Trains started running north from Cape Town to Pretoria back in the 1890s. The Union Ltd and the Union Express would take miners and millionaires alike north to the diamond mines of Kimberley and the goldfields of the Witwatersrand. And with the millionaires' money came the demand for luxury.
By the 1930s, the trains, painted in a smart blue livery, had every conceivable comfort. It was only in 1946 however that the train became known as the Blue Train. And it was 1997 before it was completely overhauled to become the type of service it is today, a regular luxury link between Cape Town and Pretoria that has become a staple of many South African holidays. Today, South Africa's Blue Train is recognised as one of the finest luxury train trips in the world.
Day 1
5.45am Wake up call. Far too early, but the hotel is being super-efficient. There could be a traffic jam getting into Cape Town and I don't want to miss the train.
6.27am I leave the hotel 3 minutes ahead of schedule - this never happens! My taxi driver reminds me that today is a holiday, called because of the elections. We whistle into town at record speeds and I am 45 mins early for check-in at Cape Town station. No matter. I may be sleep-deprived but there are smiling attendants in pristine uniforms to tag my bags and show me to a comfy armchair.
7.50am I have a cup of tea, have met up with Rod and Jan from Essex who were in the same hotel last night and there are mimosas on offer. Other travellers are beginning to drift in. Muzak is burbling away over the speakers and smoked salmon canapés have appeared on a nearby table. Outside, Cape Town station is incredibly ugly and really rather empty for such a major city.
8.40am The train purrs into the station. It is a lovely shade of cobalt blue. The staff don white gloves and line up ready to escort us on board. I half expect them to burst into song. My suite seems unbelievably luxurious but is one of the standard ones. They apparently come bigger and better still. It is wood paneled with marquetry inlay, a sofa, fold-down double bed, TV (for movies), armchair and table. It even has a full en suite bathroom, complete with bath.
9.00am I am visited in quick succession by Angela, my beaming personal butler, Herbert the Rooms Manager and Mosa the Train Manager, all of whom enquire tenderly about my personal wellbeing. I feel cherished. I also learn how to work the TV and the electronic blinds. I am informed that all drinks are included except imported champagne. Tamely I settle for orange juice, which arrives in a crystal tumbler.
11.00am We are winding through the Hex River Pass in the Cape Winelands. The mountains are incredibly beautiful and it's a stunning day with clear blue skies. The vines look magnificent, some a startling emerald green, others a rich russet. There is a real frustration that the windows are not the sort you can open and lean out to take photos! I'm loving the luxury but for photographic purposes remember back fondly to the rickety Nairobi-Mombasa train in Kenya, when we opened the door and sat on the step.
11.30am It's time for brunch. Time to explore the dining car with its crisp white linen, silver service and murals of trees. Rod and Jan have taken pity on a single traveller and invited me to sit with them. Any relationship to breakfast in the brunch menu is purely coincidental. I have mushroom quiche, biltong dusted veal and chocolate and orange tart.
12.30pm Coffee in the lounge car. I end up having a long conversation with Oscar the barman about Zimbabwe. I should be working but this is far more interesting. And he makes a great cup of coffee.
1.30pm On my way back to my suite, I make a quick stop at the boutique to drool over the tanzanite. When I win the lottery…
2.15pm We arrive in Matjiesfontein (pronounced Mikeysfontane) on the edge of the Karoo. We are 15 minutes early - what is it about today? This is where we get our outing off the train. A whole hour to explore with a 10-minute guided tour. I'm not going to describe it in detail as it would spoil the fun for future travellers but it involves a big red London bus, a large man in a bowler hat, plentiful quantities of sherry, some amazing colonial architecture, a honkytonk piano and a bank.
3.30pm Back on board it's time for more food. High tea is served in the lounge car. We all say we are just going to have a cup of tea, but the cucumber sandwiches, cream scones and chocolate cake prove too much for the willpower and the table slowly empties. I stay and talk to Mary from Melbourne and others join in. This is a very friendly train with a good crowd on board.
5.57pm Sunset over the Karoo. The sky is vast and the most amazing colour, changing from apricot to scarlet to purple and a deep indigo above. There are a few streaky clouds on the horizon, just enough to add texture to the display. With a sky this clear, there will be the most astonishing display of stars tonight. We aren't far from the home of South Africa's Large Telescope at the moment.
7pm Yet more food. Dinner time and Melbourne Mary has joined our table. Everyone has put on the glad rags. Another wonderful if giant meal with a distinctly South African theme - springbok shank followed by rooibos pannacotta served in a chocolate potjie. Wide-ranging conversation includes the benefits of baobab as a superfruit, Ataturk and the Armenian question, and the beneficial effects of a bowtie as a sales tool.
9.30pm Early to bed. Everyone tired after the early start. Wonderful to lie in bed reading my book, gently rocked, listening to the tackety-tackety whoosh of the train on the track.