View this email in your browser

Welcome on board Midnight Trains, a company where every moment counts

Here at Midnight Trains, we’re aiming to better connect the great European cities – with ‘hotels on rails’ that freshen up the good old-fashioned sleeper train. But while we wait to really welcome you on board, every Friday at midnight the Midnight Weekly newsletter will explain just how the night train could change your life. We’ll also be providing some travel inspiration, and this week we’ll be giving you the inside track on that magnificent European city, Brussels.

If you’re neither a railway geek nor an expert in historic French-Belgian transport links, the news may have passed you by: back at the start of summer, several train aficionados celebrated 175 years since a very special service ran between the French and Belgian capitals for the first time. So now, once again, let’s travel back in time to understand why exactly this service is a little more notable than your average Thalys train that runs between the two cities today.

In previous editions of Midnight Weekly, you’ve probably noticed that the nineteenth century was the period when the railways really got going. Politics, economics and a general ambition to spread influence all over the continent – all combined to accelerate technological progress and led to the development of rail lines across Europe.

For both the French and Belgians, the Paris-Brussels service was no exception to this. At this point in time, Belgium was a very young nation that had declared independence from the Kingdom of Low Countries in 1830 (before being recognised as completely separate in 1839). Having not yet been able to spread their wings as an independent nation, the Belgian leaders really wanted to exert their influence across the continent, while their anxious neighbours prevented them from accessing the sea from the Scheldt river. The railways were to prove their lifeline.

And they really did go for it. With a generous lot of public money, which hardly wavered, the country was within a few years to create a link between the Scheldt and the Rhine – that is to say connecting Belgium with the German Confederation (the antecedent of today’s Germany) – that also passed through Antwerp, Mechelen and Liège. France was the next priority.

France was also ploughing ahead with new train lines, no doubt in an effort to compete with the UK: the birthplace of the railways. After all, this was the 1840s, only a couple of decades after the Battle of Waterloo – far before any congenial relations had started between the two countries.

By contrast with the Belgians, the development of the railways in France was erratic. There was heated debate over where the funding should come from, the country not exactly being as wealthy as it is now. So it was fortunate, then, that one of its citizens was James de Rothschild, a rich banker who took it upon himself to get involved in the railway sector. He set up the Compagnie du Chemin de Fer du Nord, which was to make possible the Paris-Lille line inaugurated in September 1945 (a predecessor of the Brussels line).

But for its part, why was Paris so set on having trains to Brussels? Quite simply because Belgium was in the middle of an industrial boom and that provided a great opportunity to transport goods their way (especially considering France itself was not doing brilliantly economically). So freight trains were the priority, but passenger services were soon to follow.

It’s in that context that on Sunday June 1, 1846, three trains decorated in the colours of the French and Belgian flags set off on a ceremonious inaugural trip, in spite of several protests: the choice of a day of mass was criticised by the religious, while those workers who’d toiled day and night to construct the line weren’t invited. Not cool.

In fact, only the most sharply dressed were on board: in the French delegation, you had sons of the last king of France, Louis-Philippe, the Duke of Nemours and the Duke of Montpensier; on the Belgian side, you had King Léopold I.

And boy was it a lengthy trip: some 12 hours and 30 minutes in all. The train arrived in Lille in the evening before finally making it to Brussels the next morning. The sleeper train was born, largely because it couldn’t go any more quickly, and at that time, only the very wealthy would’ve been able to take such a trip.

Today, things have very much changed. Around 25 years ago, the Paris-Brussels line entered a new era thanks to a new high-speed line, the Thalys. And so now we will tell you a little bit more about one of those people responsible for its success.

All throughout September, we’re introducing to all the people who’ve come together to make Midnight Trains happen. This week, it’s the turn of Franck Gervais, one of the four (fantastic) advisers whose role is to help co-founders Adrien Aumont and Romain Payet make the key strategic decisions that will allow you to climb aboard our trains from 2024.

In the time where Midnight Trains was only a very vague idea, Adrien and Romain met and consulted with everyone they could. Before even launching the company, this preliminary stage was necessary in order to refine the branding and strategy of their business. Meeting followed meeting followed meeting and, in nearly every discussion they had, the name Franck Gervais popped time and again. They hadn’t even met him yet when all paths seemed to lead his way, so effusive was the praise of their interlocutors.

It must be said that at only 44 years of age, Franck Gervais has had a pretty impressive career already. Since January he’s been the director-general of the group Pierre & Vacances-Center Parcs, and on account of his experience, we invited him to be a part of the board of directors of Midnight Trains which brings together the all the skills and knowledge bases we needed to make our ‘hotels on rails’ a success.

It all started when, having just graduated from the École Polytechnique and the École des Ponts et Chaussées, an earlier job saw him end up on the Côte d’Azur, in the Alpes-Maritimes region. That’s where he honed his strategic skills as chief of the department’s air bases. After three years in the Nice region, he got the call to take up some very different responsibilities in Paris.

For two years, he put his skills to action within the cabinet of the Ministry of Transport, before becoming principal private secretary to the president of the Société Nationale des Chemins de Fer (SNCF). Franck Gervais was becoming more and more established in the sector, just as he was refining his own ambition to see a true railway revolution in France, so drastic and evident were the effects of the booming low-cost flight sector.

Soon, unprecedentedly, he would have an opportunity to play his own part. In 2011 Franck Gervais took charge of Thalys, whose trains connected France, Belgium, Germany and Netherlands, based around the Paris-Brussels line, which we told you about a little earlier. It was under his leadership that this low-carbon option was to welcome its 100 millionth passenger. Unsurprisingly, he was to bring similar levels of success as a leader at Voyages-SNCF too.

Franck Gervais’s past lives make him a real asset and the ideal sponsor for a venture like Midnight Trains. As it happens, after all those years working within the railway industry, he’d already turned his attention to the hospitality industry, becoming the director-general for Europe within the Accor group in 2017. Could we dream any bigger for our ‘hotels on rails’ than a talent such as his, one that’s always strived to improve the travel experience as far as possible?

When Adrien and Romain suggested to him that he get on board with our venture, there was no hint of hesitation in his signing up, since for him, the sleeper train represents something of the ultimate travel experience. For him, it all comes down to the joy in leaving one city, only to wake up the following morning in a totally different setting, perhaps looking out over the sunrise in the snow-covered Alps. No surprise, then, that beautiful Verona is the destination that has him dreaming more than any other, sitting as it does in the shadows of those towering mountains.

Our sleeper trains will offer a new cross-border travel experience all the way across the continent. So how could we not stop off in Brussels, that city that appears very much like the capital of the European Union (if there were such a thing)? Liberty expresses itself here like in few other places, and this compact city always manages, somehow, to surprise us: a very good reason to keep going back. Let’s head over there for a short trip.

Let’s start with the basics, if by any chance you haven’t yet been able to hit the city’s streets. One of the can’t-miss sights in this city is a very small man, around the height of a few apples stacked one on top of the other, that delights all those who pass by the fountain he calls home. Yes: this is the Manneken Pis we’re talking about, whose very irreverence gives you a good idea of the spirit of this brilliant city.

After that, you’ll be very near another of the city’s most unmissable sights: the Grand-Place, Brussels’s beating heart. Completely pedestrianised, the square is fringed with buildings that all rival each other in the beauty stakes, and even more so at night, when they are fabulously lit up. And once you’ve taken all that in, you could then let yourself get lost in the winding streets of the city centre.

A trip to Brussels also guarantees a whole load of amazing culture. And if it is your first time in town, start with the Musée des Beaux-Arts, which brings together classics like many of Rubens’s most famous paintings. Then hit up the Musée Horta, which was none other than the home of the eponymous architect, for an exhilarating art-deco journey: everything here (and we really mean everything – down to the door buzzers) was designed by the man himself.

This autumn in particular, there’s a real range of cultural events that might make you want to head down: le Bozar, another museum, is currently preparing to host a a brand-new double-exhibition on David Hockney, from October 8. While you’re there, you’ll also want to check out the Villa Empain: further proof of this city’s art-deco pedigree, and now home to the Fondation Boghossian, whose temporary exhibitions are always as fun as they are informative.

And it’s not just the art that’ll make you want to stick around: this city is a boozer’s haven too. After a day’s meandering around the city centre, there are few things better than a beer with pals. Our number-one recommendation would be Brasserie Cantillon. But before you sit down, you could also drop by the Musée de la Gueuze: a type of beer obtained from a mix of lambic beers. And Cantillon – yep, we’re going to say it – make quite simply the best beer in Brussels: their brews will win over even the staunchest of wine drinkers.

Then there’s the food, too. The estaminets – local cafés – may be the most distinctive feature of the city’s streets, but we’d also like to make a few other suggestions, like Fernand Obb. Here you’ll find the Brussels’s finest shrimp croquettes, while the rest of the menu abounds in rich, high-quality fast food that’d put any chain to shame.

Half-way between gastronomy and bistronomie, our go-to restaurant at the moment is La Buvette. Chef Nicolas Scheidt aims to delight locals and travellers alike, putting the very best seasonal produce right before them. After something a little simpler? We’d have to point you in the direction of Lombric, a neighbourhood bar whose food has already been much talked about, only a little while after its opening.

And that’s pretty much a wrap on our brief stopover in Brussels, but we couldn’t finish without reeling out a line from a nostalgic Jacques Brel tune, which eulogised a time when ‘bruxelles bruxellait’ (literally, when ‘Brussels brusselled’). Brussels is still brusselling, we can tell you that for free. Just take a walk here at night and you’ll see what we mean: just this weekend, in fact, the Club Open Air has been dazzling revellers with its outdoor club nights – as it has throughout the summer. Who knows what you might discover on your trip.

A little interlude in our Brussels trip to take a gastronomic journey with the respected chef Sugio Yamaguchi, who takes as his aim the exploration of produce; going as off the beaten track as possible. That makes sense for this Tokyo local who plied his trade in Lyon initially, before really making his name at Botanique (Paris) over several years.

He’s just left that restaurant to focus on new projects. But these words of his will suffice to give an idea of his philosophy: ‘The cuisine of appearance can only satisfy the eyes but not the heart. I want to return to basics: food that warms the heart, working with quality, seasonal products, which was essential way back when but forgotten now. I want to offer honest, humble cooking.’ No doubt the following recipe, based on another by Christophe Michalak, will win over even the most hardened of Insta-food fans.

Ingredients:

550ml almond milk (125 organic almonds and 475g mineral water)

45 unrefined sugar

25-30g rice flour or millet (depending how you want the texture to turn out)

Three or four fig leaves

A pinch of sea salt

Figs (as many as you want)

Olive oil

Basil flowers (optional)

Prep:

Start by making the almond milk, blending the almonds with the mineral water, for enough time to avoid having to sieve the mixture. If you do sieve the mixture, keep the residue for dressing. (Note: the almond milk that you’ll find in supermarkets is often made with almond paste with a concentration of only 6 percent, meaning it doesn’t taste of much).

Warm the milk on a low heat with the fig leaves, mixing regularly.

Take off the heat and leave to rest for five minutes.

Remove the leaves and allow to cool.

Mix the flour, sugar and salt in a bowl, pour in the milk and mix vigorously.

Place this mixture in a saucepan and cook as if making a crème pâtissière. Once you’ve done this, allow to cool a little, then pour in the serving dish.

Leave at room temperature for a little while, then place in the fridge for at least four hours. In the meantime, chop the figs into small pieces and marinate with a glug of olive oil and basil flowers, if you have some.

Top the flan with the almond residue (if you did sieve the mixture earlier) and the marinated figs. Bon appétit!

Already making your way towards the kitchen? Not so fast! We’ve got some music that’ll make the ideal soundtrack. Once again, you’ll find it waiting for you over in the Midnight Trains playlist and it gives us yet another excuse to head back to Brussels. Just as cool as the city and its inhabitants, it’s the work of local David Numwami, an up-and-comer who recently joined none other than Charlotte Gainsbourg on stage. With his magical beats, this bound-to-be-huge new artist has put us in just the right mood to start the weekend.

Did you really think we were going to drop by Brussels without recommending one of the films that kicked off a new cinematic revolution in Belgium? Nearly 15 years before Dikkenek, another cult Belgian film, Man Bites Dog, marked an entire generation, now able to recite line after line. Shot like a documentary, the film – in fact very much fictional – tells of a fine troupe of journalists who decide to follow Ben, a killer who targets the elderly and middle classes. In very little time, the journalists are taking part in the crimes too. Worth watching for the dazzling performance from Benoît Poelvoorde alone!

Bonne fin de semaine!