Philobiblon

Apologies for the silence – have been doing a very busy “one-day, one-city” work run through Paris, Nuremberg, Hamburg, Paris and Autun … don’t worry, all by the wonderful European train network. It is just amazing that you can confidently plan to arrive in a city two hours before you are due to deliver a talk and be sure that there won’t be a problem.

Also very impressed by the arrangements for rubbish on German trains – separate recycling bins for paper, glass and packaging, and there’s clearly an expectation that everyone will use them.

Also impressed to see many cyclists of all ages and attires in the German cities, although less keen on the fact that cycle provision is almost entirely taken from pedestrian space – the cars are left to speed free. (Which when you are a visitor makes walking feel a little hazardous, although the locals obviously rub along well enough.)

Was taken by Frankfurt train station, definitely the least “chain-stored” one I’ve seen in Europe – beyond the Body Shop, Burger King and what was probably a chain newspaper store, everything else looked like little local shops. (And the Thai there – run by real Thais, is definitely to be recommended – and adding to the cultural mix I used Thai to order, since I wasn’t doing too well guessing at the German). Although I’m puzzled as to why there’s a stall there selling surgical instruments – I can’t actually think why I’d want to buy a stethoscope at a train station.

Talking of transport, for those who think there’s something “green” about Australia, a shocking statistic: there are suburbs in Melbourne where only one out of 100 people use public transport to get to work.