Five fairy-tale train journeys through Ireland
It’s no secret that Ireland is home to some breathtaking scenery — from rugged coastlines to rolling countryside, winding rivers, and more. However, there just simply isn’t enough time to explore it all in one trip, so why not get a whistle-stop tour while making your way between stops. Train journeys through Ireland have a lot to offer in terms of incredible views. You’ll be treated to lots of green fields, coastal sites, and even some engineering marvels that will tell you a little about the island’s history. [irelandbeforeyoudie.com]
Four days on a train for climate change
When I decided to leave the West Coast to study in Montréal, it made perfect sense to assume I’d be taking a giant metal bird across the country about four times a year. I’ve long criticized our carbon-intensive society, but still felt I needed to join in a little to accomplish my goals. Until Greta Thunberg got on a boat and sailed across the Atlantic Ocean. [thetyee.ca]
Views you don’t get on the freeway … across America by train
Things might have been different if only Jack Kerouac had known how to hop a freight train. His attempts, described at the outset of the book that gained him celebrity, were a failure; a romantic notion from a bygone era that, in reality, proved tricky. Much easier to hitch a lorry ride. And thus the writer’s euphoric westward peregrinations, by motor car, kindled a new spirit of domestic US travel: On the Road rather than On the Railroad. [theguardian.com]
Why the Zagreb Split slow train is actually a great way to travel
Croatian trains do not have the best reputation in the world. The network itself is fairly disconnected, and big destinations such as Dubrovnik no longer have a train station. And Croatian trains are certainly not the quickest; more than three times slower that the likes of Spain and France. So why take the train at all? [total-croatia-news.com]
Dream ticket: the night train from Cologne to Vienna
Only 10 years ago, night trains seemed an endangered species as country by European country discontinued its services — the French, the Swiss and then, finally, the Germans in 2016. Yet, only three years later, the market has turned around, and ÖBB – the Austrian Federal Railway that kept the faith – is reaping the rewards. Having started Nightjet with eight lines, ÖBB’s operation now runs 27, with more on the way. [heguardian.com]
Trundling through Europe on the overnight jazz train to Berlin
Having left Rotterdam at sunset, the Jazz Night Express is in full swing. Traveling overnight to Berlin via Amsterdam, it hosts an eclectic line-up of jazz acts. Engineer Chris Engelsman is responsible for the idea, which incorporates sleeper cars, two live music carriages, an area for book readings and talks, and a restaurant. Hiring out a rickety, Eighties train to reinvent the magic of old-school travel, Engelsman calls it a “jazz festival with a night train message.” [telegraph.co.uk]
