Once I settled into my bed, the sun had set, and the AC had arrived. I felt cosy under the thin, white sheets. What’s more, lying fully reclined while travelling always feels very business-class chic. The train WiFi was patchy, but my phone’s was four bars, so I hot-spotted some internet and continued watching some Netflix on my laptop – comme chez moi. Just like at home. Sleep came easily, but it seemed like every hour (or maybe every other hour), the train lurched to a halt and I stirred. The night had a fever-dreamish quality, as when you vacillate between various states of consciousness. As the sunlight trickled through my window, I gave up on sleep. It wasn’t restful, per se, but I woke up in Germany, and there was something magical about that.
Bunk on the European Sleeper
I appreciated the room-service-y feel of being served breakfast at 7.30am — the precise time I’d requested the evening before. Inside a red-and-white checkered box was an assortment of German treats – vanilla yoghurt, crunchy granola, a cracker the colour of pumpernickel, a roll, Nutella, and a spreadable cheese made from Gouda that I found too pungent for pre-8am. Propped up on two pillows in my bed, I sipped hot coffee and journaled. In a little over an hour, we’d pull into the Berlin Hauptbahnhof station. Nearly 15 hours had slipped by.
To be candid, I’m not sure if I would love the experience if I were bunking up with strangers – no offence to the well-meaning Thomases of the world. But if I were travelling with my partner and my daughter, or a couple of friends, I would choose The Good Night Train again. Even if it takes longer, the ultimate luxury is travelling between countries without ever having to wait in a security line – pulling into the heart of the city and diving directly into another culture and a new day.