I’m on an ICE train from Cologne non-stop to Frankfurt Airport; the trip is 70 minutes if there aren’t any delays. Online check-in completed last night, and the final feature is the 10.5-hour flight to Canada.
At Frankfurt Airport, I pass through security to go from landside to airside, and I pass through E.U. passport controls because I’m leaving Europe. The gentleman noted from my passport I’m on day 90 inside Schengen. I replied: “I know; that’s why I’m now at the airport.”
This ends 91 consecutive days of journaling for my European summer of 2025. Thanks for sticking around to the end, and I hope you enjoyed reading as much as I enjoying putting all of this together. Additional and lengthier descriptions will follow in the coming weeks and months.
Bahnhofsvorplatz: see ya’ later, Cologne!
Bahnhofsvorplatz: Cologne central station.
Digital departures board.
Gleis (track) number 5.
ICE arrival at track 5.
Heading out to Frankfurt Flughafen (Airport); switch of trains not required. The final destination for this short-duration ICE train is Frankfort am Main Hauptbahnhof.
Flughafen Frankfurt: The Squaire, on top of the train station for long-distance trains.
Frankfurt Airport: Terminal 1, departures hall B. Judging by multiple appearances, is Apple truly pushing use of Apple Pay in Germany?
Departures hall C: checking the big departures board for assigned gate.
In “purgatory” without an assigned gate; on the tarmac about to board at Frankfurt Airport.
I made all images above with an iPhone15 on 6 August 2025. This post composed within Jetpack for iOS appears on Fotoeins Fotografie at fotoeins DOT com.
For my trip from Cologne to Berlin, I booked many weeks in advance a seat on a morning IntercCity Express ICE train. I’ve travelled on this route enough to know it’s generally full, which is why I absorbed the cost of a 1st-class fare. For the scheduled 4.7-hour trip, the extra space and quiet (fewer total people in an individual car) is worth the reduced stress. (IC and ICE trains are not included in the Deutschland-Ticket.)
I tempted fate when I reckoned I could reach Berlin by 3pm: sounds simple. But as I write, the express has become a slow march.
With a failure in the overhead power about a third of the way along the route, the train is diverted onto regional tracks rated for a lower travel speed, and the expected duration has ballooned to 6.3 hours. Welp, people here talk poorly about the once-timely Deutsche Bahn, but many years of funding cuts to infrastructure and development have naturally led to something like this, and at an alarming frequency.
After many hours in a train seat, I feel as tired as having been on a plane. Barely awake in Berlin, I head straight to my accommodations, followed by a quick jaunt to the mall nearby to stock the small shelves and refrigerator in the apartment.
The Berlin experiment of 2025 can begin tomorrow. That is, after I go pick up an extra roll of paper towels and a small bottle of dishwashing soap.
The planned stop in Bielefeld is cancelled because of the failure in the overhead power lines in that area. To reach Hannover, our express train ICE 557 has diverted to the east onto regional tracks rated for lower travel speeds.
Arrival: Hannover central station, 95 minutes late.
Expected arrival time at Berlin Hbf (central station).
Screenshot DB mobile iOS App. Total train time 6 hr and total travel time 7 hr: ach sowas! But to reach my final accommodations, I have a couple of short train-segments and a final bus-segment.
I made all images above with an iPhone15 on 14 May 2025. I received neither request nor compensation for this content. This post composed within Jetpack for iOS appears on Fotoeins Fotografie at fotoeins DOT com.
A new spring, another summer on the way. Last year went very well, and I thought to try it again this year.
It’s 3 months on the trot, and my itinerary consists of Frankfurt am Main, Cologne with a day trip to Dortmund, Berlin for several weeks with a day trip to Schwerin (MV), several weeks in Vienna, Nuremberg, and finally Cologne.
I haven’t set foot in Berlin in almost 4 years, and there is a great abundance of places and traces to follow. As for Vienna, this is the 4th consecutive summer, and I never have to justify returning to “the world’s most liveable city.”
Curiosity creates questions, which propels a search for answers, which in turn creates more inquiry. The who what why when and how only emphasizes the need to remain present in the now.
The first day of travel is dominated by the overnight flight from the Canadian Southwest to Western Europe. 9 to 10 hours on a plane doesn’t seem like much anymore, although I’m anticipating the usual fatigue and jet-lag upon arrival. Exactly as last year, I have for the next 3 months a 32-Litre backpack and 21-Litre medium-sized messenger bag; see here.
I viewed travel day One from the Skyteam Lounge at YVR’s international departures.
The boards don’t lie.
Skyteam Lounge.
Skyteam, some of the members.
Open food area with pasta, sandwiches, pastries, a fresh noodle bar; coffee, tea, cold drinks. There’s a separate bar for alcoholic beverages.
Spring is fully sprung, and I’m outta here.
Airbus 330-900neo in Condor’s blue stripes: my ride to Germany.
I made all images above with an iPhone15 on 8 May 2025. I received neither request nor compensation for this content. This post composed within Jetpack for iOS appears on Fotoeins Fotografie at fotoeins DOT com.
The first day of travel helps set the tone for the entire enchilada. I got lounge access at YVR airport, and a Premium Economy seat on the non-stop transatlantic hop with Condor to FRA. The company debut its fleet of A339neo planes last year, and while its Economy service was fine, I’m optimistic the seating class with increased seat pitch will provide enough comfort for actual sleep.
How about some planespotting from the Plaza Premium Lounge?
I made all images above with an iPhone15 on 8 May 2024. This post composed within Jetpack for iOS appears on Fotoeins Fotografie at fotoeins DOT com as https://wp.me/p1BIdT-skr.
For the next 3 months, I have a medium-sized 21-Litre (21-L) Timbuk2 Classic Messenger bag in blue and black, and a 32-L Timbuk2 Command backpack in black. (Both products have unfortunately been phased out of production.) These will be my “personal item” and “carry-on”, respectively, for long-haul flights.
What’s in my 21-Litre Timbuk2 Classic Messenger bag?
Messenger bag
Tilley Hiker’s Hat (with evaporative cooling insert)
Mountain Equipment Company (MEC) medium-sized mesh pouch in blue, containing a change of clothes
Columbia grey long-sleeved half-zip fleece
What’s in my 32-Litre Timbuk2 Command backpack?
Backpack
Centre-left
Tenba BYOB7 Camera Insert bag in black, carry-case for my X70, extra batteries, and chips.
Kompass 4in1-Wanderkarte/map, for Wettersteingebirge and Zugspitze
Centre
• 3-L Peak Design Field Pouch in charcoal grey, containing:
pouch’s carrying strap
small pouch with wired earphones and small USB-C to 3.5mm audio jack.
small freezer bag with “Europlugs” (type-C) adaptor plugs for western Europe
Charger for MacBook Pro (c. 2016; not shown)
translucent film-roll cannister, for spare change
USB-A power cube wall charger (retractable), light blue
USB-A to USB-micro cable for camera, black
• 3-L Peak Design Field Pouch in midnight blue, containing:
pouch’s carrying strap
WCL-X70 wide-lens with small rubber lens-hood
small clear zip-pouch with cleaning cloths
Mophie 5000mAh PowerBank, dark blue
USB-C to USB-A cable, black
I’ve used the Field Pouch as a compact lightweight day-pack; can’t carry much except for camera, batteries, memory chips, PowerBank, cables.
Below the field pouches
USB-C to USB-C cable, white
2 pens
USB-C power cube wall charge (retractable), black
Sunglasses in hardshell case
Passport
Moleskine hardcover small lined-notebook
Portable hard disk with black USB-A to USB-microB cable
Centre-right
• Heys medium packing cube in black; containing 3 short-sleeved shirts, 3 changes of underwear, 3 pairs socks
• Small (<1-L) freezer bag containing:
pill jars (“arts & crafts”), ear plugs, sunscreen stick, lip balm, eyedrops, nail clipper, Mopiko ointment, toothpaste, collapsible toothbrush, small bottles with body wash/shampoo, roll-on “deo”.
Many items on display can be replaced in my destination nations. I described my summer 2024 itinerary here.
My nods go to their versatile Field Pouch, their Leash strap for my X70, and their Everyday case for iPhone 👍🏽
I made the images above with an iPhone15 on 7 May 2024. I have received no support from an external organization. This post composed within Jetpack for iOS appears on Fotoeins Fotografie at fotoeins DOT com as https://wp.me/p1BIdT-sts.
Fotoeins Fotografie 