EuropeExplored
@europeexplored.bsky.social
Exploring Europe by train
europeexplored.travel.blog
europeexplored.travel.blog
Reposted by EuropeExplored
The first half of my recent whirlwind tour. Featuring opera, trains, planes, castles and sausage.
Europe Explored – Trip 19 – Here, There and Everywhere – Part One: Gothenburg, Prague, Graz and Maribor
“The diversity of the phenomena of nature is so great, and the treasures hidden in the heavens so rich, precisely in order that the human mind shall never be lacking in fresh nourishment.R…
europeexplored.travel.blog
November 4, 2025 at 4:53 PM
The first half of my recent whirlwind tour. Featuring opera, trains, planes, castles and sausage.
The first half of my recent whirlwind tour. Featuring opera, trains, planes, castles and sausage.
Europe Explored – Trip 19 – Here, There and Everywhere – Part One: Gothenburg, Prague, Graz and Maribor
“The diversity of the phenomena of nature is so great, and the treasures hidden in the heavens so rich, precisely in order that the human mind shall never be lacking in fresh nourishment.R…
europeexplored.travel.blog
November 4, 2025 at 4:53 PM
The first half of my recent whirlwind tour. Featuring opera, trains, planes, castles and sausage.
Reposted by EuropeExplored
A little belatedly, an account of the Estonian leg of my recent trip to the Baltic States. Featuring, amongst other things, a base for long-range strategic bombers, the national bank, and a Czar's rather modest cottage.
Europe Explored – Trip 18 – The Baltic States – Part Three: Estonia
“Kes otsib, see leiab” (He who seeks shall find) – Estonian proverb Continuing the account, with the third and final part, of the recent trip I took with my wife to the Baltic Sta…
europeexplored.travel.blog
October 29, 2025 at 6:00 PM
A little belatedly, an account of the Estonian leg of my recent trip to the Baltic States. Featuring, amongst other things, a base for long-range strategic bombers, the national bank, and a Czar's rather modest cottage.
A little belatedly, an account of the Estonian leg of my recent trip to the Baltic States. Featuring, amongst other things, a base for long-range strategic bombers, the national bank, and a Czar's rather modest cottage.
Europe Explored – Trip 18 – The Baltic States – Part Three: Estonia
“Kes otsib, see leiab” (He who seeks shall find) – Estonian proverb Continuing the account, with the third and final part, of the recent trip I took with my wife to the Baltic Sta…
europeexplored.travel.blog
October 29, 2025 at 6:00 PM
A little belatedly, an account of the Estonian leg of my recent trip to the Baltic States. Featuring, amongst other things, a base for long-range strategic bombers, the national bank, and a Czar's rather modest cottage.
Off to a wedding this weekend. Departing from the magnificent temple that is London Paddington.
October 23, 2025 at 12:11 PM
Off to a wedding this weekend. Departing from the magnificent temple that is London Paddington.
Day 9. As I last visited Budapest only a couple of years ago, I'm using it as a staging post.
The Szechenyi bridge across the Danube was closed last time I was here. Designed by an Englishman, William Tierney Clark, who was also responsible for the similar chain bridge across the Thames at Marlow.
The Szechenyi bridge across the Danube was closed last time I was here. Designed by an Englishman, William Tierney Clark, who was also responsible for the similar chain bridge across the Thames at Marlow.
October 16, 2025 at 7:33 AM
Day 9. As I last visited Budapest only a couple of years ago, I'm using it as a staging post.
The Szechenyi bridge across the Danube was closed last time I was here. Designed by an Englishman, William Tierney Clark, who was also responsible for the similar chain bridge across the Thames at Marlow.
The Szechenyi bridge across the Danube was closed last time I was here. Designed by an Englishman, William Tierney Clark, who was also responsible for the similar chain bridge across the Thames at Marlow.
Researching the recent history of where I have just been, has led me to discover that the excellent Norma Percy documentary series 'The Death of Yugoslavia' is available again on BBC iPlayer.
(Even if you are not in the UK, you can use a VPN to access it, as I have been doing.)
(Even if you are not in the UK, you can use a VPN to access it, as I have been doing.)
The Death of Yugoslavia - Wikipedia
en.wikipedia.org
October 15, 2025 at 8:44 PM
Researching the recent history of where I have just been, has led me to discover that the excellent Norma Percy documentary series 'The Death of Yugoslavia' is available again on BBC iPlayer.
(Even if you are not in the UK, you can use a VPN to access it, as I have been doing.)
(Even if you are not in the UK, you can use a VPN to access it, as I have been doing.)
Is this really from the official Deutsche Bahn Youtube channel. If so, who says the Germans have no sense of humour?
Der Bahn Song
YouTube video by Deutsche Bahn
youtu.be
October 15, 2025 at 6:51 PM
Is this really from the official Deutsche Bahn Youtube channel. If so, who says the Germans have no sense of humour?
@lewisbaston.bsky.social
@jonworth.eu
An update to your experiences of Osijek - Pécs:
Trains now run every two hours and are timed to connect, so the whole journey takes 90 minutes. (It helps that Croatia is now in Schengen.) MAV (but not HŽPP) will sell you an online ticket for the whole journey.
@jonworth.eu
An update to your experiences of Osijek - Pécs:
Trains now run every two hours and are timed to connect, so the whole journey takes 90 minutes. (It helps that Croatia is now in Schengen.) MAV (but not HŽPP) will sell you an online ticket for the whole journey.
October 15, 2025 at 4:09 PM
@lewisbaston.bsky.social
@jonworth.eu
An update to your experiences of Osijek - Pécs:
Trains now run every two hours and are timed to connect, so the whole journey takes 90 minutes. (It helps that Croatia is now in Schengen.) MAV (but not HŽPP) will sell you an online ticket for the whole journey.
@jonworth.eu
An update to your experiences of Osijek - Pécs:
Trains now run every two hours and are timed to connect, so the whole journey takes 90 minutes. (It helps that Croatia is now in Schengen.) MAV (but not HŽPP) will sell you an online ticket for the whole journey.
Day 8. An early mortning visit to magnificent Pécs cathedral, before anywhere else has opened. Good views across Pécs from the tower.
October 15, 2025 at 7:44 AM
Day 8. An early mortning visit to magnificent Pécs cathedral, before anywhere else has opened. Good views across Pécs from the tower.
Day 7. The picturesque fortified old town of Osijek is distinct from what is now the city centre. A surprising number of buildings still show damage from the Battle of Osijek in 1991-92, during the Jugoslav Civil War or Croation War of Independence.
October 14, 2025 at 8:24 AM
Day 7. The picturesque fortified old town of Osijek is distinct from what is now the city centre. A surprising number of buildings still show damage from the Battle of Osijek in 1991-92, during the Jugoslav Civil War or Croation War of Independence.
Day 6. As most attractions in Croatia are shut on Mondays, today is a long day travelling by train. I could have got up early & caught a through train to my destination, but instead I decided to have a lie in and I will now need to change trains. Time will tell if this was the right decision.
October 13, 2025 at 7:28 AM
Day 6. As most attractions in Croatia are shut on Mondays, today is a long day travelling by train. I could have got up early & caught a through train to my destination, but instead I decided to have a lie in and I will now need to change trains. Time will tell if this was the right decision.
Day 5. Although there are direct trains from Maribor to where I want to go next, their times are not convenient. The indirect trains don't really work either. So I am catching a bus from Maribor bus station for the next leg of my journey.
October 12, 2025 at 5:25 AM
Day 5. Although there are direct trains from Maribor to where I want to go next, their times are not convenient. The indirect trains don't really work either. So I am catching a bus from Maribor bus station for the next leg of my journey.
Day 4. About to depart from Graz, a city that I didn't have nearly enough time in to do it justice.
Leaving for another country on a non-ÖBB international train, for which ÖBB has sold me an excellent value advance ticket - only two-thirds the price of the day bus ticket I bought for exploring Graz.
Leaving for another country on a non-ÖBB international train, for which ÖBB has sold me an excellent value advance ticket - only two-thirds the price of the day bus ticket I bought for exploring Graz.
October 11, 2025 at 6:39 AM
Day 4. About to depart from Graz, a city that I didn't have nearly enough time in to do it justice.
Leaving for another country on a non-ÖBB international train, for which ÖBB has sold me an excellent value advance ticket - only two-thirds the price of the day bus ticket I bought for exploring Graz.
Leaving for another country on a non-ÖBB international train, for which ÖBB has sold me an excellent value advance ticket - only two-thirds the price of the day bus ticket I bought for exploring Graz.
Day 3. On the second Friday in October, I used to catch the Chess Train after a breakfast reception in the Government Lounge at Praha hl. n. by the Kinder Transport memorial. It's the second Friday, but the Government Lounge is shut. I guess I had better go somewhere else.
October 10, 2025 at 4:39 AM
Day 3. On the second Friday in October, I used to catch the Chess Train after a breakfast reception in the Government Lounge at Praha hl. n. by the Kinder Transport memorial. It's the second Friday, but the Government Lounge is shut. I guess I had better go somewhere else.
Day 2. An early morning walk with the intention of arriving at Gothenburg Art Gallery for when it opened. Only to check just before I arrived to discover that it opens an hour later than I thought! A hasty replan to visit somewhere that is better at getting up in the morning.
October 9, 2025 at 8:16 AM
Day 2. An early morning walk with the intention of arriving at Gothenburg Art Gallery for when it opened. Only to check just before I arrived to discover that it opens an hour later than I thought! A hasty replan to visit somewhere that is better at getting up in the morning.
It was four years ago today that I set off on my first trip after 18 months of Covid imposed restrictions. Since then, I've been making up for lost time - 23 foreign excursions, 182 nights spent away from home in 25 different countries (plus another three countries just passed through).
Europe Explored – Trip 1 – From Cornwall to Normandy
“Nous avons besoin de la sagesse normande”(‘What we need is common sense’, once translated literally in the European Parliament as ‘what we need is Norman Wisdom’…
europeexplored.travel.blog
October 8, 2025 at 7:00 AM
It was four years ago today that I set off on my first trip after 18 months of Covid imposed restrictions. Since then, I've been making up for lost time - 23 foreign excursions, 182 nights spent away from home in 25 different countries (plus another three countries just passed through).
Continuing the account of my recent time time in the Baltic states. In Latvia, we go in search of a Latvian World Champion, encounter the Finnish President, and go shopping in some re-purposed Zeppelin hangers.
Europe Explored – Trip 18 – The Baltic States – Part Two: Latvia
“You must take your opponent into a deep dark forest where 2+2=5, and the path leading out is only wide enough for one.” (Mikhail Tal – Latvian Chess World Champion) Continuing the account of…
europeexplored.travel.blog
October 6, 2025 at 5:40 PM
Continuing the account of my recent time time in the Baltic states. In Latvia, we go in search of a Latvian World Champion, encounter the Finnish President, and go shopping in some re-purposed Zeppelin hangers.
First instalment of a three-part account of my recent trip to the Baltic states. All were fascinating and different from each other, but with a similar history.
Starting in Lithuania, visiting Kaunas and Vilnius.
europeexplored.travel.blog/2025/09/28/e...
Starting in Lithuania, visiting Kaunas and Vilnius.
europeexplored.travel.blog/2025/09/28/e...
Europe Explored – Trip 18 – The Baltic States – Part One: Lithuania
“Piper at the Gates of Dawn” (Pink Floyd album, based on the title of a chapter in The Wind in the Willows.) Having not been on a full multi-city Europe Explored trip for several months…
europeexplored.travel.blog
September 28, 2025 at 8:14 PM
First instalment of a three-part account of my recent trip to the Baltic states. All were fascinating and different from each other, but with a similar history.
Starting in Lithuania, visiting Kaunas and Vilnius.
europeexplored.travel.blog/2025/09/28/e...
Starting in Lithuania, visiting Kaunas and Vilnius.
europeexplored.travel.blog/2025/09/28/e...
Day 11. Another damp morning in Tallinn. Catching a bus for the first time since Kaunas.
September 21, 2025 at 6:23 AM
Day 11. Another damp morning in Tallinn. Catching a bus for the first time since Kaunas.
A damp morning in Tallinn to go for a walk before everything else opens, starting at Estonia's Freedom Monument.
September 20, 2025 at 7:42 AM
A damp morning in Tallinn to go for a walk before everything else opens, starting at Estonia's Freedom Monument.
Day 9. About to depart from Tartu's elegant railway station.
September 19, 2025 at 6:17 AM
Day 9. About to depart from Tartu's elegant railway station.
Day 8. In Soviet times, Tartu was a closed city to foreigners, due to the presence of a base for long-range strategic bombers. On the edge of the city, behind the remains of a barbed wire fence you can see some of the former aircraft hangers.
September 18, 2025 at 7:26 AM
Day 8. In Soviet times, Tartu was a closed city to foreigners, due to the presence of a base for long-range strategic bombers. On the edge of the city, behind the remains of a barbed wire fence you can see some of the former aircraft hangers.
Day 7. Just to the north east of Riga city centre is an area developed around the turn of last century and full of Art Nouveau buildings.
September 17, 2025 at 7:06 AM
Day 7. Just to the north east of Riga city centre is an area developed around the turn of last century and full of Art Nouveau buildings.
Day 6. Continuing our exploration of Riga. There is a state visit from the President of Finland. Outdide the castle we encountered the guard of honour awaiting his arrival.
September 16, 2025 at 6:57 AM
Day 6. Continuing our exploration of Riga. There is a state visit from the President of Finland. Outdide the castle we encountered the guard of honour awaiting his arrival.