Romance By Rail: Europe Does It Better

Travel Blog  •  Julia Ross  •  11.01.07 | 1:30 PM ET

imagePhoto by Jon Curnow via Flickr (Creative Commons).

The thought of finding romance on a train from Washington D.C. to New York City—a trip I’ve made many times—strikes me as unlikely. Let’s face it: There’s nothing particularly romantic about Amtrak. But a chance meeting on a European train? On atmosphere alone, I’d give it much better odds. Two train-related events in Europe this fall are reviving the romantic image of rail travel, albeit with a 21st century spin. Reuters reports that German rail operator Deutsche Bahn has introduced speed-dating on an intercity line from Nuremberg to Munich, providing an upscale alternative to the usual pub meet-and-greet, complete with champagne and roses.

And in London, the re-opening of Victorian-era St. Pancras Station next month is being hailed as a return to the glory days of British Rail. The renovated station—Eurostar’s new home base for trains to Paris—will hold the world’s longest champagne bar at 300 feet.

Romance was apparently very much on the minds of the St. Pancras architectural team. According to Reuters, “A nine-meter sculpture by artist Paul Day featuring a man and a woman whose heads are touching in an intimate embrace will grace the floor under the clock, forming a natural meeting point for those making a rendezvous at the station.”

The Queen is due to open the station Nov. 14. I can’t help but feel a pang of jealousy; the outlook for U.S. train travel seems positively bleak by comparison.

 

Tags: Train Travel, Europe, England, France, Germany, News and Briefs

Julia Ross is a Washington, DC-based writer and frequent contributor to World Hum. She has lived in China and Taiwan, where she was a Fulbright scholar and Mandarin student. Her writing has appeared in the Washington Post, Time, Christian Science Monitor, Plenty and other publications. Her essay, Six Degrees of Vietnam, was shortlisted for "The Best American Travel Writing 2009."


2 Comments for Romance By Rail: Europe Does It Better

starsea 11.05.07 | 11:50 PM ET

Travel in London,
Once a hunting ground for Henry VIII, Hyde Park’s character stems from the Serpentine Lake, home to waterfowl and sweating oarsmen. Rotten Row, on the southern boundary of the park, is a famous horse-riding area, and Speaker’s Corner, by the Marble Arch entrance, is the the place to listen to soap-box orators. on Sunday mornings.
More information,please go on:
http://www.worldtravelling.cn

Tom Lee 06.30.08 | 9:59 AM ET

Romance on trains in Europa is real, especially when you are traveling in Austria or Switzerland. I can still remember how beautiful the landscape was, alps, tunnels etc :).

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