Love Train

The Germans have put an interesting spin on the speed dating trend. On Friday, February 13th, a group of singles climbed aboard the Flirt Express in hopes of making a love match on Valentine’s Eve.

For the second time – last year was the inaugral event – German train operator Deutsche Bahn has offered the free event. The Flirt Express took place in 10 different German cities. Singles that ranged in age from their late teens to late middle-age.

Standing in nervous circles, clutching plastic cups and looking potential partners up and down, the party-goers listen as the Deutsche Bahn moderator runs through the evening’s rules.

For Cupid’s arrow to strike on the Flirt-Express, it has to be love at first sight. Each encounter is brief: three minutes to chat and size each other up. Women sit in the same seat for the entire trip and the men change places.

I like this idea. I spent a lot of time on the train when I was a kid, traveling back and forth between my mother’s home and my father’s home. There’s something about being inside the train, the world flying by outside, it’s a unique feeling.