Yes, I have done a lot of pretty expensive things, but I would rather do expensive things than own expensive things. I took the most expensive wine train I could in Napa, and I am so glad I did. Though it was only a day trip, I have great memories. I love trains. A few years back a client sent me over to Antwerp twice. I flew into Amsterdam and took the train from there. It might have been business, but it was a a wonderful experience.
I think one reason my ex and I are still friends is that we can talk about: Seeing a triple rainbow over the ruins of a castle in Scotland; buying water from a little old lady on a nearly deserted stretch of the Grate Wall of China miles north of where the tourist usually go; listening to the dump trucks emptying dumpsters filled with broken dishes in the Plaka, in Athens, Greece; stopping for a picnic next to a small lake in Spain; and even taking our niece and her friend for a week at Orlando. He sort of shares my travels now, via video calling and my blog.
I complete agree about ear plugs. I use Flents Quiet Please for their comfort and high Db rating. Sadly, there was a time when the rhythm of the rails was soothing. With all the poorly maintained tracks these days thatās no longer the case.
That looks like an old time Zephyr Lounge car in one of those photos. The car with the rounded back end that goes on the end of the consist. Those things were gorgeous back in tne day.
@Leo it uses cars built by Belmond, the same company that built and runs the train from Cusco to Machu Picchu. Did you ride that train on your visits there?
The paradise for train buffs is Switzerland. Not only the does it have regular service at least once an hour into the most remote valleys, the country also features the most scenic train journeys in the Alps, like the Bernina Express, the Glacier Express, the Golden Pass, the Gotthard Express and many more. Definitely worth a visit and combine all the scenic trains on the Grand Train Tour of Switzerland. And it is extremely convenient as the Swiss Travel Pass does cover all those trains, plus boats, buses and urban transportation system in just one affordable ticket.
A timely article in the London Evening Standard about great rail trips in Europe:
As weāve been mentioning possibilities for @Leoās bucket list, Iāll pick out the West Highland Line from Fort William to Mallaig. Some of the most beautiful scenery in Scotland, the setting for the Hogwarts Express in the Harry Potter films, and if you travel in the summer there are steam hauled trains twice a day which are essentially the same train as in the films.
Getting there from London and back again, Iād suggest going one way on the overnight Caledonian Sleeper between London Euston and Fort William (Caledonian double room with ensuite shower), and the other way using the daytime high speed train between London Kingās Cross and Edinburgh because the scenery on that route is so spectacular. At one point you are right on the the edge of the land so from one side of the train the view is all ocean. First Class recommended for comfort, space and meals served at your seat.
There are frequent fast trains between Edinburgh and Glasgow and Fort William to fill in that part of the trip, and of course both cities are wonderful places to visit as well.
For anyone wanting to track or plan a train journey in Europe, hereās a website specialising in rail-focussed maps in that region. Print and pdf versions available.
And, just for @Leo, the Czech Republic has a bus and rail network called Leo Express.
