We left France in the morning and spent all day on a few different trains heading all the way to the south of France and just into Spain where we boarded our overnight train. I really like train travel as I’ve mentioned but I’m super excited by overnight trains. Last year I took the train with my dad from Chicago back to Seattle. Luckily train travel in Europe is a bit more reliable. We settled into our cozy little cabin and I talked Walker into keeping the door open for a while because it was kind of like being in the dorms at college. Not that anyone really stopped to chat but I liked the possibility of it. We had our dinner and explored the train before heading to our room for the night. We played a few games and watched part of a super dorky movie and then eventually went to bed to the slow rocking of the train. The best part was that we gained an hour heading into Portugal so yeah for extra sleep.
We arrived pretty early in the morning and found our way to our airbnb to drop off bags. Check in wasn’t until the afternoon so we were on our own for a few hours in the city. It was kind of nice not really having an agenda. Luckily we were right near a little square with a coffee shop and breakfast snacks. As we were sitting there I was thinking hmm I feel a bit off but I don’t know why. Finally it dawned on me that I was feeling funny because we had been in motion pretty much the entire previous day on the train and now I was still. Phew! It was good to know I wasn’t getting sick or something. After refueling we mostly wandered around. I had made a list of places I wanted to see and visit but I had left it in my bag. Somehow though we ended up just stumbling upon a few of the places. One of those places was Sol e Pesca where we had lunch. It was fun ordering some cheap local beer and trying a few of the canned fish options. Later that night we decided to check out the bars since it was the first good opportunity we had to do so. It wasn’t quite my scene but it was fun getting a bit tipsy and then ordering pizza in the square near our place.
On our second day in Lisbon it was super rainy all day long. Not the best for exploring but since we only had a few days there we headed out. We spent the morning at Sao Jorge Castle. It was pretty cool but I was still a bit preoccupied with my pants and shoes being all wet. I was longing for my hunter rain boots all the way back in Seattle. Sigh. In the afternoon the rain cleared up a bit which was good timing since we were wandering the Alfama and getting lost as all the guide books say to do. We found a tasty lunch at a local restaurant and explored a vintage shop. We took a break in the evening and got ready for our fancy dinner at 100 Maneiras. I had heard about it from watching Anthony Bourdain’s show and another blogger mentioned the fabulous dinner they had there so I thought on our honeymoon it would be super fun. I was right. We ordered the wine pairing to share which turned out to be plenty and they were so good. The dishes were incredible also. Some of them were almost too pretty to eat. We were there for about 2 1/2 hours and it seemed to float by. We were surprised and delighted the entire time and maybe the best part was not having to make a single decision. Oh what bliss! I enjoyed our time in Lisbon but I can’t wait to tell you more about Portugal!
^(I love this picture so much! Walker took it the day we were exploring the Alfama and I discovered it while I was editing photos. I love the one red rain coat!)
Tag Archives: overnight train
A modern train trip
February 12, 2014
I’ve always fantasized about taking a long train trip in a sleeper car but the closest I’ve ever been has been coach seats on a way too long train ride. Back when I was in my early 20’s I took a train from Detroit to New York and what should have been a 15 or so hour train ride turned into 20 something. It sounds fun but after that many hours sitting up right it got a lot less fun. It was an adventure anyhow and I think I was more tolerant when I was younger. I also rode a few fast (and efficient) trains when I was in Japan but that’s a whole other story.
So recently when my dad talked about taking a train from Michigan to Seattle for a visit I was interested. He planned on getting a sleeper car and it would only cost the train ticket if I were to join. [Disclaimer: Traveling by train in a sleeper car is not cheap-this must be something you have always wanted to do and don’t mind the extra cost-although occasional deals may be found. Also it takes a really long time.]
I got on a red eye from Seattle and flew to Chicago to meet my dad. I had just a few hours in Chicago so there wasn’t time for much but I did visit a local donut shop before hopping on the train for next few days. I was so excited to see the little room that would be ours for the next couple of days. It was all so new and therefore extremely exciting. They had a couple little bottles of champagne upon arrival, chocolates just like at a hotel, and toiletries for the bathroom. Even though we had one of the larger rooms on the train it was still a bit tight so I was even more thankful we didn’t get one of the smaller rooms.
The train began in Chicago and over the course of 3 days we went through Indiana, Illinois, Wisconsin, Minnesota, North Dakota, Montana, Idaho, and Washington ending in Seattle. I had never been to North Dakota, Montana, or Idaho so I got off the train when I could in both North Dakota and Montana so that I can now say I’ve been there. I should also note that those states were having extremely cold weather (I’m talking -25/-35 degrees) so I didn’t stay outside for long-burr! The cold temperatures also contributed to an almost 12 hour delay getting into Seattle. Some of that was due to the cold but the biggest reason for the delays was having to wait for freight trains. I knew that was increasingly becoming an issue but it made it more evident experiencing in slow motion on a train. During the day the delays didn’t seem to last more than 30-60 minutes but one night while everyone was sleeping we were stopped for 4 hours behind a derailed freight train. Oy!
All of the workers on the train that we met were so nice and it was interesting to be able to chat with them as we traveled along. We had most of our meals in our room so that gave us more chat time which was fun. On the second day they hosted a cheese and wine tasting in the dining car and that was a hoot. We tasted wine and played trivia in between to win bottles of the wine. I won a bottle of the best wine and enjoyed it in my room later on.
I brought all kinds of things to do on the train but it was actually entertaining enough just looking out the window. I explored the train a little but our room was probably the nicest and the quietest so I spend most of my time there. Once the sun went down looking out the window was pointless so we usually went to bed pretty early. If you’ve never slept on a train before I highly recommend it. It’s like getting rocked to sleep, it’s wonderful.
On the third day, 12 hours late-like I mentioned, we finally arrived in Seattle. As much as I enjoyed sleeping on the train I enjoyed being home and in my bed even more. Would I do it again? I think so but it might be awhile. I’m thinking the next one should be a trip down the California coast? We’ll see.