There is something romantic about a long train journey

If a cruise ship is a town floating on water

Then a long distance sleeper train is a village traveling on rails

A village that starts empty late on day 1

Becoming fully inhabited just before the train departs

The village comes to life instantly

Have a drink at a bar and make new friends

Move to the dining car for dinner

Swapping stories as the scenery rolls by

The clicking of the rails is rhythmic

Waiters sway and lurch as they carry plates

Listen to life stories of people you just met

Retire to your sleeping car for the night

Rock to sleep as the train moves at speed

Wake up on day 2 to new scenery flashing by the window

Meet some new people at breakfast

Take a stroll from one end of the train to the other and back

Walk through the village with one narrow street

Nobody drives a car or rides a bicycle in this village

You smile at everybody you pass along the way

It’s a very friendly little village

Relax in the lounge car with a good book

Its hard to read when people keep asking what you are reading

More conversations and learning about others

By dinner time you know virtually everybody in this village

Stay up late talking to new friends at the bar

Sing along merrily to favorite songs fueled by alcohol

Swap contact information with people you will never see again

Wake up on day 3 having covered thousands of miles

Soon the moving village will arrive at its destination

Its inhabitants disperse and move on

The end of this short lived community on wheels