Sunday morning thoughts – October 29, 2023

Feels like we all lost a friend ...

What a morning! If this feels a bit disjointed – I wrote it in bed, on three different trains and am now sitting on a bench by the river Rhine to post it. Just FYI.

I woke up to the news that Matthew Perry had died. He died the week I posted dear friend. Of course, that had nothing to do with him – still … something I noticed. Also, he died the day I randomly started re-watching Friends on Netflix. RIP and thanks for the laughs.

I was heading to the station when I saw that my train to Basel was running late. This was not a surprise as there is major construction work going on. I had not checked for alternative connections as this was by far the fastest and most convenient way to get where I was going. Rookie mistake. Bit embarrassing really.

There’s only one connection an hour. I say “only” and immediately realize what a privilege this is. Since I was also cold (it was 5°C/41°F) and wearing the wrong shoes, I’m now back at home typing this on my bed. It’s 6.58 and I’ll have to leave again at 7.05.

I have a new plan. Take an earlier train to Basel via Olten. That way the connection in Basel is not as tight and that train from Olten to Basel has higher priority than the one from Aarau to Basel. Trains and priorities are my specialty.

My bus was on time, and I am now on the first train (Aarau to Olten). First class has tables. Great for writing. Gorgeous light outside as the sun is rising. It’s 7.27.

Priorities? you asked above. Well, here you go:

1. IC – Intercity (few stops connects big cities – big is relative here of course)

2. IR – Interregio (still connecting cities, but smaller ones and more stops than the IC)

3. RE – Regio Express (regional train that does not stop everywhere. Sort of like an express train on the Subway in New York)

4. S – S-Bahn (they call this “urban train” on the SBB App; it’s basically trains that stop (almost) everywhere. They used to be only in urban areas. Now, I can take an S-Bahn from Zurich all the way to Aarau if I have the time. Travel time is 24 minutes on the IC and 43 on the S-Bahn)

This is what it looks like in the SBB App.

The train traffic controllers are instructed to give priority accordingly. This only comes into effect when there are delays as it is built into the regular schedule anyway. Knowing all this can be helpful if there are delays and you are not sure which alternative is your best option. It’s not always the official one – trust me on that. I’ve managed to get people to Zurich airport in time for a flight that they would have missed had they gone with the official suggestion.

Have I mentioned that I know stuff about trains in Switzerland?

What else is on my mind today? Well, changing the clocks and how I don’t mind it as much in the fall but hate moving the clock forward in the spring. And why don’t we all change it at the same time? Looking at you USA and Canada. Then again not all of you change the clock. Hi to my friends in Arizona.

I’ve not really followed this properly, so feel free to fact check or comment (remember, I’m not looking anything up for my Sunday morning thoughts), but there was a decision made or is still pending in the EU that all member countries can decide for themselves if they want to keep changing the clocks. It gets a bit complicated for Switzerland if let’s say France and Germany don’t agree or if Italy doesn’t do the same as Germany. What do we do then? Who do we follow? We’re surrounded by EU countries and I don’t think they are all going to agree on this. Anyway, we’ll see.

I remember when Daylight Saving Time was introduced in Switzerland. It was in 1981. My great-grandmother (born in 1888) was all against it. She said something like “I’m not starting something new at my age – this is complete BS”. Well, she eventually did change her clock(s). She kept missing her favorite radio programs. I don’t remember her mentioning it again until she died in 1985.

I would like to go back to just having one time year-round. It messes with my brain. And my body doesn’t like it too much either. It’s not like when you’re traveling. I know a lot of people compare it to traveling to Finland (one hour ahead) or the UK (one hour behind), but it really isn’t. Your body gets used to sunrise/sunset times wherever you are. You can’t just jump an hour ahead or back. Your inner clock gets all out of whack if you do. I do understand why it was initially introduced, but I feel like now is the time to stop the madness.

Also, do you guys have those oven clocks you need a PhD for to reset? It’s a running joke around here. Luckily, in my new apartment the oven clock is really easy to set, but at my old apartment I had no chance. It was just off for half a year and that was that.

About to finally arrive at my destination. Much later than I wanted and there is now a light drizzle. I don’t mind. I’ll just have to find a dry place to publish this.

Oh, almost forgot. For those keeping track. It’s minus 7cm (almost 3 inches) around my waist/belly. That fat is now firmly – okay, not so firmly – back on my hips, thighs, and bum where it belongs. It bothers me way less there and my blood pressure is back to normal too. All good.

My train is just passing a golf course and if I had the time, I would now add a little golf course rant. Also just passed the Feldschlösschen brewery. If you like beer and have been to Switzerland, you have likely heard of it. I don’t drink beer, but I like the look of the building. It looks like a castle. Then again “Schlösschen” means small castle in German. “Schlössli” in Swiss German. Remember how you take a German word like “Schloss”, add -li and an umlaut where possible to create a Swiss German diminutive of any German noun? This is one such example. Schloss becomes Schlössli.

That’s your Swiss German lesson for the day. My bum’s getting cold sitting on this bench. See a bunch of you later, I hope. Have a lovely Sunday.

Somewhere along the River Rhine between Möhlin and Rheinfelden.