Weds 25 June
Schynige Platte train again, plan for BBQ at the top. Armed only with matches, old Guardian pages, 2 bits of kindling, and 2 vegan burgers. And unfailing optimism.
There’s an unscheduled pause half way up and the conductor gets off to have an exchange of words with the train descending past us.
These wooden trains contrast with the airport-chic of the new Eiger Express / JB ….and it’s rather more attractive. And the staff working on them genuinely seem happy and cheerful, chatting to each other whenever the trains pass .
We did a nice walk afterwards but you must be heartily sick of seeing Alpine peak pictorials by now so let’s give that a miss and go straight to – lunch !
BBQ
The Swiss often provide public BBQ pits, with free logs, around walking trails. We found one up on Schynige Platte , and imagine our surprise when we ALSO found matches, old newspaper and burgers in our rucksacks ! What glorious synchronicity.
Hot stuff indeed. Credit to L for the planning work behind the scenes, as ever.
Then just for the hell of it, we decided to yomp down to the mid-way station of Breitlaunen to catch the train home, rather than sensibly sit on it all the way from the top.
While we did get to the mid- way station in time, it was only to be told that the incoming train was full, and we should wait 40mins for the next one. This was no great hardship, and let me ponder a great engineering challenge, ie
“what happens to the cogs driving the train when they go over points ?” I could see here that the moving rails clearly interrupt the cog rail so…. how???
Bonus points and a “Clever Cogs” t-shirt is on offer for the best answer . Not necessarily the RIGHT answer.
While many people would be frustrated by finding the train full and having to wait 40 minutes, I think you two have developed the art of Niksen, I saw this below about it the other day and immediately thought of you both!
In 2019, a little-known Dutch practice called Niksen caught the world’s attention. Unlike meditation or mindfulness, Niksen means doing absolutely nothing – letting your mind wander freely without purpose or goal. The concept emerged from Dutch culture, where the balance between work and rest is valued as much as productivity. While modern society pushes us toward constant action, the Dutch embrace these moments of intentional idleness. Olga Mecking, author of Niksen: Embracing the Dutch Art of Doing Nothing, helped popularize this practice. She explains that Niksen isn’t about scrolling on your phone or watching TV – it’s about truly allowing yourself to be unproductive. Just sitting quietly, gazing out a window, or lying in the grass watching clouds drift by.
However, in direct response to your engineering question, I would suggest that one might need to meditate and use cognitive therapy to find a solution,….