Today is Harry Potter train ride day!
The day started out gloomy and wet and dark and cloudy. We had already identified a vegan restaurant for our breakfast and it was a 10 min walk from our hotel in the direction of the train station. We donned our raincoats and headed out in the rain.
The restaurant was almost full but we managed to get into the last two seats remaining and placed our order (Sourdough bread with butter/jam, fruit crumble, smoothie (oat, chia seeds, fruit), coffee). It was a table that is normally not assigned to customers because it blocked an entrance used by the staff and delivery persons but they allowed us to sit there by adjusting the seat positions. A few min later, the people at the table next to us got up and left, so we moved there. Breakfast was decent but not great.
We walked up to the station and saw our train waiting on the platform. In spite of the pouring rain, Sahana and I made our way to the front so we could see the steam engine in all its glory! Took the obligatory selfies in front of the engine and then made our way back to our carriage/coach/car. The conductor led us to our seats and told us that passengers facing the front of the train would need to face the back of the train and also switch sides for the return journey so all passengers got a fair chance to look towards the front as well as get a good view of the Glenfinnan Viaduct (the most famous sight on the whole journey). The Glenfinnan viaduct is on a curve to the left (while going towards Mallaig from Ft William), so people on the left side can see the viaduct on the onward journey and people on the right side can see it on the return journey.
The seating arrangement was in the form of tables with pairs of passengers facing each other. We were opposite a couple of sisters from Wisconsin that were big fans of Harry Potter. September 1 is apparently the day that the students at Hogwarts return to school and today was Sept 1! Quite a few passengers (young and old) were wearing robes and other stuff related to the Harry Potter series, so we were definitely one of the odd ones out on the train!
The staff on the train were very, very, very strict about not allowing passengers to put their phones/cameras outside the window to take pictures. The reason they gave is that lot of people had dropped or lost their phones/cameras in the past. So, everybody had to take pictures with their phones/cameras almost fully inside the train or through the glass window, so it was almost impossible to get good pictures.
Pro tip: Unless you're a huge Harry Potter fan, just buy a ScotRail ticket from Ft William to Mallaig or the other way. It will be much cheaper and travel on the exact same route. Also, get off at Glenfinnan station, stay the night in a nearby hotel and do the short (30-45 min) hike to the Glenfinnan Viaduct and just watch as the HP train goes by. Wave to the passengers and enjoy the much better view of the viaduct than any of the passengers on the train.
When we reached Mallaig, it was very windy and cold. Earlier, we had planned to go on a Wildlife Cruise around a nearby island where we could see dolphins, seals and some other animals/birds. But, because of the weather, that day's cruise was canceled so we didn't really have anything to do in Mallaig. We went into a restaurant and had a coffee and vegan hot chocolate. Then, we randomly walked around the local streets and the nearby harbor. My phone was already dying by then and I realized that I'd forgotten to pack the vape charger or a suitable cable. With about 15% charge remaining, I had to conserve power, so I could take pictures of the viaduct on the way back.
During the return leg, we were seated with our backs to the engine and the sisters from Wisconsin were facing the front, so they got a better view of the viaduct. I tried my best to crane my neck and get some pictures with the camera and my phone. I think I succeeded in getting a couple of good shots. But, honestly, being on the train prevents you from getting a wide shot of the entire width and height of the whole viaduct.
Also, at the start of the return leg, one of staff members came to our seat and handed us two boxes of something saying that we had ordered it. I told them that I had not ordered anything and that they were mistaken. Then, they asked my name and when I told them, they confirmed that it was my order. That's when I realized that I had actually ordered a vegan tea snack package! When we opened the box, we found a huge assortment of things in each that could feed a small village in Africa for a couple of days! We immediately closed the boxes and resolved to eat the contents slowly over the course of a few days.
We reached Ft William about 15 min early (around 3:45pm), so we had quite a lot of time to spend in the day. On the way back to the hotel, we went to a supermarket and picked up some bananas and some packaged noodles that we could use in Skye if we didn't find any vegan food. We came back to the hotel and started thinking of things we could do for the rest of the evening but we decided against it and instead spoke with Sneha and then with Ashwin. We tried a couple of items from the snack box we got on the train and then went to sleep.
No comments:
Post a Comment