The Intercity-Express (ICE) connecting Brussels with Frankfurt/Main via Köln is probably the least reliable train I’ve ever experienced. The catalogue of problems I have had with this service stretches back years, right from when the service was first introduced. I do at least 4 return journeys a year on the […]
Analysis
Ljubljana
A dusting of snow covered the peaks at Jesenice after crossing the border from Austria into Slovenia yesterday lunchtime. A 1970s Yugoslav coach on the Eurocity from München, replete with pee-onto-the-tracks toilets, creaked and groaned over the old lines through Lesce Bled and Kranj and a warm afternoon sun softened […]
Dubai
At one level Dubai is a shining example of the determination and ingenuity of the human race. Here a city of more than 2 million inhabitants built in double quick time in the most unlikely of locations, lacking water to sustain its population and enduring suffocating heat and even humidity. […]
The case for night trains from Brussels
As part of my relentless pursuit to be green with my travels, I’m always taking the train. But for a trip I’m planning 3-6 December to Berlin, my patience is really running low. To get to Berlin from London I have 2 options – Eurostar to Brussels, on to Köln […]
How to consistently get London-Brussels or Brussels-London Eurostar tickets for €49 single
NOTE: this system has been replaced in 2022 with a new “De Connect” ticket. You can find out how that works in this new post! I’m a regular traveller on Eurostar, and I often travel onwards from Brussels to Germany by train, so much in fact that I am used […]
Driving more nails into the Schengen coffin
It’s not France and Italy this time, but Denmark, driving more nails into the coffin of Schengen, Europe’s border free system, at least in spirit. Danish Finance Minister Claus Hjort Frederiksen, as reported by BBC, said: We have reached agreement on reintroducing customs inspections at Denmark’s borders as soon as […]