when travelling was a pleasure

WHEN TRAVELLING WAS A PLEASURE

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I still remember when the last time my Parents came to stay with me, on the morning of their departure I was awoken at 4am in the morning by the sound of them pacing heels clicking up and down on the parquet floor outside my bedroom. I did not have to set off for the airport until 7am but they were anxious. Not of flying; but the general process that modern travel now entails. They came from a different age (as I did); an age where terrorism was not a threat to travellers; dressing up to travel was the norm; as in their words "you never know who you might meet". To this day my Mother still always looks fabulous when she travels and when I have travelled, no doubt still following my Parents example, and/or maybe my ole school upbringing; I have nearly always been upgraded. Women travelling ‘back then’ along with a handbag, ladies also carried a vanity case as hand luggage, filled with necessary toiletries, cosmetics, medicines, jewellery and fresh lingerie, for freshening up on route or just in case the checked luggage did not turn up at the intended destination. It was an age when the comfort and well being of passengers was equally as important as the profits. Today I know my Mother would find the whole process stressful.



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Quite frankly; so do I. Nowadays you have to pay an awful lot of money to get the kind of service and courtesy's those previous generations expected as the norm. For example some UK airport, and others world-wide ones now charges a extortionate fee to all cars merely dropping off or picking up relatives and friends outside the airport terminal, regardless of how brief the stay is, I dare say other airports are following suit.



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When one was travelling for pleasure the journey used to be as important as the destination but today it's all about the destination. Necessary but stringent airport security, the advent of low cost travel, increasing travelling populations, a general drop in standards and cuts due to the current economic climate all have to be factored in. I personally don't think many of us and the newer travel generation get excited about the journey any more.

Now that is what I call “A Traveller”.

Or could it be a “Show-Off”?



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It's no wonder so many of us older generation’ get nostalgic about how it used to be, especially rail travel, my last UK train experience (from London to Sheffield in 2003) was expensive and dire.



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Of course there are ways to make today’s travel experience more palatable, thanks to the internet, most of us are in charge of our own travel arrangements, we can shop around for the best deals, check up on the latest security requirements and with careful and cunning packing can beat low cost airlines extremely stingy baggage allowances. I do recommend dressing well but comfortably because you just never no who you may meet or when you might be upgraded.

THE ORIENT EXPRESS



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For the nostalgic amongst us there are still opportunities for glamorous travel, if you have deep pockets the Orient Express, Venice Simplon-Orient-Express, The Blue Train or Rovos Rail in South Africa is still number one for luxurious travel to beautiful exotic tropical destinations.

Then one can also travel on the Danube Express in Europe



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Even the British Pullman Northern Belle also known as 'Orient-Express of the North'

has carriages of the Orient-Express and still evoke this very essence of gallant adventure; a reflection of the classic 'Belle' trains of the 1930s that entranced and inspired as they traversed all corners of the British Isles.



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The Royal Scotsman has also much nostalgia of a by gone Great British Rail travel.



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The Blue Train is unique - it is not merely a train, but combines the luxury of

the world's leading hotels with the charm of train travel. Think of it as an all inclusive luxury rail cruise with an opportunity to view South Africa's spectacular landscapes and visit interesting tourist attractions along the way.



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Rovos Rail lets you capture the romance and atmosphere of a bygone era. Experience

the magic and mystery of Africa in a relaxed and elegant fashion.



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Then one could even opt for The Eastern & Oriental Express which is the

finest luxury train journey in Asia. It runs through the lush beauty of the Malay Peninsula, from Singapore to Kuala Lumpur, then into Thailand to its vibrant capital, Bangkok, offering the most privileged access to the wonders of the region.



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As An Alternative – THE POPPY LINE

In Norfolk, Britain you can relive the past and take a very reasonably priced nostalgic trip on a vintage steam train on the Poppy Line, over stunning countryside, you can even dress up in vintage as amongst other things they hold a 1940's weekend and period murder, mystery events. Or one of the many re-opened Heritage and Private Railways which were originally closed by British Railways under the Beeching cuts in the 1960’s.



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LE TRAIN BLEU

A particular favourite for me would have to be lunch or dinner at Le Train Bleu at the

Gare de Lyon in Paris, it's the full glamour, old world travel experience whether your catching a train or not. However, should you be in the Vienna (Austria) area, and prepared to take time-off from the traditional tourist haunts, then there are a few nostalgic coffee houses and old world restaurants on the outskirts of the city. Drinking a Mélange, Verlängert Kaffee mit Schlagobers or having a meal in an atmosphere that still exists as if it is the era of Maria Theresia and Kaiser Francis Joseph.



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I (too) used to travel to my Grandmother in Friesach (Southern Austria – Kaernten) from Victoria Station, London to Villach Westbahnhof (on a branch – off - carriage to Klagenfurt) through the 50/60’s from Boarding School in the UK. I know that in 1951 the Tauern - Express actually started in Oostende and went to Belgrade, then in 1953 the service was extended to Athens. This was in combination with the Simplon – Orient - Express and as far as I know lasted until 1962, which then saw the end of the train system Simplon - Orient and Balt - Orient and Tauern - Express. For some reason, I don’t know the answer but The Balt – Orient - Express then did the route to Berlin and Bucharest.

The Simplon – Orient - Express was then replaced by the ‘Direct - Orient’ and started in Paris - Milan - Istanbul/Athens and they even had ‘branch - off’ carriages to Warsaw - Sofia (also known as the Polonia - Express) and ‘branch - off - carriages to Munich – Athens. In 1966 there was a Tauern - Orient - Express that started in Munich - Istanbul/Athens. A train was available from Oostende and in Munich one could change trains. This Tauern - Orient - Express was locally known as the Gastarbeiterzug (Guest Worker Train) because of the many Yugoslavs and Turks working in Germany using this service to go back home during the vacation time. If you had the misfortune to travel during one of these periods one could expect to stand or sit in the corridors for the whole journey to Yugoslavia and/or Greece as it



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was jam packed. This service stopped in 1979 (I think). However in 1962 they also introduced an Austria - Express from Hoek van Holland that extended to Athens (instead of Tauern - Express), apparently I was informed that it was stopped in 1965 due to constant late - running. In Oostende were a couple of branch off wagons that joined the Austrian Express in Koeln (Cologne).

During my study days I was an avid ‘InterRail’ user during the summer holidays, travelling by train at night (sleeping) and visiting different places during the day. At school and at Uni I always had the latest “Thomas Cooks Continental Rail Timetable’ as a reading companion. At one time I even dreamed of becoming a Compagnie Internationale des Wagons-Lits sleeping car attendant, but that was only a dream.



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I did however learn a lot of tricks travelling by train in Europe. For example: When I travelled to Klagenfurt. I always left the ‘branch – off - wagon’ at Villach Westbahnhof and caught an express (Romilus) that passed through from Italy and would arrive in Klagenfurt roughly an hour earlier than the original ‘branch – off – wagons. If the Romilus was late it was still quicker to take the Blauer Blitz; an Austrian domestic local commuter (Express) trains, which got me into Klagenfurt approximately 15 minutes earlier than the original Tauern Express train. I did once take the Tauern Express in the 60’s travelling from London Victoria right through to Athens. As I had a Wagon Lit sleeper I had to changing at Munich (The sleepers were taken off in Munich). The train continued through Austria and in Ljubljana and Zagreb (Former Yugoslavia) the train split (now that’s a pun!) it carriages.

One part went to Split the other continued to Belgrade and then onto Istanbul. The service that went to Split then returned back to Zagreb and then continued down to Athens also via Belgrad. I remember how elegant the rolling stock was when the Tauern was rather new, but as the years went by it all became rather a shabby express, I think because the damage done with



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the guest workers to the carriages/rolling stock the internal rail companies only used their worst wagons or intercontinental cross over and kept their best rolling stock on their local domestic services. Another memorabilia from the Tauern and/or Austrian Express; originally they had an excellent restaurant service, it was then cut down to a buffet service, then the service was completely dropped. Most likely because the train was so jam packed; nobody could move around, least of all; the buffet service that used to go through the carriages. Travelling from Oostende and not having anything to eat; the journey Oostende to Salzburg took approximately 18 hours, therefore the ½ to ¾ hour or even more stop over at Salzburg to clear customs etc. (Although the main customs formalities actually took place travelling between Rosenheim – Salzburg). The best Wurst-Semmel mit senf (Two Frankfurters, a roll and mustard) I have ever tasted was from the platform - roller - buffet at Salzburg station. This ‘first’ Wurst-Semmel was so good I usually ended up eating three lots. But then if one has not eaten anything for some 18 hours, anything taste great.

Having living near Mombasa (Kenya) for many, many years I still travelled (when time allows)

between Mombasa and Nairobi and visa versa on the overnight sleeper, known as The Lunatic Express, the service (when travelling first class and second class) is full

Hotel (Sleeping – car), a la carte and breakfast service (Full board) - 12 to 15 hour journey for some 330 miles; but it has taken up to 40 hours for the journey as well. The train that left a day later has sometimes arrived before the one one took the day before. Remember this is Africa but sheer bliss and relaxation if one has time to waste and have no deadlines to meet at either end



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Well I hope I have not bored you with my memorabilia of the Tauern Express era, sadly I think these times of intercontinental Europe rail travels have now left us for good. Just as the nostalgic air travel is no more. Kids today don’t know what they missed back then. Today it seems to be the norm for a cheap budget flight to some over crowded tourist destination for a week or two of binge drinking???????

If you are on a tight budget, then this would be an alternative to consider for your next travel arrangements:-

The traveller sees what he sees. The tourist sees what he has come to see. The world is a book, and those who do not travel, read only a page.

If you’re travelling this weekend, by any means, I wish you Bon Voyage.

when travelling was a pleasure

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