#Europazentrum

[greenbagjosh]

Saturday 4 July 1998 - the S-Bahn ring train and one week from the Love Parade in Berlin

Saturday 4th July 1998

Hi everyone Hope you had a happy 4th of July.  Even if I am overseas on the 4th of July, I try to make the day meaningful.  Summer 1998 was no exception, nor was Summer 1997 when I visited Zurich and Milan that weekend.  The morning of 4th July 1998 was on Saturday, so I had to do some grocery shopping.  I also bought some music CDs at the Media Markt near the V-Markt in the EuroIndustriepark, to listen to.  Here is what I bought.

"Metamorphosis" from Culture Beat "Flowers" from Ace of Base Single "Bailando" from Loona (Bailando, bailando amigos adios, adios, el silencio loco)

Why did I not buy "Bleibt alles anderes" from Herbert Grönemeyer "13" from Die Ärzte (with "Männer sind Schweine") "Read my sign" from Bell Book & Candle (with "Rescue Me", the official video has surreal efffects)   I am not sure, but in the last few months I did buy "Bleibt alles anderes"

There was still time to buy other music as the month progressed.  After I brought the groceries and music CDs home, it was time to head to München Hbf, for a special train.  The fare was 4.50 D-Mark  My usual month pass would not be valid, so I would have to buy a ticket from the conductors.  This included a day pass on the train and a free sandwich on a pretzel bun and 12 ounce / 330 mL can of soft drink.

Why was the train ride special?  It was not a regularly scheduled route.  It was organized by people who I think were lobbyists for an S-Bahn ring around Munich, instead of a monorail.  The train was built of four second class compartment cars @6 people per compartment and one single-aisle seating car, and driven by a DB-218 diesel locomotive.  The route was clockwise and started out of München Hbf, went as far north as Moosach, then went through the EuroIndustriepark without stopping, turned south at Johanneskirchen, stopping for a few minutes at Ostbahnhof, before continuing on to Moosach.  The lobbyists gave an objective speech over the loudspeaker *auf Deutsch* on the existing infrastructure, and why they would lobby for an S-Bahn ring.  I must have stayed on the train for two more rotations to Ostbahnhof, I think a further hour and a half.  The turnout on the train was quite good.  I made it back to Hauptbahnhof to see what I could do to get a seat on the Sommer-Spezial IC train from Berlin Zoo to München Hbf via Leipzig and Nürnberg.

This one is quite difficult to explain, given its complexities, so please bear with me.  As for arranging a train ride from Munich to Berlin on the Sommer-Spezial ticket, there are certain different connections between cities.  The connections have a very limited amount of eligible seating per train.  For example, there is one compartment of six (For 8th August I will let you know how someone managed to squeeze in seven in a compartment!) for each of second and first classes.  You had to ride the entire distance from the first city to the second without changing trains, otherwise the ticket would be no good.  In 1998, the InterCityExpress trains were excluded, so Intercity and Eurocity were the most premium class available.  Some city pairs did not even have EC or IC but InterRegio which is a bit downmarket.  For example I think Frankfurt am Main to Dresden Hbf was one of the participating InterRegio train routes.  Sommer Spezial fares for adults was 69 D-Mark for second class, and 89 D-Mark for first class.  For Munich in 1998, the Sommer Spezial cities were Berlin, Vienna and Zurich.  All worked out very well, as I had planned to visit anyway, and buying a Sommer Spezial ticket, would save in total 5 days on the rail pass.  Three between Munich and Zürich, one between Munich and Vienna, and one between Berlin and Munich.  I would still need to use the rail pass for Friday 10 July, take the "Justus Freiherr von Liebig" ICE replacement for the previous "Wilhelm Conrad Röntgen" which was badly damaged on 3rd June 1998 in Eschede, and make a change to an InterCity train in Fulda Hbf to Berlin Zoologischer Garten.  Anyway that was the complexity of the Sommer Spezial ticket.  Did I mention, that although most cities in Germany have a two-day pass offer for those travelling over 200 km by train, that Berlin does not?  I will tell more about that next week.

To follow up, what became of that train and the objectives thereof?  Currently there is a second S-Bahn tunnel being built, just north of the original S-Bahn tunnel through Hauptbahnhof, Marienplatz, Isartor and Ostbahnhof, not exactly a ring as the one I rode on.  Also Unterföhring on the S-8 line was put underground, same as Ismaning that was already underground.   Next adventure is Berlin and a visit to Slubice through Frankfurt an der Oder.  Hope you had a safe holiday, and please take care of the fur babies against the fireworks.

Do widzenia, i trzymaj sie! (przepraszam, nie mówie po polsku bardzo dobrze)

[amaktor]

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Kulturalnie po kulturach #2

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[joylessfear]

LOL MAGIC LIGHTNING!!!

[amaktor]

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