Should you get a DeutschlandTicket when visiting Germany?

I've now bought a DeutschlandTicket on several occasions, using it to visit towns and cities all across Germany. I've learned a lot about the pros and cons of buying the DeutschlandTicket, so I thought I would write down some advice.

The DeutschlandTicket is not really for tourists - it's aimed at people living and commuting in Germany. It gives unlimited travel on local and regional trains, as well as U-Bahns, S-Bahns, metros and buses. It's not valid on long-distance Intercity or IntercityExpress trains.

That said, the ticket can get you far - as some regional train lines in Germany cover a lot of distance. I downloaded this map of all the lines - there are so many!

So, here are the pros and cons for buying a DeutschlandTicket to visit Germany.

Good

• The best thing is that everything is covered. You can get off a train and onto a tram or bus and do not have to worry about buying tickets; no fiddling around with machines - you've already got it on your phone, you're good to go.
  
  
• You can go to a lot of places. Stopping en route is fun, and you can easily visit a lot of towns and cities without needing to 'invest' in tickets especially. I went to Baden-Baden, Heidelberg, Augsburg, Ulm, all on a whim, stopping off while heading to somewhere else.
  
  
• The DeutschlandTicket now (in 2026) costs €63 per month. That's very good value - journeys I've taken have cost €50 for a single or return ticket, so if you take several trips, it is definitely worth the price.

Not so good

• I've found the regional trains and certainly buses do not always have a lot of space for larger suitcases, so carry-on luggage sizes are ideal. Also not ideal if you have buggies, bikes or anything like this.
  
  
• It is slower. A high-speed train goes on average about twice as fast, based on the trips I've looked up. (That said, Germany high-speed trains often have delays). You have to love the idea that you could be on a 2-3 hour train to cover some distances.
  
  
• The trains can be busy and crowded, partly because of the popularity of the DeutschlandTicket.

Germany by train from the Netherlands

• There are 4 regional routes to Germany from the Netherlands.
• Venlo --> Mönchengladbach / Hamm
• Arnhem --> Emmerich / Duisburg / Düsseldorf
• Heerlen --> Aachen 
• Hengelo --> Osnabrück / Bielefeld
• Enschede --> Dortmund / Münster

Worth noting that the DeutschlandTicket is not valid on the Heerlen-Aachen route. I've taken all of these, and my 'favourite' route is the one via Venlo. The trains seem more reliable and it's a short one-hour trip to Düsseldorf, whereas other routes take longer to reach larger towns. 

Personally, I think buying the DeutschlandTicket to travel in Germany is worth it. With one easy payment, it offers a whole month of seamless travel. I want to say it's stress-free - in the sense that once you have the ticket, you don't need to think too much about it - but the reality is German trains are never stress-free. There's always a delay and a drama of some kind! 

That said, one ticket that allows (slower) travel to bustling cities like Berlin, Hamburg, Baltic coastal spots like Kiel and Rostock, UNESCO heritage spots like Goslar and Baden-Baden, Rhineland cities like Koblenz and Bingen - to name just a few - is definitely worth it.

I buy my ticket from Tranzer via The Man in Seat 61.

Overheard: Greece

I went to sunny Greece recently for a conference, spending some time on the beautiful island of Skiathos. It was actually rainy for quite a few days. Still, that gave me time to people-watch and people-listen. 

So here's what I heard.

• The plane landed in Tessa-loco* or whatever it’s called.
  
  
• We came here to avoid our neighbour’s wedding.
  
  
• ...is it Scorpios or Skopelos?
  
  
• She was so angry with me, cos she’s really small.
  
  
• Sandra nods off on the couch. I think it’s cos we don’t do a lot.
  
  
• It’s offputting is what it is. Offputting. They need to know! We’ll not be back!
  
  
• I’ve a week of Emmerdale and Corrie waiting for me at home.
  
  
• Have you been to York? Is it worth the four-hour drive?
  
  
• I hear the weather at home is not too bad.

*Thessaloniki

Overheard: Amsterdam summer

Summer 2026 in Amsterdam gave heatwaves, cloudy days, 200,000+ lightning discharges, World Cup flags, boat trips, WorldPride - and I heard people saying these words:

• Cos everyone wants a unicorn, but no one wants a lumberjack.
  
  
• Wounds can be healed! Wounds can be healed!
  
  
• Brussels? Absolutely not! Brussels? What a shit show!
  
  
• If you go to the UK, to London, they are all orange in the face.
  
  
• It's very, like, claustrophobic here.
  
  
• I think he's straight... but he does play with his hair a lot.
  
  
• The Dutch are pretty much the badasses of the world when it comes to languages.
  
  
• Some nights we sleep together, some nights we don't.
  
  
• What about the consequences, the enormity?
  
  
• Oh, this wine is expensive... oh, this wine is good... This was a lovely wine, I'm going to get more.
  
  
• Like, he will buy three baskets of peaches and five boxes of extension cords.
  
  
• What happens in Chile on a Tuesday evening?
  
  
• I'm following you... Do you know where you're going?
  
  
• Thank God I brought chicken wings.
  
  
• Take your winter coats out!
  
  
• That McDonald's is good, it has an upper floor.
  
  
• I don't think anyone is pretty like me... or prettier.

A curious case of Canadian fast food

Canada is not the first place that comes to mind as a home of fast food, like burgers and pizza - poutine and Tim Hortons notwithstanding.

However, recently I've noticed some fast food outlets naming themselves after Canada or Canadian places. And as they say, 'three is a trend', so here we go.

In Larnaca, in Cyprus, I saw Toronto Pizza. I've heard of Chicago pizza and Detroit pizza, but not Toronto Pizza. (Though Wikipedia claims there is a Toronto-style pizza, as well as styles named after several other Canadian places.)

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In Spa, Belgium, I noticed this restaurant called Canadian Burgers and Pizza. The menu posted outside didn't feel especially Canadian.

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Finally, in Oldham, I spied Toronto Fried Chicken - and I've seen it called 'the best fried chicken shop in Oldham' online.

So, the big question here is: why? and why Canada?

World Cup Flags in the Netherlands

My favourite thing about the World Cup is seeing flags from countries around the world where I live.

In 2014, I took photos of World Cup flags I saw in London, so I thought I would do the same in 2026 - here are World Cup flags in the Netherlands.

Amsterdam

Orange flags in Jordaan

Teeny-tiny Colombia flag

Small Turkey flag

Rotterdam

The Hague

Utrecht

The First Homosexuals, Kunstmuseum Basel

A few months ago, I visited beautiful Basel in Switzerland to see an exhibition at the Kunstmuseum Basel. The First Homosexuals has a provocative title, looking at art from the late 19th and early 20th centuries.

This was a time when the terms homosexual and homosexuality were coined and became popular. Of course, people in that time period were not the first people to experience same-sex desire - but they were the first homosexuals. 

The exhibition makes the point that the history of art is simultaneously a complete archive of the history of sexuality.

The accompanying booklet had 2 pages dedicated to a 'plain language' explanation and around 40 pages for academic and theoretical discussion. Sometimes I wonder (and wish) why the plain language cannot lead the way. All the academic theories in the world cannot fully comprehend the many ways queer lives are lived and people's fluid and varied sexualities.

So instead of getting bogged down in academic art-speak, I've chosen to focus here on the paintings that show early artistic depictions of queer couples.

Henrik and John

This painting depicts Hendrik Andersen (left), then aged 22, with American painter John Briggs Potter, aged 29. It's a very domestic and intimate scene, set in a house in Florence where they both lived with Hendrik's brother Andreas, who painted the painting in 1894.

Interior with Hendrik Andersen and John Briggs Potter in Florence, Andreas Andersen, Hendrik Andersen Museum, Rome via Wikimedia Commons

The Andersen brothers were born in Norway, moving to the United States as children. It's never possible to fully know, but this artwork is often described as the first publicly displayed painting of an unambiguously homosexual couple. Hendrik Andersen later met the author Henry James in 1899, and the two had a long relationship. You can read about this here.

Emilie and Marie

Emilie Mundt and Marie Luplau were an artist couple from Denmark who lived together in a home in Frederiksberg, a district of Copenhagen. This painting by Emilie dates from 1893, and shows Marie with her and Emilie’s daughter Carla as well as Marie’s father in the background. This is easily one of the earliest artistic depictions of a multigenerational queer family.

Malerinde og barn i atelieret, Emilie Mundt, Wikimedia Commons

Emilie and Marie were very involved in fighting for Danish women to have an artistic education, opening their own painting and drawing school for women. You can read more about Emilie and Marie here. 

Jacques-Émile and Rafael

This self-portrait is from 1890. It’s by French artist Jacques-Émile Blanche with Spanish artist Rafael de Ocha y Madrazo, who is understood to be his partner. Jacques-Émile Blanche was a portrait painter, largely self-taught. He worked in Paris and London and summered at his family’s country home in Dieppe.

Self-Portrait with Raphael de Ochoa, 1890, Jacques-Émile Blanche, The Cleveland Museum of Art

Louise and Sarah

This painting by French artist Louise Abbéma depicts her with her lover, the renowned actress Sarah Bernhardt. Set during a boat trip in the Bois de Boulogne, this painting was donated to the Comédie-Française, accompanied by a letter stating that it was ‘Painted by Louise Abbéma on the anniversary of their love affair’. The swans in the painting are said to be a representation of their love, as swans mate for life.

Sarah Bernhardt and Louise Abbéma on the Lake in the Bois de Bologne, Louise Abbéma, Wikimedia Commons

The First Homosexuals exhibition was excellent, a real deep exploration of the topic with many beautiful and fascinating paintings. 

This is an edition of my ace-museums newsletter, republished here on Blogger.

Overheard: Manchester

 

On a recent visit to Manchester, here is what I heard.

• He's got no money, but going to t'South of France on holiday?
  
  
• He really thought his effectiveness was gonna drag him through.
  
  
• If you mention his name in any Italian restaurant in Manchester, they think he's a god.
  
  
• He's gonna have to wait and see what happens with what's-his-face health-wise.
  
  
• I did say to him, it would be nice if you come, at least I have someone in the car with me.
  
  
• She's alright but her lips are a bit off... she's got a massive nose as well
  
  
• We're on a hen do. The groom is French, so we're wearing berets.
  
  
• Has she told her mum that she's told the police?
  
  
• I was born in Manchester and I haven't been back since.

Overheard: Vienna

I recently visited Vienna - my fifth time there. As it was Eurovision Song Contest season, I kept my ears open and overheard the following.

• The lighting is on point, the drinks are very good.
  
  
• You can fly very cheaply, and you can stay at my place!
  
  
• He's good on the bass i'n't he? He's got his own sound, yeah.
  
  
• So many people find her empowering!
  
  
• Every time I drink and try to study, it doesn't work.
  
  
• I prefer the Danube because I'm a water person.
  
  
• Rudolf was very sensitive and intellectual.
  
  
• I need to charge my phone, and then I can relax.
  
  
• You look so fucking disappointed!
  
  
• It's a bangarangadrama!
  
  
• When all that was going on, I stayed out of it.
  

Statues of people with disabilities

Changing trains recently at Šiauliai in Lithuania, I noticed something that I don't think I've seen a lot before.

On the platform, there is a statue of Stasys Nosys on a plinth, depicting his visible disability.

Stasys Nosys statue, Šiauliai 

Stasys Nosys (1905-1976) was a strongman and bodybuilder. In 1926, he lost both of his legs in an accident. He continued his training and performed in circuses with feats of strength, like breaking stones apart with his fist or lifting up a truck. 

There was false propaganda in the Soviet Union that there were no people with disabilities, and thus  Stasys Nosys was prohibited from his circus work.

I then started thinking whether I had seen statues depicting people with disabilities.

Alison Lapper sculpture, Abxbay, Wikimedia Commons

I remembered the sculpture of Alison Lapper that was displayed on the Fourth Plinth in Trafalgar Square between 2005 and 2007 (and is in Venice in this photograph). Somehow, I didn't think of this as a 'commemorative' statue, as Alison Lapper is still alive.

Beethovenhaus, Bonn

I also thought of this statue of Beethoven, at the museum which now occupies his home in Bonn. His disability is not visible, but perhaps it is still present in the sculpture?

What other examples do you know of statues depicting people with disabilities?

Overheard: Basel

I recently visited beautiful Basel. On a beautifully sunny evening, people were by the Rhine reading, eating, drinking, playing sport - and talking. Here's some of what I heard.

• The application is due tomorrow or in a year. So it's now or never.
  
  
• Oh yeah, yeah, Chopin... I never played this, it's too hard.
  
  
• When we have the conversation, they place me in the mid-30s.
  
  
• I'd like to think it's got better than it was 10 years ago.
  
  
• There's no buts, Trump's just an idiot!
  
  
• I found a watch I really liked, but... guess what happened?!
  
  
• She was so mean to him... He used to just come in and she'd be like, 'sup ugly?
  
  
• Fishing is the most calming thing ever.

10 days* of talking with strangers - the Chit Chat Challenge

Rob Walker's The Art of Noticing is one of my favourite newsletters. It encourages us to look intently, ask questions, and observe the world around us. Now he has teamed up with the Iridescent Ordinary newsletter for the Chit Chat Challenge. 

For the next 10 days, between 23 April and 2 May, the challenge is to have a conversation with a stranger - to say hello, to ask a question, to make a connection. 

I'm no stranger to speaking to strangers in public. I did 3 projects where I approached people in London and asked them to draw maps (Draw the World, EuroRevision, crowdsourced continents). So, this seems like a fun challenge for me.

I'm going to add an update to this blog each day, reporting on what conversations I do or do not have. I'll be travelling for at least some of the days during this challenge, which should make for an interesting element.

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Thursday

Soon after arriving in Basel, I walked along the promenade by the Rhine River, where there were lots of people enjoying a sunny evening. People were reading, having a drink, picnicking, listening to music, playing cards, drawing, playing table tennis. Some were even swimming. These were the kinds of activities that I did not want to interrupt. At one point, I sat on a bench next to a man who was reading. I was just about to ask him a question, until I noticed he was only three pages from the end of his book.

The chat:

I sat on a bench, and asked the guy sitting next to me where the border was. Across the river was Switzerland and were we in Germany now or still Switzerland? He explained that the border is a little bit further up the river and further away from the city. Then he gave me some recommendations about museums to visit in Basel and a bakery, where you can buy a coffee and a chocolate croissant. You can sit by the river, eating it and feel like a king!

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Friday

As I looked around the Basel Historical Museum, a young French-speaking guy asked me a question about a model of the city. Answering his question, I pointed out an 800-year-old painting of the city. 

The museum's labels are in German, so we spoke about which languages we could speak. When I mentioned Irish, he lit up, asking if I knew Peaky Blinders and the actor (Cillian Murphy). I replied that Cillian is from the same city as me and has the same surname - he could be my cousin. The guy then spoke about something from TikTok about Irish people meeting British people, standing with their hands by their sides and not wanting to shake hands with the queen. I've no idea what that is, if it's real, from Peaky Blinders or TikTok or what!  

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Saturday and Sunday - no chats :(

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Monday

A small chat today. I was in a store. The two women working there were talking to each other in a language I didn't recognise. When I was paying, I asked (in German) what language she was speaking. 'German,' she replied, looking confused. 'Ah, with your colleague?' 'Oh, Hungarian'. Which is why I didn't recognise it! I paid and then said egészségére in Hungarian, one of the handful of words I know. (I thought it was thank you, but it's cheers) She smiled!

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Tuesday

The closest I got to a chat today was to lend a pen to a train conductor who needed one.

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Wednesday

I spoke to a couple while looking at a baroque altar in a museum. They encouraged me to read the interactive sign, but didn't speak a lot of English (and my German failed me in the moment), so not a very long chat.

Later, as I was checking out of my hotel, I noticed a small bag left hanging from a chair in the lobby. I pointed it out to the man working there, and he ran off to find the guest in the nearby train station. He came back a few minutes later, saying he'd found him. A productive and helpful chat :)

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Thursday

A brief chat with a receptionist as I checked into a hotel. The desk she worked behind was very wide, and she was quite short - so we had a little chat about that, how she stepped out from behind the desk to help people.

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Friday

A brief chat about a membership card I have, as I visited a museum. It has a sticker with yellow text on a silver background that makes it hard to read.

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Saturday - nothing! :(

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Observations

Today's digital technology means you don't need to ask people questions. The answer is seconds away. We can also have 'conversations' with groups of friends that are far away, at the touch of a button. We can send things we see to people who are maybe on the other side of the world, and enjoy their reactions. That's really cool in some ways, while also maybe taking us out of the moment, the time and place.

It struck me that you have to find the right moment to initiate a chat. And that I didn't really want to disturb someone and impose myself on them.

*maybe - let's see how I get on! 

Random round-trip: Warsaw

By my third day on a recent trip to Warsaw, I had walked something like 40km. I was tired!

So, on a sunny Saturday, I bought myself an unlimited public transport ticket (for €3.50) and jumped on a few trams circling the city. 

I sat and saw sights. Here's what I saw.

• A four-piece brass band playing on a street corner
  
  
• A small rowing team on the Vistula river, and a 7-lane highway on its banks
  
  
• The National Stadium, built for the UEFA2012 men's football championship

• Rows and rows of portaloos, set up for the 20th Warsaw Half Marathon taking place the next day.
  
  
• A pharmacy named after hibiscus
  
  
• A park surrounded by a bright pink wall
  
  
• Two girls wearing sparkly lilac outfits, learning how to rollerblade
  
  
• The Varso Tower, the tallest building in the EU

• A man on a one-wheel skateboard speeding down a street
  
  
• A shop called Donald and a cafe called Charlotte
  
  
• Four bridal shops side by side: Destiny, Clara, Carmen and StarBrides
  
  
• A small glider mounted on a pole outside an official building
  
  
• A group of Pegasus statues (a flock, a herd?) [Read about them here]
  
  
• A bright blue statue of the Virgin Mary
  
  
• Hi neighbours!

70 years of Eurovision - new flag design

This year, Eurovision turns 70. So to mark this anniversary, I've made an update to my flags of Eurovision winners design.

I originally made this design as a bored-in-lockdown project in 2020, and I thought it was worthy of an update to mark the Contest's big birthday. I've now made two versions - one that keeps the circular, abstract design, based on flag colours, and one that is more flag-accurate.

Both are available on Redbubble, where the designs can be bought as prints or on t-shirts, stickers, notebooks, coasters, clocks, cushions, and lots more. It can be bought against a navy, grey or white background - leave a comment here if you would like another colour, as that can easily be added.

➡️➡️ Go to Redbubble to buy

My 2020 design is easily the best-selling item from my Redbubble store. I was delighted to see it recently in the profile picture of the new OGAE UK president John Bennett! Below you can also see some ideas how the design will look, thanks to Redbubble.

OGAE UK president John Bennett

Overheard: Kraków

While walking around Krakow for a few days, I heard the following snippets of chat.

Old Town Market Square in Kraków, Krzysztof Zgłobicki, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA

• I can't wear a green bag out, it's degrading!
  
  
• Was there a contract amount awarded?
  
  
• There is a core team in America, and we are like a support team.
  
  
• I could probably do it, but I thought I better not.
  
  
• I'm fresh now, I'm happy.
  
  
• There will be a new president, it will change.
  
  
• He's gonna be like the king, and I'm now your duke bitch!

European Kraków | Kraków europejski

I recently spent a few days in Kraków. As I walked around the city, admiring the sights, I noticed many links to different parts of Europe.

Almost as soon as I arrived, I could see and hear connections to other European countries. It started with tourists on the airport train, then retail stores from multinational brands. So far, so capitalist. And then, with my eyes open, I began to notice more cultural connections. 

I heard people speaking Dutch, French, Greek, Italian, Spanish - and, of course, English and Polish. I remembered that Kraków was European Capital of Culture in the year 2000, a special year when eight other cities held that title.

Here is the list of what I noticed in European Kraków.

🔗🔗🔗 

🇦🇹 Austria: a hotel chain called Vienna House. And a café called Cafe Hawelka, named after the coffee house in Vienna. The owner's father, Leopold Hawelka, was from Bohemia, now in the Czech Republic. 🇨🇿

🔗🔗🔗

🇧🇪 A painting by Polish artist Emil Schinangel depicting an organ grinder in Antwerp hangs in the National Museum in Kraków.

Antwerp organ-grinder, 1930, Emil Schinagel

🔗🔗🔗

🇩🇰 Flying Tiger Copenhagen, a store on many European shopping streets

🔗🔗🔗

🇫🇷 The French supermarket Carrefour is in many locations across the city. I saw a French language school, and a French boulangerie named Pierre.

🔗🔗🔗

🇩🇪 German retail chains: Rossmann, Mediamarkt and a performing arts theatre called Scena Berlin.

🔗🔗🔗

🇭🇺 A plaque in the Old Town commemorates how the people of Kraków helped with relief after the 1956 Hungarian Revolution.

Hungarian Revolution plaque in Kraków

🔗🔗🔗

🇮🇪 Irish tourists on the airport train, at least three Irish pubs with huge flags and shamrocks, and a poster for an Irish festival in honour of Saint Patrick's Day.

🔗🔗🔗

🇮🇹 Pasta and pizza ristoranti all over

🔗🔗🔗

🇵🇹 A store called Bom Dia selling now-ubiquitous pasteis de nata.

🔗🔗🔗

🇪🇸 A Spanish pop song playing in the main square, while people danced and cheered.

🔗🔗🔗

🇸🇪 A Swedish bakery called Svensson.

🔗🔗🔗

🇺🇦 A painting of beehives in Ukraine, and plenty of Ukrainian flags.

Ule na Ukraine, Jan Stanisławski, National Museum in Kraków

🔗🔗🔗

🇬🇧 Lots of lads lads lads on stag parties, and an exhibition about Banksy.

Galeria Krakowska

Kraków's main railway station - Kraków Główny - is located alongside a large shopping centre. As I was leaving to travel to my next destination, I noticed this large mural with European capital cities.