Thoughts About Train Travel

I pity the engineer who was assigned the task of designing one train seat to fit every body shape. Statistically, there's a bell curve of leg lengths, so accommodating the short child and the lanky legged, while squeezing as many bodies as possible into these coaches must have been a nightmare for him or her.

My feeling after ten hours: see drawing.

It took me 12 hours before I figured out how to best arrange my seat, tray, carry on, and foot rest for minimal leg cramping.

I also had to improvise making my own pillow. I stuffed my socks, unders, and tee shirts into the sleeve of my jacket, resulting a trail of socks, unders, and tee shirts leaking out the wrist area. Next segment, bring a pillow and blanket.

Falling asleep on a train is easy. I bet I did it one hundred times last night.

Don't leave in the evening. Pulling out of a train station during the day affords beautiful scenery that will offset the inevitable onset of leg cramps (unless you're a demure and whispy young woman like my seatmate who travelled with ease lounging on her reclined seat).

Flying and Train Travel Compared

If a train engine fails you don't have far to fall.

Trains have wider aisles so you can pace, stretch, and visit the dinning car for $8 sandwiches.

Trains give you longer time to schmooze with follow passengers, like the Polish mother of two seated next to me who claimed to be a medium, palm reader, intuitive interpreter of the magic of names, astrologer, sees angels ("They look like rainbows,"), and who kindly offered me a cough drop.

Boarding a train requires less sceening for possible terroroists. Nobody can hijack a train and run it into a building.

But then, bandits can't put rocks on the track and steal our strong box filled with gold.

Our train had no WiFi. Let's hope that changes for the next 11 segments (I have until December 19 to take 11 more journeys. If I play my cards right l'll end up in Bellingham just in time for Christmas).

Train travel is not for the agoraphobic, germophobic, or claustrophobic. But then, I guess air travel isn't either.

Plane travel is quicker.