31 July -August 1
We received a teaser email on Sunday evening, telling us that although there was service disruption on our train to Washington, alternate transportation had been arranged for all or part of our route, but no further information.
On arriving at the station in good time to check our bags and saunter out to find breakfast, we learned that we would be going by express bus to Atlanta where the train would start its journey to the North East.
NOLA Amtrak Station No train…
Of course, in Europe, a rail replacement service by bus immediately conjures up delays, but ludicrously in the US, the express bus could leave a full 75 minutes after the train’s scheduled departure time, stop for an hour’s break en-route, encounter an hour’s traffic jam on the highway and still arrive 2 hours before the train was due to arrive!
This is no way to persuade motorists onto the train and to give up their carbon emitting cars, or indeed for rail travel to provide an alternative to flying. We had sped through the countries of Italy, South Korea and Japan on trains travelling at 200 miles per hour, 320kph. And the reason for the disruption…? Tracks buckling in the heat of our boiling planet!
The journey to Atlanta was uneventful. We sat at the front of the bus, with the full force of air conditioning not only coming through the overhead vents, but also down the centre gangway. Not so much cold shoulder, but freezing knees… At least Peter discovered that the warmest place in the bus was in the toilet, situated in the back. However, he didn’t feel as if he could monopolise that position…
The seats were comfortable, but with unavoidable views and low level sounds of the bus television. Non-stop men and women throwing balls, batting balls, piling on top of balls. Hour after hour of pundits desperately making up anything to talk about as they go a long. At least it wasn’t Fox TV.
We were given a box of truly disgusting snacks, with inedible dehydrated apple bites, purporting to be the most healthy component. Similarly there was only fast food on offer at the mall where we stopped for a comfort break.
Culinary Chemistry Taken along snacks
We had anticipated impossible dietary choices, so we came armed with a box of garlic free choices from the lovely Croissant d’Or and a local corner shop, which sustained us until we arrived in Atlanta. Instantly feeling at home, we walked up the road and had a light dinner at the same Mexican restaurant we had eaten in 5 nights earlier!
Deja vu ‘Remember this? Where IS that train..?
As we settled down on the train, we enjoyed a more peaceful night’s sleep than we had in the French Quarter, even accounting for the shake, rattle and turn (it didn’t roll) on the rather poorly rail tracks. Lynne was awake early to follow England’s progress in the World Cup.
The scenery was more genteel as we journeyed Northeast, past villages and towns with grander houses than in the South. Still, as in the South, there were pervasive vines covering all forest ground plants and many tall trees.
We briefly hopped out of the train at Charlottesville, just to send a photo to our friends, John and Mary who live there. It was only a five minute stop, with our sleeping car attendant warning us not to go far: – “Remember if you miss the train – you left the train, it didn’t leave you!”
The train pulled into a very grand Washington Union Station and we were able to walk to our trendy hotel, near the Capitol.
