Get back to my seat after a coffee in the BordBistro and there’s a grumpy woman sat there.
Ok, I didn’t leave something literally on the seat, but there were three bags on the rack above the seat. In those circumstances I’d ask fellow passengers if the seat were indeed free. Nothing was reserved.
And then when I moved myself and bags to another seat she didn’t even acknowledge this.
I still after all these years in Germany find this behaviour rather impolite.
@partim I normally do that yes. But given the train was so empty I didn’t, but I find it a little odd still. And then ok, there’s confusion, but the passenger could then acknowledge the confusion.
@partim@jon When I returned from the Netherlands by ICE a few weeks ago I found a nice suitable (window fitting!) seat. After 40 minutes some guy showed up telling me that it's his reserved seat so I had to remain at the entrance door then.
PLEASE (!) put something on your seat showing other passengers that you're sitting there to avoid these situations!
@wrzlbrnft@partim sure, I should have put something there. And I then moved, ok. And I’m only going 30 min further so no big problem. But as a passenger if there’s a doubt, ask. Try to accommodate the other person. It’s basic politeness.
@jon Of course you're right. As an autistic person I often don't have the nerve in these situations so I just pack up my stuff and give up the seat, mostly annoyed (nothing personal, but I often have difficulties to control myself then until I cooled down again).
So, clearly visible signals are always a welcome help. 😅 @partim
@jon@wrzlbrnft Not saying you are wrong, but politeness is a cultural thing. In certain parts of Germany,* starting to talk to strangers is considered impolite.
Like, the one I am from. I still have a hard time with it in German but am totally okay in English. The brain is a funny thing.
@wrzlbrnft@jon The East German kursbuch actually listed the rule “mark it or loose it” (and explained in detail what qualified as marked) in its travel information section. Since back then you always travelled with a kursbuch, this came in handy to end any possible discussion.
@jon I've once had someone remove my bag from my seat in a crowded ICE while I was on the toilet. I didn't have the seat reserved, sure, but I was there first. I didn't want to make a scene so I just moved and sat next to the doors for the rest of my trip.
@jon Maybe they're going on holiday? A beer is the classic after-work drink in Germany (you may know "Kein Bier vor vier"), so I know people who start their holiday journey with a beer regardless of the time. And they evidently aren't driving! 👍
@partim the answer, broadly, is yes. They’ll then license what they aggregate through their own API. Building a Europe-wide tool is technically ready to go - but finance and scaling it is an issue.
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