Guess I had best write something Amtrak related, but even if whatever LD trains remain, compared with these Gulag conditions, "Fresh and Contemporary" won't seem so bad:
quote:...In a cabin for four, Patrik Brunnberg and Anton Dimitrov, both 31 and longtime friends from Stockholm, became bunkmates by chance with their countrymen Claes Hedlund and Orejan Jonsson, both 59 and teachers from Goteborg.
“At least they will be snoring in Swedish,” Mr. Hedlund said.
It was a trip for those who preferred thrift and exploration over speed and luxury. The journey can expand to six days on the Trans-Siberian Railway to Beijing..
Posted by George Harris (Member # 2077) on :
For the uninitiated, in most (all?) of the rest of the world, if you get a space in a compartment, that is what you get, a bunk. The other people in the compartment will likewise have gotten a space only. They may not even be all the same gender. For most systems, there are also open bunks similar to the old Pullman sections. Since this is their norm, it works. Again, if you are in a foreign country you better learn how to operate with and be comfortable with their rules. There is no way to faster to get locals to be unhappy with you that to say, "this is not the way we do it in the USA." If you can't tolerate it, don't go. Further, understand that unless you are a diplomat, if in a foreign country, you are subject to their laws. If there any that might cause you trouble, again don't go.