Long Burn

Casey Jones you better watch your speed-- train tips

What to avoid:
Strong smells
Infectious diseases
Businessmen who think the whole armrest and part of your seat are theirs
People speaking English-- breaks my concentration.
Anyone loud in any language

What to look for:
Try to sit on the shady side of the train.
One of a group of four seats facing a table-- more leg room and a place to work.
On a Friday afternoon after a long work week it can sometimes be a good thing to sit with a group of people who are drinking. Etiquette will not allow them to drink without offering and almost insisting that you join. I have had several nice beers and apertifs through the years, not to mention meeting some interesting characters. It is customary to refuse the first offer, and keep in mind the addage drink the first, sip the second and skip the third. One time I met the guy who writes the maritime column in the Sunday paper. Each week he tells the story of a different boat-- an old schooner, a Swedish ferry in the Indian ocean, a merchant ship dodging German subs in WWII. Another guy was obsessed with how great Volvos are, especially the model 240. He claimed they are impossible to kill and to prove his point he once drained the oil out of his parents' 240 and drove it that way for a month. No damage! He knew a guy at a junkyard who had stacked 5 240s on top of each other-- the roll cage is so strong that the car on the bottom could hold them up without buckling. It almost made we want to drive one too if they weren't so square, such a cliché for the average Sweede who goes by the name 'Sven Svensson' and if I hadn't married into a Saab family.
Links to the 240:
http://www.volvo240-260register.nl/
http://www.europeancarweb.com/features/0402ec_volvo/

posted by Matt_J @ 9:40 AM