Something new could be seen on the horizon. It got colder than 25°C. It started to rain. But because it was cold, the raindrops froze. They formed little crystals. Every one different from its sibbling. They covered the land in a white coat. They offered peace and tranquillity. They didn't know humans. They didn't know they were causing chaos. They did not know of an invention called: the train.
For humanity, who had never before experienced such vicious little creatures, these little snowflakes meant breakdowns. Chaos. Delays.
It could be a nice story if it was true. Oh wait! It is! At least from the train companies' point of view. They are acting like there has never ever before been winter, snow, ice and cold temperatures. Otherwise there is no rational explanation for their behaviour.
On my way to Germany I was the luckiest person in the world with catching a Eurostar in the day I had booked a ticket. The German railway service had cancelled every single train from Belgium to Germany! The Thalys was bursting. If anyone would have wanted us to buy valid tickets I guess he would have been killed so they just let it be.
Back wasn't better. My ICE broke down in Aachen. There was a rail replacement service from Aachen to Liege. But nor with coaches. With buses designed for inner city public transportation. Not designed for motorways. Which was the reason one of them (my bus of course) broke down in Liege before we reached the station. No kidding. The Belgian Rail Service let us go the last way to Brussels without charging again.
When I arrived at the Eurostar Terminal in Brussels there had already been two cancellations that day. But to be honest: I doubt it was the weather. They did not have enough passengers for one train so cancelled it, booked everybody into the next train so that it was full and blamed the weather. Luckily it was my train. So I got to London in time.
But seriously people: winter is not something unknown and scary. It comes every year. Has been for a couple of million years now. It is cold, wet and partly full of snow. That is no news.
There can be breakdowns of course. But please, please don't act as if they were the most unpredictable thing in the world. They are not.
So long, Tini
