My trip finally begins : Tonight, the :european_sleeper: 453 will bring me in a comfortable wagon-lits to Berlin, the first stop of my #FOSSRail trip from 🇧🇪 Brussels to 🇹🇭 Bangkok connecting the FOSDEM with the FOSSASIA by train.

I will spend the next two weeks on trains across 12 countries and 11.000 km on rails.

May the games begin ✊🏽.

#FOSSRail #FOSDEM #FOSSASIA #CrossBorderRail #TeamNightTrain

One step further : After a cuddly journey with @char and @ellie in a comfortable wagon-lits of the :european_sleeper: 453, we arrived perfectly on time for our transfer in Berlin for the local train replacements in towards Erkner and Frankfurt (Oder).

Next major destination : Warsaw 🎉.

#FOSSRail

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Due to exceptional terminus of Frankfurt(Oder) of the Germany - Poland :pkpic: EIC trains these days, we're taking the comfortable :odeg: Desiro HC regional trains for 45 minutes before reaching our :db: 🤝🏽 :pkpic: :kb_ec: finally bringing us to Warsaw.

#FOSSRail #CrossBorderRail

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The :vbb: vending machine is not able to sell tickets over the border from Frankfurt(Oder) to Rzepin. There is no other vending machine nor a ticket counter. So a national :pkpic: online ticket from Rzepin to Warszara it is and we will ask the conductor so sell us the international part onboard.

#FOSSRail #CrossBorderRail #CrossBorderFail

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After 4 hours in the :db: 🤝🏽 :pkpic: EIC, we arrived in Warsaw. Two hours of transfer here allowed me to exchange some currency and grab some food before boarding the connecting :pkpic: 🤝🏽 :ltg: IC "Wigry" bringing me across the Lithuanian border to 🇱🇹 Mockava for the transfer towards Vilnius.

#FOSSRail #CrossBorderRail #Wigry #Baltics

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It's -20 °C outside and slowly the heating of the :pkpic: carriage struggles with the outside temperature ❄️.

#FOSSRail

After four more hours, my :pkpic: IC finally arrived in Mockava providing a transfer to the broad gauge train Vilnius for the dozen passengers onboard.

I'm joining the :ltg: Pesa 630MiL unit up to my final destination of today : Kaišiadorys, a village in the outskirts of Vilnius saving me some travel time.

That was quite a stout beginning for my first travel section : Brussels - Vilnius, 30 h travel time staight without break.

#FOSSRail #CrossBorderRail #Lithuania

Arriving in Kaisiadorys, #FOSSRail day two ends. 900 km further east and five countries crossed so far, I'm prepared to get up early tomorrow morning in order to catch the Baltic express connection bringing me across Latvia to the Estonian-Russian border.

#WhatsMissing : a night train Berlin/Praha/Krakow - Warszawa - Kaunas - Riga - Tallinn 🙄.

Good night !

#FOSSRail #CrossBorderRail #Lithuania #Baltics #RailBaltica

#FOSSRail day three : Today's mission is crossing the Baltics via Riga, Valga and Tapa to Narva before leaving European ground into the eastern direction.

After a short walk out in the cold, at first a :ltg: Skoda EJ 575 will bring me on my first few kilometers towards the Baltic's Express route for half an hour. The train is comfortable, snacks and drinks are provided at seat and the tables are perfectly fine for working on my laptop.

#FOSSRail #CrossBorderRail #Lithuania #Latvia #Estonia #RailBaltica

Good day Riga !

After a short stop, our :ltg: LTG Link train resumed its travels now operated by :vivi: in the direction of Valga at the Estonian border. The train is comfortable and much less crowded than during the Lithuanian section.

I'm exhausted of the short night, stressed from work and hungry - but my desired lunch sadly needs to wait up to Estonia.

Northbound and further northbound.

#FOSSRail #CrossBorderRail #Latvia #Estonia

Border crossed into Estonia. The :ltg: LTG Link train terminates here and passengers need to change to the :elron: Elron train on the opposite track.

Due to frozen tracks, we collected an hour of delay, my connection to Narva will therefore not be possible. After some mediation by fellow passengers, the train manager proposed me to travel over to Talinn for the next train to Narva arriving at 10:06 p.m. - quite a challenge with the border post closing at 11 p.m.

I'm exhausted but taking everything easy and relaxed, in either way, I will be able to find a hotel on Narva if the border is already closed.

#FOSSRail #CrossBorderRail #Estonia

The transfer to Narva couldn't wait. I decided to hop in the train on the opposite track on Tapa and hereby arrived in Tallinn for tonight where I could finally get some delicious food.

The day was exhausting and I'm glad I made the most difficult part of my #FOSSRail trip : Crossing western Europe and the Baltics with only two short daytime journeys left before reaching the Trans Kazakhstan Railway.

So far, day three of my journey.

#FOSSRail #Estonia

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@lewd Love you journey! Keep going and good luck

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