The Daily Telegraph - Saturday - Travel
LETTER OF THE WEEK
Despite having once ridden the Eastern & Oriental Express from Singapore to Bangkok, my most memorable rail journey ever was a family Interrailing holiday on a more modest Eastern European sleeper from Budapest, in Hungary, to Brasov, in Romania. Our cabins were somewhat basic but, to my husband’s delight, we had our own en-suite shower, which he just had to try out for the bragging rights. We woke in time to enjoy the views, before pulling into a large city about an hour before we were due at Brasov. As the train sat in the station for longer and longer, we suddenly realised that there is a one-hour time difference between Hungary and Romania. This prompted a frantic whirlwind of activity, as our sons were still asleep in the cabin next door.
A few minutes later, we were sitting in a huge heap on the platform as the train pulled out, our belongings strewn everywhere – and our boys still in their pyjamas. Roz Swarbrick, from Cheshire, wins a selection of Bradt travel books worth up to £100
BUBBLE TROUBLE
In the early days of Rovos Rail, we travelled from Cape Town to Victoria Falls. Rohan Vos, the owner, led us to the train himself. Our wood-panelled suite had a small fridge and its own bathroom. It was all very quaint – and so Agatha Christie.
The splendour of Africa spread around us as we climbed Higher Karoo and snaked our way towards the falls. That fridge had an inexhaustible supply of champagne in half bottles. Magical days.
As we neared the falls, it was hot and the aircon units began to fail. Ours kept going, so we invited fellow passengers to share our cool air. The admission price was a half bottle of champagne. When we arrived at Victoria Falls, our bathtub was half filled with corks and my disembarkation remains hazy.
Sue Newth-Gibbs, Essex
COOL RUNNINGS
The adage “It’s not the destination, it’s the journey” certainly applied to our train trip to Shimla, in the Himalayan foothills of northern India. With the temperature at a steamy 40C, we caught the narrow-gauge railway “Toy Train” at Kalka station and looked forward to breathing the cool, fresh mountain air.
Meandering along the track, our comfortable transport chugged gamely over bridges and viaducts, through tunnels and among forests. The aerial views of heavily inhabited conurbations disappeared into the distance as we ascended the mountainside. After six hours, we reached beautiful Shimla (more akin to an English town) – and, at 19C, it did not disappoint. No wonder that, in the 19th century under the British Raj, the administrative centre moved from hot, humid Calcutta to Shimla, making it their summer capital. Margaret Reed, Wiltshire
A SENTIMENTAL JOURNEY
Our journey from London to Venice and back on the Orient Express was unforgettable. It was May 2012, and the trip was a joint retirement present for my wife and me after almost 40 years of teaching. We were treated to utter luxury from the moment we checked in at Victoria station, serenaded by a jazz band. Brunch aboard the British Pullman was followed by drinks in the bar car as the grand piano was played.
The food was incredible, the views even more so. Seeing snow falling at the Brenner Pass, which forms the border between Italy and Austria, was spectacular – and returning from Venice gave us the chance to enjoy even more of the ever-changing scenery.
My wife died in 2014, making this – our last holiday together when she was well – even more special. Nothing will ever beat this wonderful experience. Peter Loughlin, North Yorkshire