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I noticed a recent report from Amtrak commenting on a considerable rise in the last couple of years of passengers from the UK. There have been a few UK press articles recently, as noted on this site, and not always with favourable comments regarding their accuracy. There was another in last Sunday's Telegraph reporting on a trip from Boston to Savannah; Acela to New York, North East Regional, I presume, to Washington D.C.; car-hire from there onwards. Return to Washington by Viewliner sleeper, no mention of which train. The comments on Amtrak were positive, particularly on the efficient, quipping steward, I wonder if it was Javier, who contributed so much to our Acela journey. The author did advise against two people sharing a Roomette overnight with its "intimate" toilet facilities, but also mentioned there was access to facilities close by. It would be interesting to know how much of the increase is due to package holidays, which are advertised every weekend in the national press, and to individuals. When I made our bedroom reservation for the Southwest Chief in August within a day of reservations opening one of our travel dates was already flagged "only three rooms remaining" which I presumed, as the dates around were all clear, meant it was a group-booking, something we were keen to avoid. We prefer not to mix with fellow-Brits when on holiday. The meal-time conversations on Amtrak, usually, contribute considerably to the pleasure and interest of the journey. In an era dominated by flying it is interesting to see just how many people do use trains, including the long-distance ones, for all sorts of reasons. One of the fascinations for UK vistors is the fact that we can spend more or less two days on a scheduled train, eating and sleeping, realising the vastness and variety of the country, watching other users going about their daily business, something probably impossible in Europe, apart from the Trans-Siberian and I don't know if even I could endure a full week of rolling plains and conifers. I have heard people complain that the stretch fron Grand Junction to Helper becomes tedious.
Posts: 168 | From: uk. northumberland | Registered: Jun 2007
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"We prefer not to mix with fellow-Brits when on holiday."
Now that struck me. Why not?
I've always enjoyed dining-car time with Brits. One of the most fascinating meals I ever spent was with a retired Scotland Yard chief inspector and his wife. He was a fan of mystery novels, and since I am a mystery novelist we had a wonderful chat about the genre. Our wives were more interested in other things, such as the theater, and just rolled their eyes with amusement.
To tedious scenery one could add the long stretch across the High Plains of Montana and North Dakota on the Empire Builder and GBN's "you seen one pine tree, you seen 'em all" on the NY-Miami runs.
Some people are bored with the desert of West Texas on the Sunset/Texas Eagle route, but I thought it had a sere beauty.
Posts: 2236 | From: Evanston, Ill. and Ontonagon, Mich. | Registered: Feb 2007
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I have often encountered a group of British tourists when I take the California Zephyr west in May. I am invariably surprised that the group gets OFF in Denver, instead of staying on for the really great scenery, and take a bus, eventually picking up the SW Chief in Albuquerque I think.
On the Coast Starlight last May I encountered a smaller group of British tourists who I believe had flown into LA (or possibly San Francisco, boading at Emeryville) & were heading up to Seattle for an inside passage Alaska cruise I think, or maybe to go to Victoria too . . . I don't remember details but they were really enjoying themselves in the parlor car.
I have also encountered many individual British tourists who seem to know Amtrak trains pretty well. They often fly to Chicago or Denver to catch the Zephyr.
I do not find the scenery particularly tedious in the area of the Zephyr mentioned--true, a bit dull right around Grand Junction after the previous splendor, but I don't mind a respite, and the Wasatch (sp?) mountains come reasonably soon, where it's fun to be at what seems the very bottom of them and look up through the lounge car upper windows to the very top . . . the part of the Zephyr I do find a bit dull is eastern Nevada, esp when the train is late--around Elko etc.
I agree with Mr Kisor that eastern Montana can be a bit dull & also sad by the poverty-stricken reservations; I also find the second day eastbound on the Sunset Ltd pretty boring (except for the excitement of El Paso/border) . . . Texas seems to go on and on. I also agree that the NY-Miami runs can be dull, but it's not so much the scenery as that I make these in winter, when it gets dark too early to see much!! And I do hate it if I am on the Silver Star heading for south Florida and must make that tiresome duplicated up&back to Tampa!
Posts: 2642 | From: upstate New York | Registered: Mar 2004
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I think, Mr Kisor, that on holiday we look for something different. We spend most of the year with our fellow Brits so why not make the most of the natives' company? We have had a great variety of dining-car companions, from horse-shoe throwing enthusiasts, to vets, to theology students, to a couple who had reconditioned an old Ford and run it round the Idianapolis track, plus many more mundane but very pleasant. We have even met the same couple twice, once on the Empire Builder and again on the Coast Starlight. I expected the Montana scenery to be dull but found it fascinating, although I do agree with Sojourner that the area around Browning was depressing.
Posts: 168 | From: uk. northumberland | Registered: Jun 2007
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I see what you mean, Mgt. Most of us Americans famously prefer our own company, especially if it comfortably reflects our appearance, habits and prejudices. Charles Dickens, Evelyn Waugh and Anthony Burgess were particularly devastating about us and I think their observations are still accurate. So are those of Paul Theroux, a fellow Yank.
Posts: 2236 | From: Evanston, Ill. and Ontonagon, Mich. | Registered: Feb 2007
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I am not quite sure if I follow your drift, Mr Kisor. It is certainly true that some of the people we have met would have liked us to have shared their political opinions, but we were not prepared to go that far! Surely Dickens in American Notes and Martin Chuzzlewit, as well as Mark Twain and Frances Trollope were all writing about the unfolding US with a certain degree of "poetic realism". I am also tempted to quote my fellow Scot, Burns' poem To a Louse, "O wad some Pow'r the giftie gie us /To see oursels as others see us!" It is this diversity in human-beings, and, dare I say it as a Germanist, among nations, that so enriches travel and contact with other people. As a Scot I am only too well aware of how overly maudlin and sentimental we can be, but self-awareness is one step towards self-acceptance. And self-acceptance surely allows to better understand other people(s)?
Posts: 168 | From: uk. northumberland | Registered: Jun 2007
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Mgt, I guess that what I am saying is that I also prefer the company of those whose country I am visiting rather than that of my familiar countrymen. But for a somewhat different reason.
By the way, I never have considered sentimentality a Scotsman's downfall. I thought it was haggis. (I would mention bagpipes, but in some corners of this forum, they're sacrosanct.)
Posts: 2236 | From: Evanston, Ill. and Ontonagon, Mich. | Registered: Feb 2007
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My dear wife knows better than to make comments about bagpipes, even though I am not a Highlander. At this time of year the Haggis is just coming into season, they are at their best from now until 25th January.
Posts: 168 | From: uk. northumberland | Registered: Jun 2007
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I agree with mgt's comments regarding being with Brits on holiday (vacation). It's not that we don't like fellow Brits; it's more that we like a bit of adventure and variety.
Having said that, I don't understand the mentality of Brits who go to Spain for their holidays in a British resort serving British food, showing British football on Sky Sports satellite, and going to British pubs. I might as well stay at the Marriott 3 miles away if I wanted a boring, mundane experience where everything is predictable and "safe".
I've just returned from Egypt - one of the few places I've been to and not seen or heard more than a couple of Americans which wa quite surprising - my fifth continent and a first for me to barely see American tourists! And indeed ir was more interesting to talk to the other foreign tourists than Brits. Sadly no trains, though not for lack of trying.
Posts: 2426 | From: Apple Valley, CA | Registered: Sep 2000
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Mr Mayo's got it in one. It's different for you because unless you wish to cross an ocean on a long-haul flight foreign travel means you only have the choice of Canada or Mexico.
Within three hours (by air) we can reach probably 20 countries and whilst many Brits head for the tourist areas which have grown up especially to cater for them, when I travel to Europe I'll head for the locals bars in the sidestreets, not the lager-drinking Sky pubs.
I think I've only ever met a Brit on Amtrak once!
Oh, and the West Texas desert will always be a favourite of mine because I saw a real live Roadrunner!!! BEEP!! BEEP!!
Posts: 395 | From: england | Registered: Sep 2002
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I saw a roadrunner at Taliesin West. It was very exciting, so I know how you feel, Mr W.
Re foreign travel: Americans can visit the Caribbean fairly readily too, if they want. And I believe flying time to Central America and even the northern part of South America is under 3 hours from Miami.
Posts: 2642 | From: upstate New York | Registered: Mar 2004
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quote:Originally posted by Geoff Mayo: ... I don't understand the mentality of Brits who go to Spain for their holidays in a British resort serving British food, showing British football on Sky Sports satellite, and going to British pubs. I might as well stay at the Marriott 3 miles away if I wanted a boring, mundane experience where everything is predictable and "safe"......
It's also strange that Americans will go to an all inclusive resort in some Caribbean island and never check out the country. On a trip to one of the Bahama out islands, one of the highlights was picking up local hitchhikers (very few had cars) in our rent a wreck - as was the custom on the island. You get a whole different perspective on the island/country-so friendly and interesting. But no, probably not a good idea in a more 'civilized' place like Jamaica.
Posts: 2397 | From: Camden, SC | Registered: Mar 2006
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What is it that they say? "A gentleman is someone who knows how to play the bagpipes but doesn't!" Actually, as someone who spent many happy years in Scotland I am immensely fond of most of the inhabitants that I encountered.
When we moved to France in 2002 we deliberately chose an area where there were few Brits as we wanted to immerse ourselves in France both domestically and culturally. We also found ourselves far more accepted by the locals for this attitude although not all of them could overcome their historical dislike of us English. A matter of great regret although, it has to be said, from my own experience of travelling the world that similar stances exist in many places, especially those where we had been the "Imperial" power. I would hope, however, that similar attitudes do not exist within the USA.
Posts: 211 | From: Norfolk England | Registered: Sep 2007
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People obviously travel for different reasons and by the nature of things business travel will differ from holiday travel. Do national characteristics exist, or don't they? Depending on one's personal experiences in a country these will be reinforced or undermined. I lived and taught in Germany, in the north, and never encountered any anti-British feeling, even in towns like Hamburg and Luebeck which suffered so much from British bombing raids. In France, however, I have, at times, experienced a certain coolness and abruptness. Is this because my German is much better than my French? It could well be so. On the other hand, as a Germanist I feel well-disposed to Germany and much of its culture, 1933-45 being the obvious exception. I found it very difficult to understand a colleague whose speciality was French language and literature but who had no time for the French, admitted he disliked them and spent his holidays in Spain. I have not encountered any specific anti-British feeling in the US, more a questioning of and suspicion of certain political views or establishments, e.g. our National Health Service. Is it any good, can it possibly be any good if it is state, as in central-government, controlled? A reluctance by some people to accept my contention that, all in all, it is a system that does work, without being perfect. But then, healthy debate at an international level can only be a good thing.
Posts: 168 | From: uk. northumberland | Registered: Jun 2007
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quote:Originally posted by Stephen W: When we moved to France in 2002 we deliberately chose an area where there were few Brits as we wanted to immerse ourselves in France both domestically and culturally. We also found ourselves far more accepted by the locals for this attitude although not all of them could overcome their historical dislike of us English.
quote: I lived and taught in Germany, in the north, and never encountered any anti-British feeling, even in towns like Hamburg and Luebeck which suffered so much from British bombing raids. In France, however, I have, at times, experienced a certain coolness and abruptness
I don't want to open up a can of worms but it is only within the past 100 years that France has been Britain's ally. Before that, we spent most of the previous 600 years at war with them.
Germany (and before that Prussia), on the other hand has had close cultural ties and the same historical roots - our Royal Family, remember, has only been the House of Windsor since 1917 (they actually changed their name!). Before that they were called Saxe-Coburg and King George 1 was from Hanover and only spoke German! The Germans identify much more with our way of life (so do the Dutch, Danes and Swedes).
As I say, we can go in all sorts of tangents which have no place in this forum so I think we'd better draw a line at this point (but I have some empathy with the other posters).
Posts: 395 | From: england | Registered: Sep 2002
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We Brits can sometimes be an insular bunch but many of us prefer the company of natives when abroad, and trains are an ideal way to meet people.
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