Trains Are Fun? Sexy, Even?
by Kyeann Sayer, Nomad on 11.13.06
What's your favorite train tale? Or train-focused film?
When researching an overnight journey from Paris to Rome I came across a convincing Night Train From Hell admonition. This especially got me: "There's a point in an adult's life when second class is not worth it." Well! Wanting to feel like a grown-up, I sought a first class ticket at the SCNF office, but was too late and would have to share my couchette with five strangers. Luckily, they were all charming: a young Italian woman working in Versailles, a brother and sister pair from the Paris suburbs (he in high school, reading Sartre and speaking Russian!), a young Florentine in French military school, and a bubbly older Italian woman. We shared our food stocks, and laughed and talked in four different languages. Finally, the sister offered a cup of sleep-inducing herbal tea from her thermos, we converted our seats to beds, and I put in ear plugs, read a bit, and drifted off. After a solid eight hours of sleep, and freshening up in the clean WC, we pulled into sunny Roma. Lovely.
Later, on the journey from Rome to Switzerland, I met a handsome stranger. For real!
He helped with my bags as I switched onto a new train in Milan, and ended up assigned to the seat diagonal from me in our quad. I found myself stealing glances at his curly, black hair, and ridiculous blue/green eyes. After nearly everyone disembarked in Como, my Voltaic solar backpack broke the ice. He turned out to be from Basque Country, and an aspiring industrial designer in a sustainable design program in Turin. The rest of the journey became a too-short combination of intense, though somewhat language-inhibited, exchanges about eco-topics and awe at the stunning peak and lake views we met at the end of each tunnel.
Yes, I did fly to Europe in the first place, but while there wanted to keep the transit choices as eco as possible. In neither case did forgoing the discount airline options to reduce carbon output feel like a sacrifice. In fact, in second class, I felt like quite a responsible grown-up. And despite past arguments that we don't need random men to make train travel worthwhile, who wouldn't advocate the good, old-fashioned chance meeting? ::
I think trains are definitely romantic. I'm positive the Nigerian couple on the Milan-Rome train thought so too; they had sex in the bunk below me! I really like the opportunity to meet other people, to talk for a while. Not like a quick plane trip. Plus the scenery is amazing.
I totally agree! Train is one of the best ways to travel, especially in Europe. Airports are out in the middle of nothing (mainly because of the noise pollution) but train station (by their nature) are in the centre of everything!
I once had sex on a Amtrak. Can't say it was the best of my life, but the views of the Hudson River are really astonishing. Sunken castles are always romantic.
When I was taking the train from Paris to Florence years ago I met 3 beautiful german women in the bar car. After drinking together for several hours they left to turn in, then one turned and asked if I would like to join them. The 3 of them had the 4 bunk cabinette to themselves, so we had privacy for a bit of fun between the 4 of us. Never experienced anything like that since and I'm guessing I won't ever, but it remains a fond memory! The sad thing about fast trains is there won't be fun times like this.
My fiance and I recently took a 1st class sleeper from Paris to Nice and it was amazing and romantic to fall asleep to the gentle rocking of a speeding train. We woke up shortly before arriving, and were refreshed enough to drop our packs at the hostel and run down to the beach. train travel is wonderful.
When I was taking the train from Paris to Florence years ago I met 3 beautiful german women in the bar car. After drinking together for several hours...
Hehe - Penthouse Letters...
we LOVE trains!
LA to St. Barb.
LA to Anaheim for a Sox / Angels game.
LA to San Diego for free beers at Sea World.
clean. fun. cocktails.
I have just booked tickets from London to Milan over the Christmas break.( stopping over in Brussels) to visit family. It will take a full day's travel rather than 2 hrs on a plane. But I specifically made this choice for environmental reasons, to limit my own ecological footprint. And I can afford to: the trip not only lasts at least 3 times as long but is also 3( yes,THREE!)times as expensive.( in second class) ( almost the equivalent of a return economy trip to US East Coast from London). As long as flying is this cheap, people will continue to do so, with the polluting effects as a result,...
Its about time that governments globally get into action and urgently bring in green taxes to tax polluting planes, and put this money to cleaner fuel technologies - it shouldnt be this much more expensive to be less polluting! ( although ofcourse according to the Stern report,we will be paying a high price for these polluting decisions later on,...)Ofcourse' this is not a popular decision' is heard many times over,...
As long as flying is this cheap, people will continue to do so, with the polluting effects as a result,...
Trains put out pollution. You ever consider why it's so expensive in the first place?