Damn you, Charley!

[inulro]

Finally got around to watching last week's episode of Charley Boorman: Ireland to Sydney by Any Means. He went on the Orient Express. It looked totally fab! It is also, unfortunately, one of the things I unequivocably will never be able to afford. The Balkan Express is more within my means (and that would rock too, but it doesn't have the same cultural resonance.

"By Any Means" is not a patch on "Long Way Round" (which was inspiring and life-changing and all that guff), unsurprisingly as it's missing Ewan, but it's still pretty cool. I'd say something snarky about Ewan not being able to do another travel show what with having a career and all, but if somebody was going to pay me to do what Charley's doing, it would still be a million times better than what I'm doing now, so I shouldn't put him down.

All I did yesterday was go shopping. My body has interpreted this as attempting to climb Everest, judging by how I feel today. Most annoying.

Comments

[aoakley.livejournal.com]

I used to use the Severn Valley Railway steam service as a teenager in the mid 80's, instead of the village bus which was pants. One evening I was running late home from seeing friends in Bridgnorth, had to push my way through an enormous crowd to get on the train. I squeezed past this one woman who had lots of people around her, and this enormous bouncer looked down on me and said "Don't do that son, that's Princess Michael of Kent". It turned out that the regular steam service had been replaced by the Orient Express, which was to join the mainline rail network at Kidderminster and on to London.

More to the point, my ticket was valid, and I travelled for eight miles on the Orient Express (more specifically, the Venice Simplon Orient Express), in the dining car. It was... opulent. I wish I'd kept a napkin or something.