3 ms·

I'm following this awesome new train company, sleepers from east to west Europe. Haven't tried it yet but a trip is in the planning stages. It's been years sinc

I'm following this awesome new train company, sleepers from east to west Europe. Haven't tried it yet but a trip is in the planning stages. It's been years since I took a sleeper. They also support Interail, which many of us probably enjoyed in our youth. https://www.europeansleeper.eu https://www.europeansleeper.eu There is also a startup in the works: https://www.midnight-trains.com https://www.midnight-trains.com

srameshc 3y ago
Unrelated, but there is something special about design in Europe in general. I can find it in space, form, color, texture etc. There is something that makes European design so original and special.
- sandworm101 3y ago
  Yes. I think it is the light and the language. Modern European design exists in a work of long nights during winter, and gets more "European" the further north in Europe you go. So it is stark lines and bright solid colors that stand out from the background (think Ikea). The diversity of languages also encourages simplicity, with form communicating meaning. Compare Asia or North America where days are longer/brighter and languages less diverse, with designers going instead for intricacy and detail.
  - user_7832 3y ago
    > languages less diverse Probably in some places but definitely not everywhere
tpm 3y ago
It's quite sad the most east they will go is Prague and even that only in 2024. But it's a good picture of the not very good state of railways in central Europe. At least Czechia is starting to invest in higher speeds, but it will take years to take effect.
ant6n 3y ago
EU sleeper works, but the experience is ... rather traditional. Maybe one day theyll have their own coaches. Right now they rent whatever is available. Some of their couchettes are ex-GDR. Their sleeping cars are ex-CIWL from the 50s, rebuilt several times.
MrJohz 3y ago
My partner and I tried that this year, the Berlin to Brussels route, with mixed results. It definitely works, we got to our destination on time and we were mostly happy with the result. However: * We booked a sleeping compartment, but then they emailed the night before the trip to say they didn't have sleeping compartments, so we got a private couchette instead. That's not a huge downgrade, but the communication was very poor and for a long time it wasn't clear what we were actually getting. * The carriages they were using were mostly very old stock, we suspect ex-ÖBB/DB. They were loud! Also not hugely comfortable either. We didn't really sleep at all, and we're fairly used to sleeping in loud spaces. They mentioned that we should be aware that not all plug sockets and toilets were working properly - for us it was all fine, but I suspect some of the carriages just aren't working properly anymore. * It was expensive. That's fine if you're trying something out for an adventurous holiday, or you're taking advantage of the interail ticket, but we're trying to get from our home in Europe to my parents and friends in the UK at least a couple of times a year, without being so reliant on plane travel. More options means more competition, which will hopefully reduce prices in the long term, but and I realise that there are good reasons why planes are so cheap in comparison, but it's still disappointing. All that said, we're definitely expecting to use the train for at least one leg of most of our future trips, either European Sleeper or one of the other alternatives that are springing up. So overall, I guess I'd recommend the experience.
- novaRom 3y ago
  > They were loud! Also not hugely comfortable either. We didn't really sleep at all We tried Munich-Rome once and it was not really good experience, especially because windows were dirty, beds are small and not comfortable. Narrow space, poor sound isolation.

srameshc 3y ago

Unrelated, but there is something special about design in Europe in general. I can find it in space, form, color, texture etc. There is something that makes European design so original and special.

sandworm101 3y ago
Yes. I think it is the light and the language. Modern European design exists in a work of long nights during winter, and gets more "European" the further north in Europe you go. So it is stark lines and bright solid colors that stand out from the background (think Ikea). The diversity of languages also encourages simplicity, with form communicating meaning. Compare Asia or North America where days are longer/brighter and languages less diverse, with designers going instead for intricacy and detail.
- user_7832 3y ago
  > languages less diverse Probably in some places but definitely not everywhere

tpm 3y ago

It's quite sad the most east they will go is Prague and even that only in 2024. But it's a good picture of the not very good state of railways in central Europe. At least Czechia is starting to invest in higher speeds, but it will take years to take effect.

ant6n 3y ago

EU sleeper works, but the experience is ... rather traditional. Maybe one day theyll have their own coaches. Right now they rent whatever is available. Some of their couchettes are ex-GDR. Their sleeping cars are ex-CIWL from the 50s, rebuilt several times.

MrJohz 3y ago

My partner and I tried that this year, the Berlin to Brussels route, with mixed results. It definitely works, we got to our destination on time and we were mostly happy with the result. However: * We booked a sleeping compartment, but then they emailed the night before the trip to say they didn't have sleeping compartments, so we got a private couchette instead. That's not a huge downgrade, but the communication was very poor and for a long time it wasn't clear what we were actually getting. * The carriages they were using were mostly very old stock, we suspect ex-ÖBB/DB. They were loud! Also not hugely comfortable either. We didn't really sleep at all, and we're fairly used to sleeping in loud spaces. They mentioned that we should be aware that not all plug sockets and toilets were working properly - for us it was all fine, but I suspect some of the carriages just aren't working properly anymore. * It was expensive. That's fine if you're trying something out for an adventurous holiday, or you're taking advantage of the interail ticket, but we're trying to get from our home in Europe to my parents and friends in the UK at least a couple of times a year, without being so reliant on plane travel. More options means more competition, which will hopefully reduce prices in the long term, but and I realise that there are good reasons why planes are so cheap in comparison, but it's still disappointing. All that said, we're definitely expecting to use the train for at least one leg of most of our future trips, either European Sleeper or one of the other alternatives that are springing up. So overall, I guess I'd recommend the experience.

novaRom 3y ago
> They were loud! Also not hugely comfortable either. We didn't really sleep at all We tried Munich-Rome once and it was not really good experience, especially because windows were dirty, beds are small and not comfortable. Narrow space, poor sound isolation.