Just got back from a conference at a montain ski resort straight outta' The Shining. At least that was the impression I got as the taxi made its way from the train station to the venue. Luckily, it turned out to be a better experience than what's described in the aforementioned novel by several orders of magnitude.
Because of the location, air travel was not a viable option, and in the choice between collective transportation (train) and driving on icy roads to a place in the middle of nowhere, the decision was not difficult to make. Even Nansen himself would have packed an extra wool sweater if he were to travel to this particular location. I've always enjoyed travelling by train, and this experience did nothing but support my favorable impression. The list of advantages compared to taking a flight includes:
Because of the location, air travel was not a viable option, and in the choice between collective transportation (train) and driving on icy roads to a place in the middle of nowhere, the decision was not difficult to make. Even Nansen himself would have packed an extra wool sweater if he were to travel to this particular location. I've always enjoyed travelling by train, and this experience did nothing but support my favorable impression. The list of advantages compared to taking a flight includes:
- Way more leg room and more comfortable seats (although it still sucks to sit next to other passengers, as my shoulders cover half of the next seat)
- You can move around, and even go outside for some fresh air at the longer stops
- A restaurant wagon where you can hang out, have a meal, coffee or even beer/wine
- The seats are designed so that you've got room to work or read, which worked out very well for me
- You're not loaded onto a hermetically sealed without air conditioning for 30+ minutes prior to take-off so that the loser airline can obfuscate how late they really are by pretending that boarding = take-off
- You don't have to show up two hours before the train is supposed to leave so that incompetent clerks and handlers have more time to make elaborate schemes for how to best "lose" your baggage
- If an invisible suitcase-wearing, tribal armband tattoo-sporting, two-day seminar-educated, high school drop-out rent-a-cop tries to pat me down or stick his hands down my pants, I can give him the ass-kicking he so richly deserves and reasonably claim to have been assaulted, unlike the ordeal you have to put up with at airports.
I'll try to use the train more often from now on
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If an invisible suitcase-wearing, tribal armband tattoo-sporting, two-day seminar-educated, high school drop-out rent-a-cop tries to pat me down or stick his hands down my pants, I can give him the ass-kicking he so richly deserves and reasonably claim to have been assaulted, unlike the ordeal you have to put up with at airports.
Amen to that, chief!
That's the single most annoying aspect of air travel in my book
That's why I try to avoid Gardermoen. They have by far the worst security personell. Cold handed bastards...
LOL at the "cold handed" remark
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