Whenever I mentioned to my German colleagues my intention to take the train from Bayreuth back to Basel, their reactions varied only in their severity. They were similar in that none of them were encouraging – ranging from the rather blatant “das würd’ ich nie machen”, to the more subtle but equally alarming “Na dann viel Glück…”. By the time I’m ready to head home, I’m seriously starting to feel like Jonathan Harker in Bram Stoker’s Dracula, who has old ladies crossing themselves and offering him their talisman to ward off evil when he innocently tells them he is planning to meet the evil count on the Borgo pass in Transylvania.

First leg: Regional Express from Bayreuth to Nürnberg

In case you’re wondering what on earth I’m doing in Bayreuth, the answer is very simply that I’m here for one night of the Sommerfestspiele to see Wagner’s Der Fliegende Holländer. Wagner’s a pretty big deal here in Bayreuth. This is where he spent the last years of his life, after he had others fund and build both a theatre and a beautiful villa for him.

I’m staying at the Ibis Styles, which is just two minutes away from the railway station and about ten minutes on foot to the theatre.

Bayreuth is so far in the boonies that they haven’t even bothered to electrify the line. My first leg is by diesel powered regional train.

There is a very small First Class cabin at the end of each train composition. It is made up of 16 seats, eight on either side of the aisle, in a 2 + 2 configuration.

The journey to Nürnberg takes us through some lovely green landscapes. Germany just has so much more open space than Switzerland. The journey takes us one hour. We reach Nürnberg on time.

Transfer in Nürnberg

The unexpectedly punctual arrival of our train gives me twenty minutes to make my connection and enough time to head into the station building to grab a few sandwiches from one of the bakeries.

Perhaps once they’re done with Munich Hauptbahnhof, they may want to start a new renovation project in Nürnberg…

Second leg: Nürnberg to Karlsruhe by InterCity

I just knew it, my colleagues were right all along and I should have listened to them. And I’m never going to get home at this rate. My train from Karlsruhe is running full seven minutes late!

The intercity service is operated by a rather funky looking twin deck composition.

There is only one First Class car on the whole train, which has five cars in total. In the First Class car there is a small galley, selling a small selection of hot and cold drinks and snacks. The seating is very spacious in a 1 + 2 configuration.

There is a foldable table and a power socket for European standard plugs. There is also good wifi available on the train. My seat still shows the traces of its last occupant, who, I’m guessing, had to leave in a hurry.

The journey from Nürnberg to Karlsruhe is supposed to take three hours. So I decide to get myself some sustenance from the galley. I have a small sandwich with Gouda, a filter coffee and a tea – which costs EUR12.

By the time we reach Karlsruhe, we’re only running three minutes late, having made up four minutes on the way.

Transfer in Karlsruhe

In Karlsruhe I have twelve minutes to make my connection. There’s been a schedule change, and the train is running two minutes late. This train originates in Hamburg and is already pretty full when it pulls into the station.

Third leg: Karlsruhe to Basel SBB by ICE

The journey from Karlsruhe to Basel is one hour and 47 minutes. At the last stop before the boarder, which is Freiburg, the police board the train to check for any unsavoury looking characters. But they ignore me and just walk by. Just before Basel the crew pass through the cabin offering small biscuits.

Eventually, we arrive in Basel at 16h54, with a delay of seven minutes, which is decidedly unimpressive. After all the horror stories I heard, I was expecting the worst. But a delay of seven minutes over a journey time of just over six hours is really hardly worth mentioning. Perhaps I was just lucky.