Sydney Trip

[Peter Tyler <ptyler@deakin.edu.au>]

  I have 2 comments re the correspondence on this matter
   1. I secured sole occupancy of an XPT twinette between Melbourne and
Sydney by enquiring of the conductor at the very start whether there were
unbooked twinettes.When I explained my genuine reasons---that I suffered
from sleep apnea and snored uncontrollably at Richter energy levels, and
was concerned not for myself but for some  strange unfortunate person-----
I had a twinette to myself with no deceit involved.        2. The standard
of service and catering is definitely not first class compared with what
one used to get even on the overnight Melbourne to Canberra sleeper( a few
interesting hours in Goulburn yard in the middle of the night being shunted
around by a grubby 48). However on a trip to Bratislava I took the
Donauwalzer from Gent to Vienna and paid the fare of two arms and legs for
sole occupancy of a sleeper. A train of such prestigious routing would,I
foolishly imagined, have a civilised dining car for those with any arms and
legs left. Not so. Plastic wrapped snacks and miniature, screw cap bottles
of vin ordinaire from the European wine lake were available from a cubicle
at the end of the coach, if you could raise the conductor. There is always
a way around such situations --the return trip was preceeded by visits to
reputable cellars and delicatessens in Vienna. That was a first class journey.

      Peter Tyler.

   Life's too short to drink bad wine.

P.A.Tyler,
Professor of Aquatic Science,
School of Aquatic Science & Natural Resources Management,
Deakin University,
PO Box 423 Warrnambool,Vic.3280, 
Australia.

Phone/Fax +61 (0)3 55 633 572   School Fax +61 (0)3 55 633 462.