30.3.2009 by Traveler.

After arriving safely in Aschaffenburg we were picked up by our good friend Motte and transported to our lodgings (the flat on the first floor in the same house Motte and Olaf live in). Then, another friend came round and the four of us went shopping for con-supplies.
No, not the usual crisps, chocolate andfizzy drinks, we were going for actual food because we were going to run th kitchen (well, I only helped prepare the food but did not actually take shifts in the kitchen, open from 10:00 to 01:00, afterwards).

And the preparation of the food once again bore witness to the superiority of the Steampunk lifestyle:

The onions were rather on the powerful side and cutting them was literally painful, sooooo…

I just whipped out my goggles, pulled them over my eyes and got the job done in no time! The Chilli Con Carne was ready in time to feed the first wave of hungry roleplayers!

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30.3.2009 by Traveler.

Yes! What a great way to spend a weekend! We had so much fun, but I am getting ahead of myslef, let me start this tale of RPG Weirdness with the really weird travel exsperience which brought us to Aschaffenburg.

The Strange Universe within the First Class ICE Coach

For this occasion we had purchased first class train tickets for the ICE (Inter City Express, Germany’s fastest and most unreliable train) and we where in for a ride.

The conductors of the Bahn have a well earned reputation for being rude, arrogant, bossy and generally unhelpful and intend to making your trip using the German railway system as unpleasant as possible. NOT when you are travelling first class with the ICE. First of all, the conductor who checked our tickets was so polite, said “Guten Morgen” to us personally and not to the coach in general, said “Thank you” when I handed him our online-ticket and wished us a nice and save trip when he left.

Next: A lady came and offered us complimentary newspapers (high end, like Süddeutsche Zeitung and Frankfurter Allgemeine). After that, another lady came round and offered to get us something from the Board-Bistro, so we need not get up.
The same lady came back a few times during the trip and offered complimentary chocolate.

The biggest thing however:
When we got off in Aschaffenburg, the conductor actually offered to give my wife a hand. My wife uses a crutch to help her walk and usually the staff on board the trains does not give a thing about disabled passengers.

So we see: Travel first class with the Bahn, you will get fist class treatment, otherwise, you will be treated like a dish cloth.
Side note: I just saw on the news that The Bahn’s CEO, Mr. Mehdorn, after all the blunders he made and trouble he caused, has finally offerd to resign. However, he did not announce his resignation, he offered it and he sees no personal fault at all. Quite an arrogant and self-righteous piece of work.

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