Exploring Europe by train
On a train to somewhere
Joined November 2019
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I have decided that I will no longer in future be posting accounts of my travels on Twitter. So please follow along on Bluesky instead (same europeexplored username).
No. 1: Church on the Hill, Sighișoara.
This church stuck in my memory from 1983: shrouded in mist, sheep grazing outside, organ music within, but locked. In 2024, it was open, and delightful to talk to a man who had worshipped there, aged 6, in 1983.
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No. 2: Carmen - Gothenburg Opera.
Having been to an opera for the first time in 2023, I made a flying visit to Gothenburg in 2024 to see Carmen. Based on the 2002 Glyndebourne production, it was superb and the sheer joy of the entire cast shone through.
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No. 3: Schengen three countries walk.
While in Schengen in April, I tested the EU's free movement by walking from Luxembourg to France via Germany and back. The whole walk took under 15 minutes, although the route back may have been illegal.
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No. 4: Motette in the Thomaskirche, Leipzig.
We attended a service in the Thomaskirche (where J S Bach had been Cantor for 30 years) based around the Bach cantata "Liebster Gott, wenn werd ich sterben", performed by members of the Gewandhaus Orchestra.
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No. 5: Mount Etna.
From wherever I went in Sicily in February, a smoking snow-capped Mount Etna was usually to be seen. The picture is of the view from the room in which I ate breakfast in Taormina, on my first morning on the island.
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No. 6: Train Ferry across the Straits of Messina.
I crossed to Sicily on the only European ferry that still carries a train on board. The actual crossing of the Straits only takes 30 minutes, during which time you can stay on the train or go on deck.
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No. 7: The Black Sea.
In October, I travelled along the Romanian Black Sea coast from Constanța to Mangalia. Having not seen the Black Sea for 41 years, I felt that I could not come all this way without going in it again.
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No. 8: Lindholm Høje Viking Burial Site.
This extensive Viking burial site, filled with mounds and stones, is short bus ride from Aalborg. The loud cawing of the crows from a nearby wood added to the atmosphere of the place during my visit.
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No. 9: Wuppertal Schwebebahn.
Unique within Europe, this suspended monorail with hanging carriages runs for 13km along the Wupper valley. In September, we rode its full length and back again, stopping off to visit the family home of Friedrich Engels.
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No. 10: Freedom Pass workout.
Earlier this year I became eligible for a Freedom Pass, which gives free local bus journeys within England. To celebrate, I travelled from Manchester to home (in Woodford) for free, taking 16 hours and using eight buses.
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No. 11: Brekkefossen waterfall, Flåm.
When I was staying in Flåm, at the head of the Aurlandsfjord, I went for a walk up the valley to visit the Brekkefossen waterfall, which provided amazing views.
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No. 12: Porta Nigra, Trier.
The Porta Nigra is an impressive four-storey Roman gate that was originally part of Trier’s city walls. In the Middle Ages it was incorporated into two churches, but these were pulled down in 1804 on Napoleon’s orders.
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No. 13: Tampa Mountain, Brașov.
As I had in 1983, I again rode in the cable car to the top of Tampa Mountain to look down on Brașov below and then walked down following a path zig-zagging through the steep wooded slopes.
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No. 14: Der Runden Ecke (Stasi HQ), Leipzig.
Part of the building contains the Stasi Records Archive, while another part is now a museum of the Stasi’s activities in Leipzig. The Stasi methods ranged from the sinister to the laughable.
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No. 15: Oslo City Hall.
The Nobel Peace prize is awarded in Oslo City Hall every year. The building still functions as the headquarters of local government for the city. The main hall, and many other rooms, are decorated with large murals.
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No. 16: Graeco-Roman Theatre, Taormina.
The remains of the theatre are largely Roman, built on the site of a Greek original. From the theatre there are great views of both Mount Etna and the Ionian Sea. It was used for the 2017 G7 summit group photo.
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No. 17: Alexander Nevsky Cathedral, Sofia.
This large building is the main cathedral of the Bulgarian Orthodox Church. While the outside of the cathedral is impressive, the inside is breathtaking with ornate, colourful decorations covering the walls.
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No. 18: Fuggerei, Augsburg.
The Fuggerei is the oldest social housing complex in the world still in use. Founded by the Fugger family, wealthy merchants and bankers, it first opened in 1523. Augsburg's deserving Catholic poor are housed in the apartments.
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