On night trains
A flight compresses distance into nothing. A night train gives it back. You fall asleep in one landscape and wake up somewhere with a different kind of light and a different smell to the air.
It is slower and often not cheaper, but the arrival feels earned. I step onto the platform already a little bit in the place, rather than dropped into it.
Practical notes: bring earplugs, a thin scarf, and something to eat that does not crumble.