Liked Stockholm-Oslo train

A reader reported a very negative experience taking a train from Oslo to Stockholm in July ’07 (Oct. ’08, pg. 18). In contrast, our trip from Stockholm to Oslo on Aug. 8, 2008, was very pleasant.

We booked our tickets with Rail Europe (www.raileurope.com) for the train leaving Stockholm at 8:30 a.m. and arriving in Oslo at 2:35 p.m. Both railway stations were located much more conveniently than the airports in the respective cities.

Economy-class tickets cost $38 each. Compare that to $250 each for our one-way flight from Oslo to Bergen.

When we arrived at the station, we found the numbered car and the seats, which were next to each other. Unfortunately, across the aisle were two women who never stopped talking, so we decided to investigate the dining car, which had two separate seating areas with the galley between them.

One area had curved seating, which we liked, and in the other there were tables and benches with large windows all around, which gave us a pretty view of the houses and countryside.

We had a cake and coffee snack and, later, lunch. The delicious shrimp sandwich (about $10) was cheaper than the sandwiches at the railroad station.

When we got back to our seats, our neighbors were still talking!

HEIDI MOORE

Pasadena, CA