Waiting for the train to come

I went on a short train trip yesterday to a nearby city to visit friends. Trains and train stations here kind of fascinate me. They are comfortable and clean nowadays too. Who would have thought the day would come when even small train stations had Starbucks in them?

My blog post title, "Waiting for the train to come" reminds me of a song Russ Taff sings. I wonder if anyone else remembers that song besides me? It's called The River Unbroken. Here is the YouTube version of the song and here are the lyrics. 

View from my train window

On my train trip right after Christmas, I took photos from my window seat at a speed of 300 km per hour (186 miles per hour). The photos are not the greatest, but the views remind me of the simplicity and beauty of the Chinese countryside.

Icy landscapes

By Christmas Day, I was worn out. I went to lunch and coffee downtown, then came back to pack for a trip. It didn't seem much like Christmas, but then it never does here anyway.

I got up 4:30 a.m. the day after Christmas, got ready, and headed to the train station.

I rode a high-speed train (299 km per hour was the fastest speed I saw) towards the north. I saw lots of snow and ice. Above is a icy lake in a snow-covered landscape.

The cold weather just makes me want to take a long nap.