The most obvious and simple way to come to Sweden from Belgium would be the plane, which is what I did to get here last semester and to go back home for the holidays. A part of me, however, did not feel good with flying back and forth between Sweden and Belgium three times in one year. This part was the 15-year-old in me who skipped school and went to Brussels to march for the climate along Greta Thunberg and all the other young people of my generation that wanted to see a better future. It’s hard to find things in the world that have improved since the Fridays for futures movement started, but that doesn’t mean we should give up what we stand for, so to get to Jönköping for this semester, I chose to take the train.
I would love to see all short distance flights in Europe replaced by a smooth working and efficient network of trains, but the reality is that right now taking the train is pretty inaccessible. To take the train there’s one thing you need above all else, which is time. By plane I could have gone from my front door in Antwerp, Belgium to my dorm room in Jönköping, Sweden in just one afternoon, but by train it took me almost 24 hours. Telling you how long the trip took might have already scared some people away, but I promise travelling by train is worth it for a couple of reasons.
First of all, taking the train is an experience. When you take the plane, you just board in one city and get off in the next place, but by taking the train your travels become a journey. At first this might sound like a reason not to choose the train, but I promise it is. Because travelling by train takes longer, you are more aware of the fact that you are going somewhere. The landscape changes with every kilometre that passes on the train, you can stare out the window for hours, yet the view changes the whole time. On the train people take the time to do whatever they want, reading books and newspapers, knitting socks, listening to music or just chatting with their fellow travellers. The best part about the train though, is that you can just sit there and do nothing else. You are already busy getting from one place to another, so there’s no pressure to be productive. You could say this is true for a plane as well, but I can assure you the train has better views and is more comfortable (definitely more legroom and no turbulence).
“the stranger that coincidentally sat down in the same carriage as you, might no longer be a complete stranger when you both leave that carriage”
Secondly, it is worth it to spend a little more time traveling the same distance, because of the people you meet along the way. On an international train, there is an atmosphere that I cannot compare to any other situation. The people who take the train for a longer distance have often made a conscious decision to do so, as it is hardly ever the simplest option, so most people are just happy to be there. On top of that, the train is the perfect place for people watching, there are strangers coming and going at every stop and you might even accidentally eavesdrop some very interesting conversations between other people. The best moments on the train, however, are as amazing as they are rare: sometimes, the stranger that coincidentally sat down in the same carriage as you, might no longer be a complete stranger when you both leave that carriage. You both know that you will probably never see each other again once one of you reaches their destination, yet you both decide to share a brief moment in time, have a conversation, and learn about a life that otherwise would have never crossed yours. For me this happened on my train from Hannover to Hamburg. I sat down across the table from an older woman, and once the train started moving, we both pulled out our knitting stuff. She smiled at me in recognition and immediately started talking in German. I told her I didn’t speak German, but that didn’t stop her from asking what I was knitting. I could see she wasn’t very comfortable with speaking English, but she tried her very best to ask me questions and tell me about the socks she was making. The conversation didn’t go very easily because of the language barrier, but we talked for a while about her daughter why I was going to Sweden and at the end she wished me good luck with my sweater and my studies before she got of the train and disappeared again into the crowd at the station.
I arrived in Hamburg with a small delay. If you have ever taken the Deutsche Bahn, you know they love to change your travel plans, but they will get you to your destination. I had however calculated for more things to go wrong, so I had an hour and a half to spend in the very cold and crowded Hamburg station. After a while I went into the first-class lounge (where I definitely was not supposed to be) to ask if they knew where I could charge my phone and there, I was met by the sweetest receptionist ever. This woman saw me, a young girl on her own with a lot of luggage who was clearly very cold and tired, and quickly told me I could wait in the lounge. I spent the next hour in their very cozy couch before finally boarding my first night train ever.
I had always wanted to take a night train so I was very excited, and the experience did not disappoint. Once I arrived in my little cabin for the night, I met two Finnish girls who had been on the train since Berlin. A few moments later two French girls arrived together and lastly another solo traveling girl just like me completed our cabin. We all sat down on the lowest beds that are used as benches during the day and got to know each other a little bit before it was time to make the beds and go to sleep. I needed to leave our train early in the morning in Nässjö while they were all still asleep, so I didn’t get to say goodbye, but they definitely made my evening a lot more interesting and fun/
Last, but not least, there is of course the environmental aspect. Taking the train instead of the plane reduced my carbon emissions from 505 kg CO2e to 51kg CO2e (according to greentripper.org). I am well aware that one less person taking the plane will not solve the problem, but on the other hand if everyone thinks like that, nothing is ever going to change. Taking the train instead may not be the easiest way to reduce your carbon footprint, but it will be the most memorable.
So next time you have a lot of time to get somewhere, think about taking the train. You won’t have to be in an airport 2 hours in advance, go through security and be limited to 23kg of luggage and your adventure will start the second you board the train.
Writer: Louise Keymolen
