My aunt and I are taking a flight soon.

[peacebuzzard]

67. sounds like five star Germany has devolved to the norms of the rest of the world....

omg I am disappointed, I have always thought the best of everything happened there. I love the german style bread they make at a restaurant I frequent when in South America. It beats anything I have savored in other places. My German friend called it (sorry about misspelling) something like Brot Rustical (rustic bread?) It wasn't made in Germany but was a German style recipe for bread made in South America by a top notch baker. I live for great bread I think.
When traveling I prefer cash myself. I had an overcharge on my credit card from a taxi driver in Lisbon when I was there for a trip with no plans to return any time soon. I was surprised my own US based bank rep made my life difficult when I reported the error of the taxi fare. I was overcharged 96 US dollars The fare was 4. Since then, I vowed to only use cash unless certain I would return to that business or service in the future. They finally reconciled maybe 6 weeks later after I wrote 5 or 6 messages; spoke to 5 or 6 reps and so on. It took the right person on the opposite end to realize where I was, where the overcharge occurred and no, I had no way to contact this taxi driver. It took a month of explaining before anyone said they would contact the charging bank's issuing card. I wasted so much time on that overcharge. In addition I have heard of so many coworkers and others ripped off at the ATMs in South America due to some kind of card reader hidden in the vicinity or in the ATMs. Whole paychecks disappear while on a trip if a card is used where there are hackers with some sort of reader system.

Decades ago I rode the city connector trains in London and Paris but they were crowded, and standing room only. Those European trains were very much like the subway in Manhattan/ Jersey which are definitely a push shove find a spot to hang on experience. It is always rush hour in NY/NJ.

The only train I have had the deep pleasure of riding in is the Road Runner in New Mexico. Many residents complained because they had just improved the highway between Albuquerque and Santa Fe. But the NM road runner is a thing of immense beauty. You can leave your car behind and go from the Albuquerque train station to the Santa Fe downtown rail station, all the while admiring desert scenes. It really makes for a pleasant trip. I have never seen it too crowded at all. Always a seat or several to choose from. The drive on the other hand is for professionals only. You have to climb the altitude to Santa Fe which I think is close to 7K. Albuquerque surprisingly is 5K. The drive is curvy, the road is new so people think they can beat a bullet train with their shiny car. The Road Runner is not a bullet train and it makes multiple stops in native settlements along the way.
Commuter and transaction Life in the Americas sounds like life in Germany at this point. Maybe the Azores or Finland, Norway or Sweden might be the place to go.