Public Transport in the Countryside

How Public Transportation Works in Small German Municipalities

 Recently, I also mentioned high-speed trains in Germany, but I have another fact about a frequent public transport services in Germany.

 When people hear the term public transport, most imagine a large city. Buses, trams or the metro, a dense network of stops, and services running at short intervals. In reality, however, a similar principle can also work in a small municipality.

German municipalities are a good example. For instance, a municipality with just under 4,000 inhabitants may have approaching 40 public transport stops connecting different parts of the municipality. There may even be several stops along a single street, located relatively close to one another, making public transport more accessible to people living in many parts of a relative short street. So public transportation therefore does not function merely as a connection between a small municipality and the nearest larger city or another municipality. Individual routes connect different parts of the municipality itself. Public transport routes pass through numerous local districts, allowing them to be connected with one another.

It is not only the number of connections that matters, although services can also be quite frequent. The density of stops and the possibility of using public transport for short journeys within the municipality are equally important. In some small German municipalities, therefore, stops can be found relatively very close to one another. Public transport is thus not merely a means of travelling to another city or municipality, but functions much like urban public transportation. In other words, the routes run between its individual Ortsteile (districts).

Small German municipalities demonstrate that public transport does not have to begin only in cities with tens of thousands, millions of inhabitants. If a network is designed to connect the different parts of a small municipality as well, it can have a similar importance for its residents as urban public transport does in a larger city.

Hot As Hades

 The Ecstasy of these Days 

  In the end of May 2026, I wrote about a my Sunday night silent disco dance in the Zuid Holland, when I danced on bed and listened to the same trance track—Hot As Hades (John O’Callaghan Remix)—for two hours of dancing. 

And as a drink was an ordinary Dutch blackcurrant lemonade—pretty strong taste of this drink from Zeeland.

I also wrote that I sometimes added my own truly trance lyrics instead of the original trance ones in the Hot As Hades (John O’Callaghan Remix)…

One of the truly trance lyrics was actually sad—it was about the end of the summer season and the loss of a summer love. 

I kept parts of that lyric: 

 As she slowly fades now there, 

 she turns. 

 I feel the same. 

 She drugs me in with her eyes. 

 I leave my heart. 

 We come down together. 

 I can take this better. 

 She is my one, only love now. 

 We fall together. 

…

 The summer time comes to an end. 

 Butterflies are ceasing to fly. 

 The dance of Heart in your eyes, 

 is missing to my heart. 

 You’re the Miss heart. 

 Miss heart, 

 Miss heart, 

 Miss heart, 

 Miss heart, 

 …

Antisocial Behavior

 I have to write something again about life in a certain country. I don’t even need to explain that what follows is not an isolated case. This is one of the reasons why Sidney SN is an influencer.

One of many examples is Dickies shorts. They look decent, and that is also why I like them. Despite all the familiar forms of hatred, I am still sometimes surprised by something.

One example is the idea that I must deliberately wear these Dickies shorts, apparently as a provocation towards certain people who are offended by me and by social habits that, in my opinion, are also the norm in Western society itself, or in Germany. To me, these people in the certain country lack basic civilized social manners and behavior when they see a problem with someone simply dressing decently and cleanly.

I don’t understand why I should wear more decent or attractive clothes as a form of provocation, rather than simply because I like these clothes. I like quality things, quality of life, quality food, and good hygiene. A reason why I like values of the west side of Europe. In my opinion, I live in a civilization, and civilization is not about living in a way that resembles indigenous or primitive habits — habits that were historically determined by the times people lived in, rather than by having a choice. 

Since I am talking about social behavior and norms, in my opinion, one of the reasons why the spread of free tekno is restricted in the Benelux countries or England is literally this antisocial behavior. In the country mentioned above, it seems that similar antisocial behavior is quite a social norm, when an ordinary citizen actually sees normal social or civilized behavior as a problem or provocation towards their person. 

Dutch cheese in French bread roll with a Italian style

 I don’t think I ever intended to become an influencer, but I’m glad it happened, especially because of the reasons behind it.

I have something a little lighter to share, something very typical for a blogger: food.

Another topic of mine is agriculture in the Netherlands, which is always very interesting for me. I’ve also probably mentioned something that is very well known to many people: the Netherlands is also a country of cheese. The Dutch have created many cheeses that are now famous all over the world, and it’s not just Gouda — pronounced correctly in Dutch as “chou-da,” with the G being the characteristic Dutch guttural “ch” sound.

I also buy affordable Dutch cheeses when I’m outside the Netherlands. 

Right now, I have something here made with one of the grated Dutch cheeses. It’s a very quick dish, inspired by my favorite Italian cuisine…

French bread roll, Dutch cheese and Italian seasoning. There’s also some ketchup and tomatoes. The filled French bread rolls just need to be put in the microwave.

A meal bringing France, the Netherlands and Italy.

Speed Over Time

 I have previously written about the quality of Dutch railway infrastructure, but Germany’s high-speed ICE network deserves attention as well.

I recently read that Czechia is planning to build a tunnel on part of the railway line between Pilsen and Prague to reduce travel times. What struck me was the timeline itself—the project will start after 2030. By contrast, Germany and the Benelux countries have been investing in modern railway infrastructure for decades. High-speed rail has long been a reality there, with trains operating at speeds of up to 300 km/h or with Eurostar in Benelux even more.

Looking at the pace of development in the Czech Republic, it is difficult not to wonder whether the country will ever catch up something from progressive and advanced infrastructure of Germany or Benelux. 

In the way of trains, a good example is the journey from Düsseldorf to Munich. Imagine comparing the same route under two different railway systems: one served by a Czech-style express train operating on conventional infrastructure, and the other by Germany’s ICE running on dedicated high-speed lines.

The contrast is striking.

Today, a direct ICE train completes the journey from Düsseldorf to Munich in approximately 4 hours and 33 minutes to 4 hours and 50 minutes, depending on the service.

If the same journey relied solely on infrastructure comparable to conventional Czech railway network—with maximum speeds typically between 120 and 160 km/h, numerous curves, and significantly lower average operating speeds—it would take roughly three hours longer. In the case of services such as the Berounka train between Pilsen and Prague, with an average speed of 80–95 km/h, the journey between Düsseldorf and Munich would take almost twice as long than with German's trains. 

This is not simply a matter of faster trains; it is a matter of long-term investment and system priorities. Germany’s railway network between Cologne, Frankfurt, Nuremberg, and Munich is built around extensive high-speed corridors designed for fast, efficient travel. In contrast, the Czech railway network remains largely conventional, with only limited sections capable of supporting speeds of 160–200 km/h.

While much of Western Europe has spent decades building infrastructure networks for the future, in the Czechia still seems to be debating projects that should have become reality many years ago.