電車の旅

電車の旅はなんでこんなに楽しんだろう。パリからバルセロナまでは個室の寝台車。今まで寝台車に乗ったことはあったけど、２段ベッドの個室は初めて。子供みたいにワクワクして、嬉しくて、寝てしまうのがもったいなかった。

子供の時に、毎月届く学習雑誌に電車の号があって、電車関係の付録が色々付いてきたのを思い出した。偽物の切符とか、切符にちょきちょき穴をあけるハサミが入ってた。その中で、電車の色々を書いた小さい本があった。日本で一番長い電車の駅の名前とか、鉄道関係の話が小学生向けに書いてあった。その本で初めて、寝台車は車掌さんが夜になるとベッドを下ろしにきてくれて、朝になるとまた席に直してくれることを読んで、なんてすてきなんだろう！！と寝台車に憧れたのを覚えてる。数年前にDargiling Express の映画を見てから、電車の旅行に行きたいなとも思ってた。食堂車で食べる朝ご飯も、なんてことないオムレツとパンなのにこんなに美味しく感じてしまう。

Why is it so much fun to go on a train?? From Paris to Barcelona, we took a sleeper train with a private cabin. It had a bank bed, a small sink and a space for luggage. I was so excited and giggly like a child and didn't want to go to sleep. I was laying down on the bed, staring through a window into a darkness feeling so happy. I was disappointed how soon we arrived the next morning. Simple breakfast tasted so special just because it was on a train.      

I must have been 7 or 8 years old. I used to subscribe to a monthly children's study magazine. In one of the months, the subject was railroad. It came with a "conductor kit" including train tickets and a little punch to make holes on tickets etc. It also had a book that contained various interesting facts about rail ways in Japan, such as the longest and shortest stations names.  The book also described how sleeper trains work: during the day you have seats, which turn into a bed at night. I remember admiring how wonderful this is. It was as wonderful as I imagined that to be many many years ago!