Is life an Orient Express?

After exploring the beautiful Athens, before moving forward to my next big vacation I had a little weekend escape in a less than ordinary form of traveling. I don't know about you, but I always found trains to be very mysterious. And to be honest every time when I travel by train, I disconnect completely from any worry, it's like you enter a time-space bubble where everything is possible and your mind is completely free. In all the movies and all the books, when the character goes in a train, something unexpected happens.

This form of travel is not only mysterious but also very sexy and romantic, two strangers meeting on a tight corridor or sharing the same small compartment..well that is always a good start for a story. It is also about living in the moment, you left behind everything, you don't know exactly what you will find where your're going, you only have this stationary moment in a train moving through time and space.

Some people might say they get bored stuck in the same place for so many hours, but I believe that if you let your imagination take control you can discover some really interesting things. Who knows, when you get off the train you can be a completely different person. No matter what, accept the challenge, it is in your path for a reason. Don't be afraid to lose some baggage or make room for new experiences.

Before moving further, let's also look at this from a more practical perspective:

- Why better by train then by plane: a lot more freedom of movement, sometimes travelling by train can even be compared to going to a nice bar/restaurant specially if you know how to find the bar carriage in the train.

- Why better by train then by car: again the freedom of movement, but also a lot more relaxation. When travelling by car, even if you are not the driver, you still absorb a little bit from the driver's focus on the road.

So yes, travelling by train is sexy, mysterious, romantic, more relaxing and provides a lot more freedom than any other form of travelling.

Even if it isn't an Orient Express level of travel, sometimes you could get a service that is even at the other end of the quality scale from Orient Express, you will still end up with a really interesting experience.

What was even more special about this travel experience is that it has been a really long trip, almost 12 hours so I opted for a bed in the sleeping carriage. Well this is something that everybody should try at least once in a lifetime.

I don't know about you, but my imagination is peaking every time the notion 'sleeping cabin' comes to mind.

The sleeping cabins are made of 2 bunk beds. I have to admit, I appreciated more the experience on the lower bed, sleeping in the upper bed in a moving train it kind of gives you the feeling you will fall off at any time.

But the most amazing feeling is that of travelling in bed. I can't compare this to anything, all I can say is you need to see for yourself. Seeing the scenery on the window change every millisecond while you are in bed, maybe still asleep, is beyond amazing.

I don't think they associate the notion of 'train' with the notion of 'life' for nothing.

So give a chance to romance, allow some time for you and the unexpected. Go in a time-space bubble and be surprised.