Commercial: [insert relevant Germans / railway joke]

Just to reinforce any lingering cultural stereotypes that you might have had about our cousins on the Rhine; when you get a chance, head over to Bahn.de, where, no word of a lie, it's actually quicker to plan your rail journeys... in the UK.

I'm not joking. Above's the screen for when you plug in a short hop from London to Oxford. Click on the image for full details. When I tried to enter a similar journey on National Rail, from Berlin to Hamburg, it asked me whether I meant Bodmin Parkway to Ardrossan Harbour.

Thanks to Ms Malice for the tip, who I believe is currently running round the Fatherland as we write.