I’ve got a real soft spot for train travel.
A few hours of staring at the scenery flashing by is guaranteed to put me back on an even keel. Especially if the view is courtesy of Cross Country or East Coast trains (used to be GNER) just south of Edinburgh where East Coast means exactly that:
pic by EGFocus because I forgot to take one (CC applies)
Old pic, but the view is still the same. I miss GNER.
At the same time, I can’t resist checking out my fellow passengers and trying to guess where they’re going to (or coming back from) and why. In such close proximity, you also tend to learn loads of interesting stuff just by overhearing, like:
– the pros and cons of university education in Edinburgh v. Glasgow
– why old ladies never go anywhere without a coat
– why working in Saudi Arabia isn’t very practical if you’ve got kids
It’s like a mini Interesting on rails.
Not only that, but chose a quiet enough train and you get a mobile desk all to yourself, complete with laptop power point (and distracting view) – but goodness knows what my fellow passengers made of all my flipcharts yesterday:
Anyway, long-ish distance train travel. Highly recommended. Just bring your own food.