Sorry for the long delay between these posts! Since we arrived in Leuven we have had lots of stuff to arrange (but that will be the subject of a new post).
The second leg of our summer holiday was a 1,400 mile, 30 hour train journey from New York City to New Orleans on the Amtrak Crescent. I think that long distance American trains are very underrated. They may not be fast or punctual, but they are quiet, cheap and you get to see some spectacular scenery.
We boarded the Crescent in New York City at Penn station around 2PM. We had a 'Viewliner Roomette', which is a small two-person cabin containing two seats, table, power outlets, sink and toilet. At night the room converts to a pair of single bunk beds. Because the room is small and the angle tight, its really hard to take a good photo of, so here's Amtrak's stock images:
Day in the Roomette
Night in the Roomette
Browsing the Menu in our Room
The Dining Car
Forests
Lakes
Sunset near the Louisiana State Line
I don't think that the photos could ever do the experience of crossing lake Ponchatrain at sunset justice; because its not just the view that is really cool, its the feeling. As you travel across the low causeway over the lake, you can't see any land, so it looks just like the train is flying across the surface of the sea, which is weird but very cool. Finally around 9PM and roughly an hour behind schedule we arrived at New Orleans Union station, ready for our first night out in the Big Easy.
The second leg of our summer holiday was a 1,400 mile, 30 hour train journey from New York City to New Orleans on the Amtrak Crescent. I think that long distance American trains are very underrated. They may not be fast or punctual, but they are quiet, cheap and you get to see some spectacular scenery.
We boarded the Crescent in New York City at Penn station around 2PM. We had a 'Viewliner Roomette', which is a small two-person cabin containing two seats, table, power outlets, sink and toilet. At night the room converts to a pair of single bunk beds. Because the room is small and the angle tight, its really hard to take a good photo of, so here's Amtrak's stock images:
Along with the room facilities, there are also some communal facilities on the Crescent. Each sleeper carriage has a shower, ice machine, coffee machine and a drinks station (which meant that we were able to keep a bottle of wine on ice in our cabin sink) and the train also has a dining car and snack car. If you are travelling in a sleeper-cabin, then your meals are included with your ticket. Passengers are seated together so that you'll share a table with other diners, which I think adds to the experience of a long train journey. By early evening we were sitting in the dining car, for dinner and watching the Washington sights pass by while chatting with some fellow passengers:
Darkness fell as we rolled south through Virginia and one of the conductors made up our bunk beds. Despite the sounding of train horn, we fell asleep pretty quickly and woke up shortly after sunrise an hour north of Atlanta and one hour behind schedule.
Keeping People Waiting
After a cooked breakfast and a few strong coffees we returned to our room, where we read, worked and watched the scenery pass by. The further south we went, the more beautiful the countryside became.
As we passed the Louisiana state line, it was growing late in the evening and the sun was setting as we reached lake Ponchatrain which offered the most spectacular views of the trip:
Lake Ponchatrain (1/3)
Lake Ponchatrain (2/3)
Lake Ponchatrain (3/3)
I don't think that the photos could ever do the experience of crossing lake Ponchatrain at sunset justice; because its not just the view that is really cool, its the feeling. As you travel across the low causeway over the lake, you can't see any land, so it looks just like the train is flying across the surface of the sea, which is weird but very cool. Finally around 9PM and roughly an hour behind schedule we arrived at New Orleans Union station, ready for our first night out in the Big Easy.
train horns This steady sound created by the horn which heard by the ear alerts us to move away. Today, hobbyists can differentiate a train horn by simply listening to the tone. There are many variables involved in the pitch of the train horn. The diameter of the air inlet determines its loudness but the shape and size of the bell horn changes the tone.
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