Warming up inside Ottobrunn Railway Station
Incidentally, I grew up at a time when there were still real railway stations. Even the smallest villages, like Ottobrunn must have been at the time, had them. There was a waiting area with wooden benches, some heating and restrooms. In the waiting areas, you sometimes felt a draught, but mostly it was nice and warm. But that is now a thing of the past.
And this week, when it was really cold, Barbara and yours truly went to the theatre and had to wait at Ottobrunn railway station. The temperature was around minus 15 degree Celsius, there was quite a cold easterly wind – and the S-Bahn train was, again, late. By ten minutes – which is the maximum penalty you can get when they are supposed to arrive every 20 minutes.
So it is brutally cold – and basically, there is no closed hall at Ottobrunn railway station, just a few token shelters. Basically? On the left hand corner of the building on the picture, you can see the money machine of the Sparda Bank, can’t you? Right next to the ServiceStore (note the morpheme they created!). Inside the Sparda bank, it is at least not quite as cold as outside on the platform.
So – we summon the total sum of our civil courage and walk in. The door opens automatically. After all, everybody can enter these days. A few other persons follow our (poor) example. I am now turning criminal? Or am I stirring others towards a misdeed, or, even worse, am I now a gang-leader? There is no doubt that we are using someone else’s private property to our own advantage!
Actually, until recently there was even a sign. It said that you are only permitted to enter this room if you conduct bank business. No other business! Well, it was not actually printed like this on the sign. And it is not important what exactly the sign said – it is no longer there, anyway. Perhaps the Sparda wanted to demonstrate how humane and lavish they are? Or maybe they knew that the sign was useless and therefore took it off? Or was it vandalism? Or all of these things together?
I do not know. I am bored and therefore read another sign. It says that the room is video controlled. The tapes will be saved. Oh God! I hope no evil element is standing next to me, some terrorist or V-man or the like. You never know these days, do you?
In particular, you will be filmed if you are doing some money transaction on the money machine. It says so on the sign. Or something of the sort. Is that how the Sparda is admonishing us that a non-customer has no business in here?
Now I am at a total loss. I do not even know why I write about this. Perhaps my brains have been affected by the cold?
No, I just find the legal situation interesting. Just like I also find the it interesting to ask why I should have to pay for downloading a song even if I bought it years ago as a gramophone record or CD (or both) and have heard it on the radio a hundred times already.
RMD
(Translated by EG)
Loading ...