Morning Rush

Trainloads of commuters flood the platforms at Frankfurt Central Station as rush hour slowly starts to abate.

This is probably my first train photo since forever, or so it feels. There was a preparatory meeting of a number of scientists for an assessment by the DFG (German Research Foundation) towards the end of this month, with Frankfurt having been selected as a location, as some of the cooperation partners are in far flung corners of Germany. Naturally, taking the train was the obvious choice, as my university pays for such trips, while going by car and hoping to get some money back would be a bit more complicated. But for this particular route, a car just can't beat the ICE train, which runs on a dedicated high speed line allowing for 300kph (190mph). A trip from Cologne to Frankfurt takes a mere hour, from city center to city center, with a trip by car easily taking more than twice as long. Just the thought of driving into Cologne or Frankfurt gives me goosebumps...