My journey around India in 80 trains
Then one drizzly November morning I read an article celebrating how India’s domestic airlines could now connect 80 cities. Curious, I pulled up a map and pored over the routes, wondering how long it would take to fly around India in 80 planes. However, the cost – and the thought of leaving a gargantuan carbon footprint – held little appeal and I dismissed the prospect of a grand adventure … until I noticed a network of threads running all over the map, thick arteries fraying into the finest of capillaries. They reached into every nook and cranny, winding up mountains, hemming in the coast, stringing cities and states together. This was Indian Railways, the lifeblood that keeps the country’s heart beating. [theguardian.com]
Crossing Donner Summit when Sierra wears its white winter coat
If I had to pick a trip I’d do again that didn’t involve hiking above 10,000 feet or trekking 10 miles across alluvial fans and remote canyons in Death Valley but simply sitting back and relaxing, it would be riding Amtrak’s California Zephyr from Sacramento to Reno. It’s a three-hour and 25-minute one-way ride when Amtrak is on time that gives you an entirely different perspective of heading up and over Donner Summit. It is a stunning, leisurely trip. And the best time to do it is after the snow has started falling for earnest in the winter. A bit of background first. While I’m in what might be called a passionate love affair with the high country of the mid-Sierra on both sides of the Range of Light’s crest, my first love was Donner Summit. [escalontimes.com]
The world’s ‘best’ luxury train is in the UK — and it sells out a year in advance
The UK’s Belmond British Pullman was named the best luxury train journey in the world by Condé Nast Travelers 2020 Readers Choice Awards. The train comprises 11 carriages, each with its own name and history, restored to their art deco glory. They epitomize 1920s and 1930s glamor, harkening back to the ‘Golden Age’ of train travel. The Belmond British Pullman train is sister to the legendary Venice Simplon-Orient-Express. One of the carriages from the original transcontinental service was once caught in a snowdrift outside Istanbul for 10 days, an incident which inspired Agatha Christie’s classic novel ‘Murder on the Orient Express.’ The Belmond British Pullman has its very own murder mystery lunch journey. Other trips include train rides to the cities of Canterbury and Bath, known for their well-preserved, historical architecture. The train normally departs from London Victoria station. [cnbc.com]
Pandemic travel: a cross-country train trip from Portland
The Empire Builder’s route is one of the most scenic in America, and as a frequent traveler between the Midwest and Portland Oregon, the author has adopted the long-distance Amtrak train — which runs between Chicago and the Northwest — as his preferred means of moving east and west. Traveling in August, the pandemic put his love for the train to the test as his roomette – once seen as a luxury – became a necessity and communal meals served in the dining car were replaced with trays delivered to his compartment. The atmosphere seemed tubercular, yet the route’s beauty was undiminished. [pdxmonthly.com]
