Orient Express

They really do still call it the Orient Express
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I only called the location for this entry 'Freiburg', because I wanted the ring-shaped visual on my travel map. Freiburg is where I began and ended my journey.

However, what they call the Orient Express nowadays begins in Strasbourg, France, across the Rhine from Germany. I caught the EuroNight 469 at 9:18 pm at its first stop in Baden-Baden, Germany, which, luckily for me, is easy to get to from Freiburg. My bed was one of six in our compartment, divided into two triple-bunks. I lay in between top and bottom, which I do not recommend. Four of my neighbors had embarked in Strasbourg and stashed away their luggage in the compartment. Two were already dozing when I got on, and two were standing outside in the aisle.

just a glimpse of the compartment
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I didn't bother exploring the train. I situated my things and myself and hoped I'd be able to sleep at least a little. It didn't take long before a conductor came by to check my ticket and reservation. She also asked what I would like to drink with breakfast. I hadn't realized that breakfast was included, but I asked for a coffee.

Later, the middle-aged French couple that had been standing outside the compartment, came in, awkwardly clambered up the ladder to the top bunks and joined us in attempting slumber, madame above moi. No one except me seemed to have much trouble though. For the rest of the trip, the train might as well have been called the "Snorient Express".

I'm not sure when, but I'm sure it was still in Germany, a sixth traveler joined our compartment. What should've been his bed was still folded down in couch form, so the older French woman on the bottom bunk opposite me had to get up and help him fix it. He didn't lay down right away, though, and only joined us again a few hours later to making the quartet a snoring quintet. I know I slept at least a little, because I remember dreaming that two cackling conductors came into our compartment, wanting to see my passport, perhaps prompted by the real conductor asking for my ticket a second time during the night, although we had already taken care of that formality.

Very early in the morning, our true conductor came by with breakfast. Having barely enough room to do crunches, I found it difficult to eat or drink, but the woman beneath me was also awake, so I asked if we could make our beds into a bench. She obliged and we were both able to sit relatively comfortably. She turend out to be a Hungarian architect, and we had a nice conversation until our arrival in Vienna at 6:40 am. I got to practice a little French, too, when I tried to help the older French woman find her hotel on the map. I think we found it, but I'm still not sure.

All in all, I suppose it was worth being horizontal. The first time I night-trained it to Viena in 2006, I sat in a small compartment with no beds. For part of the trip it ended up being only two of us anyway, so we were able to lie down a bit. Traveling at night can be hard, but at least you know you have the whole day ahead of you when you arrive.