First Class on the Deutsche Bahn

Saturday 23 to Sunday 24 March 2013

I am writing this sitting on the top bunk in the First Class sleeper compartment on the Deutsche Bahn train from Berlin to Paris.  At the moment we are stopped in Hannover shunting and adding more cars.  Unfortunately, none of the new or existing cars is a dining car, so my vision of a quality dinner on the rails to Paris was replaced by a Salami and Cheese sandwich served by a classic German Train Conductor.  Said GTC works by the motto that everything should happen in the predetermined order. So we had the predictable clash of cultures when the French passenger in the first compartment wanted his Salami and Cheese feast as soon as he had received his lesson on closing the door, but the GTC insisted on showing each compartment of passengers how to close their door before moving on to the sale of the feast.  Looking forward to breakfast, which will only be served to those passengers who push the button on the inside of the compartment to stop the wake-up alarm and then open the compartment door to indicate readiness for Früstuck.  No wonder they have had so many wars with each other over the centuries.

A View from the Top Bunk

GTC Wake up Call

Another clash of French German culture came at breakfast time when Dominique wanted breakfast sitting on the bed in the compartment.  GTC considered this inappropriate, and insisted on folding the bed up and revealing the bed for “besser sitzen” so he could serve the “erster Klasse Früstuk”. 

GTC won.