All Aboard the... Marrakech Express
Continuing our look at the great ‘land’ cruises of the world, Simon Hodge takes to the rails on an epic journey to Morocco
once-in-a-lifetime adventures, but I had de- cided to try something new – by tailor-mak- ing a journey through Europe to Morocco. Bags packed (and I could take as many as I liked, Railbookers reminded me, as there is no excess baggage when travelling by train!) and tickets in hand, I began at London St Pancras on the Eurostar to Paris. From there, the Paris-Madrid overnight
P
train commenced boarding around 45 min- utes prior to departure, and the friendly stew- ard showed me to my cabin. It is somewhat bizarre that, little more than 3 hours since London, the unmistakable lilt of Castilian Spanish between train staff can be heard. The Elipsos train is run by Renfe (Span- ish Rail), and I consider it the best sched- uled overnight service in Europe. Having boarded shortly after 7pm, I made my way to the restaurant car where I enjoyed a three-course meal, which was restaurant- quality. Adjourning to the bar with a night- cap was a natural progression, and went a long way to ensuring I dropped off as soon
82 WORLD OF CRUISING I Summer 2011
rivate train travel has been around quite some time and iconic journeys aboard luxurious trains are certainly
as my head hit the pillow! Next morning, I enjoyed breakfast while
watching the sun rise across the country- side north of the Spanish capital then, with hours to spare before my connection to Cordoba, I had time to visit the Botani- cal Gardens and take in the architecture around the Prado Museum. Spain has invested royally in their
rail network over the last 20 years, and nothing better illustrates this than the AVE high-speed train. Soon afterwards, there was an at-seat service of a Cava aperitif and a meal. The fine lunch was enjoyed by the packed Preferente coach as we sped through the countryside, arriving in Cordoba in less than 2 hours. I took a taxi to the Hospes Palacio del
Bailio, where I’d decided to stay overnight. It was a chance to break the journey and stay a little longer in a city I’d dreamt of visiting for years. The hotel was blessed with Andalucian charm and a fantastic res- taurant, a reading room steeped in history and a beautiful interior courtyard. The next day, I took the train to Algeci- ras, the port for entry into Morocco. The
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