I’ve always loved trains and the idea of long distance rail travel has been in my mind forever. In recent years there has been a spate of TV programs about train travel, most recently featuring the former politician Michael Portillo. His current series Great British Train Journeys, is okay, he dashes around the country and his parrot bright choices of jacket and trousers make up for the fact that he is visiting familiar places. But, it’s his continental rail journeys following Bradshaw’s travel guide that really have me paying attention. So I’m hooked and this is what I got from my Christmas list.
It may not be this year, but I’m optimistic for the future!
If you have a photo for The Daily Post’s optimistic challenge, here’s where you go!
Lucid Gypsy 
Gilly! Like you I have always been intrigued with long distance train travel. My first journey was from Perth (Western Australia) to Melbourne (Victoria) in (I think) 1952.
Last year I “experienced” a similar journey from Kalgoorlie (W.A.) to Sydney (NSW)
The scenery, and the off train excursions were FANTASTIC. But the accommodation………..ABYSSMAL!
Do CHECK out the accommodation before you go. I honestly thought that after some sixty odd years, the cabins would have improved … NO WAY! The staff and the meals, etc were top class…….. I paid top dollar for my berth and it was ABYSMAL. Maybe you are better off “dreaming” and saving your money.
I want to go on a long steam train ride. Having been terrified of them as a youngster, I’ve fallen in love with them now!
Sis, you know that I love train travel. Totally enchanting 😊
Good luck with your travels. Like you, I love going by train. Do you remember when we used to buy the Transalpino tickets for those journeys across Europe?
No, I’ve never head of that one, and I’ve yet to try the European trains. We’ll see, at the moment the book makes it sound complex and I’m not sure that it’s worth going for two weeks. It may have to wait until I retire.
Lovely interpretation, Gilly. We are optimistically looking forward to a trip on theTrans-Siberian railway. Don’t know when it will happen, but it’s on the cards.
I’ve done it Sylvia and it was one of the best experiences of my travelling days. Do it sooner rather than later. I went in 1990 Taking 6 weeks to get from New Zealand to UK
Can’t go anywhere until the work on the house is completed, and we’ve sold this one.
Oh the pressure must be on now Sylvia. When do you have to move out?
We want to sell this one before end of April so that we don’t have to pay double club dues.
Fingers crossed for you…
Thanks so much. Que sera. 🙂
Mike and I are planning to go to Budapest and Prague and to travel between the two by train. Thanks for posting about this, Gilly. I’m ordering it on Amazon!! 🙂
It’s aimed at the American market Cathy, with prices quoted in dollars!
Great Gilly! I will definitely be checking this out!
http://seat61.com/ is a good site for finding out about train tickets in Europe. I think the trip between Budapest and Prague is pretty cheap. My OH travelled from Prague to Vienna and that was a good journey too.
Thanks for the train ticket website, Jude. I’ve bookmarked it and will study it in depth as we start to plan our trip, hopefully in late May. I look forward to going! 🙂
It is a recommended site, good info there. May / June will be lovely in Europe. Not too hot. Though saying that who knows!
I love train travel, and went Interrailing around Europe a couple of times as a student…fabulous! I think I may do more train travel in the future…..
Before my sister and I visited Newfoundland last fall, we played with the idea of a train tour through the Rockies. That idea isn’t off the table yet. When? Do not know.
Enjoy the book and planning your rail adventure. 😀 😀
We have done a three-day rail journey in Canada which was very good, though the bunks were a little small! And we used rail to visit Yosemite from San Fran, trains in the US seem to be slow travel, as they are in Australia. I have been tempted by those 14 day rail holidays to Europe (i.e. the Italian lakes), but not sure about group holidays as I usually book independently. Good prices though. Interrail tickets seem pretty expensive, depending on how many days you want to travel. http://seat61.com/ is a good site for finding rail tickets. I do like travelling by train, it is relaxing and you can read or look at the scenery. Good luck with the dream!
Nice gift of a book – and the show sounds interesting – I wonder how much extra stuff you can see when the train stops at each pick up/ drop off station😊
We have enjoyed rail travel in Europe, so easy and convenient! This was the reason we kept going back since 1995 until last year. 🙂 Love this take on, Gilly!
Let’s get planning, Gilly! We just need to round up Sue and Jude, and maybe grab Meg if she’s still around 🙂 Only joking, unfortunately! I watch the Portillo programmes too. He’s a bit of a sweetheart in his silly jackets. Oh, the dreams I dream…
Happy weekend, darlin’!
Always a new revelation about your predilections. May the train journey eventuate soon – for my sake as well as yours! I love the interstitial feel of roaring along with a window seat and seeing the landscape from the inside. Train travel was the centre of my 70th birthday trip – Ljubljana to Zagreb was my favourite section. I did all the booking in Australia, which was a bit foolish in retrospect. Once a connection in Croatia was cancelled and I was booked Zagreb to Budapest for a meeting with a 5W woman before the next train arrived in Zagreb. (A bus saved the day). I’m excited at the vicarious thought!
A propos of nothing in this post: I just ran across this and thought you might be interested if you haven’t seen it already.
http://electricliterature.com/be-careless-with-your-wishes-a-igoni-barrett-on-the-writing-life-in-nigeria/
That is a fabulous read Meg, thanks so much for that link. I’ve been struggling for a long time to get my writing act back together and at the moment so many things are chivvying at my heels, shouting why aren’t you writing, stop playing about and get on with it.
So do it! Is it a memoir/biography?
A fascinating piece. I’ve signed up, Meg. What a wonderful woman you are! 🙂
Trains are surely a lot of fun and you get to see the countryside so closely. 🙂
I agree, although sometimes it canbe frustrating that they don’t stop so you can have a closer look at a particular place. There’s just so much world to see Nandini!
Thanks to reading Agatha Christie as a child, I’ve always wanted to ride The Orient Express and travel Europe by train in general. Recently I’ve been thinking of booking a west coast train trip that hits San Francisco, Seattle and Portland –all places I’ve never seen.
I LOVE train travel Gilly. My favourite was the Trans Mongolian for 6 weeks back in 1990. I have also travelled on nearly all of the long distance Australian trains. I still have to go on the legendary Ghan. I always dreamed of “doing” the Euro rail, but, sadly it now remains only a dream so I look forward to hopping in your cyber suitcase when you go. 🙂
oh that sounds delightful. i have many wonderful memories of train travel in Europe, including an unforgettable train trip from Moscow down to Simferopol, and then from Simferopol to Leningrad (now Petrograd). the accommodations and comfort levels varied but even so, gotta love train travel.
here’s hoping that you get to try it out, too!
I’ve read this on a magazine. So convenient. How I wish they had this when I was in Italy.
Oops! I was talking about the new train that will be a transport from Italy to Switzerland.
Interesting way to travel … My friend went on a train vacation. Her husband was always fascinated with trains.
I’m not sure if I’d enjoy something like that but it’s worth considerng.
Hope 2016 is the year it will happen for you, Gilly.
😎
I did a train travel too and loved it… Optimism is good! ❤