The train is popular among tourists from countries like the United States, Britain and Japan. These days, however, locals take up most of the seats and cabins. Photos: MARCO LONGARI/AFP
Waiters in grey waistcoats bearing dainty platters of canapés circle the private lounge at Cape Town’s main train station and the tinkle of champagne glasses fills the air.
Timeless ease fills the room as passengers wait to embark on the fabled Blue Train for a luxurious two-night trek across South Africa.
But even in this cosseted world, 2021 intrudes, showing that nothing can escape the grip of the coronavirus pandemic. Passengers are discreetly ushered off in small groups to a fast-track coronavirus testing centre nearby.
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Blue Train passengers enjoy drinks in the observation car as the train slowly makes its way through the outskirts of Cape Town on February 25. AFP
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Waiters in grey waistcoats bearing dainty platters of canapes circle the private lounge at Cape Town’s main train station and the tinkle of champagne glasses fills the air.
Timeless ease fills the room as passengers wait to embark on the fabled Blue Train for a luxurious two-night trek across South Africa.
But even in this cosseted world, 2021 intrudes, showing that nothing can escape the grip of the coronavirus pandemic.
CAPE TOWN, Mar 7 Waiters in grey waistcoats bearing dainty platters of canapés circle the private lounge at Cape Town’s main train station and the tinkle of champagne glasses fills the air. Timeless ease fills the room as passengers wait to embark on the fabled Blue Train for a luxurious.
Waiters in grey waistcoats bearing dainty platters of canapés circle the private lounge at Cape Town's main train station and the tinkle of champagne glasses fills the air. The 61-year-old started his career as a senior waiter on a smaller train in 1981.