being said, topical both to #InternationalNonBinaryPeoplesDay and to my own current railway journey: how do Italian Non-Binary folk get into trains, given their general aversion to platforms?
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2025-07-14 09:07:11 UTC

Today is #InternationalNonBinaryPeoplesDay, and having many non binary people in my life, I stand in support of them, their rights, which are human rights that affect all of us, and their desire to be accepted.
Being trans is choosing to live against social conditioning, and expressing yourself for who you are. But being openly non-binary is especially challenging, as not only are you constantly having to justify your existence, you also have to constantly break people out of their binary mental moulds, as Western society still has trouble accepting that gender is a spectrum.
I admire the persistence and perseverance my non-binary friends have.

2025-06-11 08:17:00 UTC

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why not?

2025-05-28 11:31:05 UTC

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Looking across at @npub1ljp…g7w2 from the comfort of first class as they languish in the obviously inferior depths of the second class section of this single-carriage train.
We’ve got headrests and red seats over here in first, don’t you know!
#ClassWar
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2025-05-28 11:22:55 UTC

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When @npub1ljp…g7w2 pitched this idea to me as an unforgettable experience that I would have never done before or without assistance, I was not expecting to get Negged.
#CrossBorderRail #Interrail
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2025-05-28 10:14:13 UTC

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So @npub1ljp…g7w2 wanted to take the opportunity while we were stop at Heide (Holstein) to show me the battery-powered single-carriage train that goes onto the Büsum branch line, but the sprightly little FLIRT pulled out before us and denied us more than a very brief view of the back of it.

2025-05-28 10:10:39 UTC

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We’ve just gone over the Hochbrücke Hochdonn, Germany’s fourth-largest bridge, which runs over the Kiel Canal.
The bridge itself is a marvel of engineering, being built in the 1910s, already in a double track configuration and only needing reinforcing in the mid-2000s. As part of those works they replaced the 143.1m central span in an operation that lasted only 12 hours, as that was how long they could close the canal.
This bridge was embroiled in a legal battle in the 90a, as residents under the bridge were literally being shat upon by the people on the trains above, as DB still operated toilets that dumped onto the tracks. DB thankfully lost and were forced to replace the trains going on that bridge.
I also note that in 1978, the bridge was damaged when a GDR heavy-lift vessel called Karl Marx collided with it.
I am amazed that we are capable of building canals that can take modern deep sea ships, like the one this bridge crosses.
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2025-05-28 09:15:57 UTC

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OH: “we are in fact being locomotive-bonked at the moment”
Yes, we’re still at Itzehoe.

2025-05-28 09:14:17 UTC

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Yesterday it was Bad Bentheim. Today’s dubiously named station you can all make your own jokes about: Itzehoe.
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2025-05-28 09:03:06 UTC

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Rate our work setups, featuring an industrious @npub1ljp…g7w2 . This table is more cramped than yesterday’s, but we can still do our thing.
Observe how my phone charging situation is superior to theirs.
This is a Dell train for Srs Bsns. None of this modern MacBook liberal nonsense 😉
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2025-05-28 08:35:36 UTC

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has programmed today’s trip. They’ve sat us on a vintage IC up to Niebüll. The interior has been refurbished, but it definitely gives the worn 90s moquette feel, and the impression that at some point there were smoking cars on this train.
On the upside, it has tables, and massive windows, and given that the views are the point of today’s trip, that’s a plus…

2025-05-28 07:59:59 UTC

Today’s rail adventure includes a visit to a new country for me, and what @npub1ljp…g7w2 assures me is one of the prettiest train lines in all of Germany. Except possibly the one on Saturday. We start the day off on an S-Bahn, heading towards Dammtor. Follow for more #Interrail fun

2025-05-18 09:48:37 UTC

On this day 35 years ago, TGV unit 325 set the land speed record at 515.3 km/h on the LGV Atlantique.
This beat the previous record set by the same train on the 5th December 1989 of 482 km/h on the Hannover-Würzburg line
Both these records managed to surpass the record set by an experimental ICE prototype in West Germany in 1988, thus establishing French engineering as superior to the German, at least on speed.
This record stayed current until 2007, when SNCF topped this with a TGV POS setting the new record at 568 and then 574,8 km/h.
TGV 325 is now decommissioned, and is kept at the Cité du Train in Mulhouse.
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2025-05-16 07:18:41 UTC

Can we all just collectively agree to go and make an #EspressoMacchiato after the third song in Saturday’s #Eurovision grand final? It should be a good way to fill 3-4 minutes… #ESC

2025-05-03 16:10:46 UTC

Currently at the Sant Joan lookout point at 950m above sea level looking at the mountains of Montserrat and the Monastery
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2025-04-27 08:47:23 UTC

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what apps are you using these days that allow for /me?

2025-04-14 00:22:19 UTC

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the sea is a fluid though…

2025-04-13 08:22:26 UTC

- In #Spanish, the sea can be both “el mar” and “la mar”
- So what you’re saying is that the sea is a gender fluid?

2025-02-20 07:22:59 UTC

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where can we find this archive online?

2025-02-14 09:39:51 UTC

(For those of you wondering why your feed is flooded with Spanish-language memes that involve Sam and Frodo: there’s been a long-standing meme where Sam says “wait for me, Mr. Frodo” and subtitled “Sam va lentín” which means “Sam goes a bit slowly”, but is similar-sounding to “San Valentín”, the Spanish for Saint Valentine. Shitposts and memes have evolved since then)
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2024-12-18 13:56:52 UTC

Staying in a hotel in Karlsruhe, we got a free upgrade, to a canopied bed, and a built-in media center, circa 1980. The radio works, too, and has a speaker in the bathroom….
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2024-12-14 15:16:16 UTC

Apparently @npub1tud…8du9 is a thing

2024-10-04 08:59:03 UTC

Happy 20,000th day since the #epoch!
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2024-08-06 07:41:49 UTC

I’m looking at doing some impulsive last minute #Interrail travel. Current plan is mainly centered around Germany and Switzerland, though I will have to go through France to get there from Spain.
Other than the various railway apps, and the Interrail app, are there any other travel-related apps for iOS or websites that I should be aware of or that will make things nicer for me? #askfedi #CrossBorderRail