Tuesday, February 24, 2009

Why I love trains

One of my fondest memories of living in Europe was of all the trains you can take to go places: the Chunnel from Paris to London, the train to Provence, the overnight train to Spain (this one in particular was my favorite, especially when the conductor came in to your compartment to convert the seats into bunk beds, and then the next morning you woke up and looked out the window to find the train chugging along, clinging to the side of a mountain with nothing between you and God but a sheer drop to the bottom. Awesome).

Anyway, I was reminded of how much I love trains because I recently started taking the commuter train to and from work instead of the subway, and I am in love. It is wonderful. My new mode of transport cuts my commute down by almost 45 minutes, there are no tourists or smelly people, and you can see the river and the boats docked on the marina as the train approaches the city, whistles bellowing. It's lovely. I also especially love the moment when you detrain on the platform and look up at the giant train waiting there; it reminds me of the Hogwarts Express and of old 1940s war movies.

And these are why I love trains.

4 comments:

Highmaintenancemom said...

Your commute to & from work sounds so lovely! So much better than me driving, sitting in traffic, with smoke coming out of my ears!

By the way, I think i've never been on a train!

Zuzana said...

Totally agree with you! Being a nervous flier, I love trains; wonderful way of transportation. And as you know, trains in Europe are highly developed with a high standard.;)
I did not know you lived in Europe; when and where?

Hazel Designs said...

HMM, I think I would have awful road rage if I had to navigate the roads to and from work everyday, so I sympathize completely!

Hazel Designs said...

Protege, Europe's trains are awesome, aren't they? I lived in Paris for about 5 months during my college semester abroad; it wasn't nearly long enough for me!