Category Archives: Railways

29th October picture of the day…

29 Thursday Oct 2026

Posted by in Railways, Travel, West Yorkshire, Photography, Picture of the day, Switzerland

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Another month staggers towards a close – having seemed to fly by – although I’ve done little with it since getting back from Europe as most of my time’s been spent working from home. October’s always a bit of an odd one, partly because it contains my birthday but also because the clocks change here in the UK and the evenings become rather dark and dismal, making it the last of the fun months of the year.

My birthday was a low key event this year. Dawn was otherwise occupied so I spent much of the day working before strolling into Halifax on my own to pick up some shopping, have a quiet pint and watch the world go by – which it did in no-time! That’s another year added to the clock…

That said, the past few days have been productive as I’ve managed to edit and caption several hundred pictures, which means the end of my European travels are starting to appear in sight. I’ve finished hundreds of pictures from Germany and uploaded them to my Zenfolio website. You can find the railway ones here and the travel ones here. I’ve also been kept occupied trawling through my archives for potential library shots for a client, which was rather time consuming although an interesting trip down memory lane. Even I forget what pictures I’ve got stashed away sometimes!

Now I’ve moved on to Switzerland and uploaded the first few images. Finishing the rest will keep me out of trouble for a few days but I may put the process on hold in order to get back into my fitness regime. I’ve just taken delivery of a new Fitbit Charge 6 as my old Charge 5 was failing on an almost daily basis. The thing would shut down and I’d lose 1000s of steps as well as other data. I had to start carrying a battery pack to keep rebooting it which was frustrating. It’s completely skewed my stats for October, so I’m going to try and claw a few back for the month ends. Thankfully, the weather forecast looks like it’s going to co-operate so I’m not going to need to endure torrential rain or gales!

In the meantime, I’ll leave you with today’s picture, which is from Switzerland and the Bernina railway through the Alps to Italy. Here’s the Brusio spiral viaduct where the train loops up and over itself. It’s quite a sight! I’d love to go back when the weather’s right and spend a morning getting lineside shots. Maybe next year…

I’ve a small favour to ask…
If you enjoy reading this or any of the other blogs I’ve written, please click on an advert or two. You don’t have to buy anything you don’t want to of course – although if you did find something that tickled your fancy that would be fab! – but the revenue from them helps me to cover some of the cost of maintaining this site (which isn’t cheap and comes out of my own pocket). Remember, 99% of the pictures used in my blogs can be purchased as prints from my other website – https://paulbigland.zenfolio.com/

Cheers,

Paul

22nd October picture of the day…

22 Thursday Oct 2026

Posted by in Germany, Musings, Photography, Picture of the day, Railways, Travel

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Life feels a little like ‘Groundhog Day’ right now as the routine’s pretty much the same. I wade through 1000s of my European pictures, keep a wary eye on the weather in the hope I can go for a walk without getting soaked, complete some paperwork – then act as chef for lunch and dinner whilst Dawn slaves away in her office upstairs. Not that I’m doing all the cooking, Today Dee took some time off to make some delicious millionaires shortbread – something my skills don’t stretch to.

I’m starting to get a little stir-crazy. A feeling not helped by my picture editing as I’m reliving my adventures around Europe. Today I polished off Poland. You can find the Polish travel pictures here and the railway pictures here. I have to admit, I really enjoyed Poland. Warsaw’s a fantastic city and the Polish intercity trains are like a step back to a gentler age with many services having a full catering car serving freshly prepared and cooked food. I’m looking forward to returning and exploring the country in depth. Now my picture editing’s moved on to Germany. Well, my first of three visits anyway. I passed through on my way from France to Denmark when I first arrived, staying one night in Hamburg. I’ll edit all the different pictures together, just to save things from getting messy. I’ll be having a busy morning tomorrow, tying up some loose ends. After that (weather permitting) I’m hoping to take a break and stretch my legs for a while as being tied to a computer has really eaten into my step count this month.

For now, I’ll leave you with today’s picture which is from the incredibly busy Hamburg Hauptbahnhof – which is more of a multi-level village than a railway station. It’s always busy and buzzing with both trains and people. It’s a truly international feel due to the international trains serving it and also the people using it. It’s a fascinating place to watch the world go by.

You’ll be able to find the full selection of German railway pictures by following this link.

See you tomorrow…

I’ve a small favour to ask…
If you enjoy reading this or any of the other blogs I’ve written, please click on an advert or two. You don’t have to buy anything you don’t want to of course – although if you did find something that tickled your fancy that would be fab! – but the revenue from them helps me to cover some of the cost of maintaining this site (which isn’t cheap and comes out of my own pocket). Remember, 99% of the pictures used in my blogs can be purchased as prints from my other website – https://paulbigland.zenfolio.com/

Cheers,

Paul

21st October picture of the day…

21 Wednesday Oct 2026

Posted by in Musings, Photography, Picture of the day, poland, Railways, Travel, West Yorkshire

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Today’s been another one where I’ve hardly left Bigland Towers due to work and the weather. Work because I’m still wading through 1000s of pictures from my recent travels as well as slowly getting used to a new laptop and software. To be honest, it’s lovely to have a new machine that doesn’t throw the odd spanner in the works just when I need to rely on it. But then my old machine was battle-weary. It’s been to dozens of countries and covered hundreds of thousands of miles whilst seeing almost daily use in all climates and conditions, so I can forgive it. Hopefully, my new machine will prove to be just as reliable and capable then my old one can be put out to pasture as a backup once it’s had some TLC.

Most of my day’s been spent picture editing whilst acting as Butler to Dawn whilst she’s been slaving away in her little office. Part of my job’s been to keep her supplied with coffee, lunch and the odd treat. Tonight was something a little more exotic as I batch cooked a fiery Thai green curry with chicken whilst Dee wrapped up her day and headed for a bath.

I had hoped to get more than my basic 12.5k (5 mile) steps in but the weather really wasn’t encouraging and I didn’t fancy getting soaked – or blown away! Gales are forecast for the weekend but the weather decided to get some practice in this afternoon, when it got really rather blowy, which can be ‘fun’ when you’re walking through old woodland. You’re always keeping eyes and ears open just in case a branch comes crashing down on the unwary. It’s why I never go out wearing headphones.

Now it’s evening time. We’re fed and watered (and in Dawn’s case – bathed) so it’s time to relax with a film before another busy day tomorrow. I’ll leave you with one of today’s edited images from Poland.

An ex-Polish railways TY51 class 2-10-0 steam engine plinthed at Rzepin station. 242 of these engines were built by H. Cegielski in Poznan between 1953-58. They were withdrawn from PKP regular service in the 1980s but were included in the strategic reserve (intended to haul military trains) and many were kept operational until 1990.

I’ve a small favour to ask…
If you enjoy reading this or any of the other blogs I’ve written, please click on an advert or two. You don’t have to buy anything you don’t want to of course – although if you did find something that tickled your fancy that would be fab! – but the revenue from them helps me to cover some of the cost of maintaining this site (which isn’t cheap and comes out of my own pocket). Remember, 99% of the pictures used in my blogs can be purchased as prints from my other website – https://paulbigland.zenfolio.com/

Cheers,

Paul

12th October picture of the day…

12 Monday Oct 2026

Posted by in Photography, Picture of the day, Railways, Ships, sweden, Travel

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The start of another week here at Bigland Towers, and one that will see me away from the rails until next week as I continue the massive task of editing all my European pictures whilst juggling other work commitments as well as life at home – and planning for the future. Not that I’m complaining. I’m rather enjoying not having to live out of a suitcase and be moving town/city/country every couple of days, although I know that I’ll get itchy feet again soon enough.

Whilst the morning saw the pair of us working from our respective offices (or, in my case, the bedroom) things ground to a halt by lunchtime as we had a visit from our new financial advisor. The family run firm that used to manage our investments have decided to call it a day for health reasons and sold on the business. Fortunately, they were more concerned about finding the right company to sell the business to than they were about making a fast buck. Our new advisor comes from a medium sized company with offices in Wakefield but he actually lives in Halifax. We were both impressed by him as he was real – and honest, without any of the fancy corporate bullshit or self-aggrandizement that can come with that world. We spent the best part of a couple of hours going through investments, the state of the markets, the Trump effect – and plans for the future. We’re confident that the new company will be a good replacement for the old family firm who’d looked after us so well.

With that important hurdle out of the way it was back to work. I spent the rest of the afternoon wading through pictures of Sweden. the picture editing takes time, but what takes even longer is researching the captions as I look up locations. In that respect Google maps is a godsend! It allows me to pinpoint streets and double-check I’ve got things right, as well as provide correct spellings. Keeping copious notes is a thing of the past thanks to Google, although there are times when I wish I’d scribbled a few more when I’m actually travelling. The Swedish pictures should be finished and uploaded onto my Zenfolio website by tomorrow, but here’s a taster for now.

The main concourse of Stockholm Central station is a relaxed place lined with shops and bars.
As I was on the ferry to Tallinn we passed another ro-ro ferry inbound from Helsinki. I was amazed at just how close to some of the small islands these beasts get, almost grazing them on occasion. This is no tiddler! The ‘Viking Glory’ weighs in at 65,211 tonnes!

I’ve a small favour to ask…
If you enjoy reading this or any of the other blogs I’ve written, please click on an advert or two. You don’t have to buy anything you don’t want to of course – although if you did find something that tickled your fancy that would be fab! – but the revenue from them helps me to cover some of the cost of maintaining this site (which isn’t cheap and comes out of my own pocket). Remember, 99% of the pictures used in my blogs can be purchased as prints from my other website –  https://paulbigland.zenfolio.com/

Cheers,

Paul

11th October picture of the day…

11 Sunday Oct 2026

Posted by in Architecture, Denmark, Photography, Picture of the day, Railways, Travel

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Sunday ended up being a lazy morning for both of us. My body clock is gradually resetting itself now I’m back in the UK, which means I don’t automatically wake up at 06:00 every morning, although that’s probably because I’m now sharing a bed again! Mind you, Dawn can sleep for England when she’s tired, whilst I’m almost always up with the larks.

So, whilst Dee snoozed, I got up, made some coffee and sat in the office for an hour with my laptop in order to get more pictures from my European trip edited, making the most of the morning. Our plan was to get some home DIY done, but that didn’t quite work out as expected because Dawn ended up finishing off some work work. As the weather was good I abandoned the laptop at midday to make brunch, then headed out into the gardens to begin to prepare them for the winter – and to harvest various herbs which we’ll dry to keep us going until next year. All in all it was a very pleasant and relaxed Sunday but one where we were still fruitful.

Late afternoon I had to nip out to pick up some shopping, so popped into our local pub for a pint on the way home. I was good and only had one, but then the pub was quiet and the choice of beers (whilst good) didn’t really fit my tastes, which is very unusual for the 6!

Back home Dawn took on cooking duties whilst I resumed picture editing. This enabled to clear yet another country so now you can find all my images from Copenhagen on my Zenfolio website. The railway ones are here and the travel gallery is here. Neither gallery is new as I’ve been going to Denmark since the mid 1990s, but you’ll find all the recent images will come up first. Here’s a sample from each gallery.

A tourist tour boat sails along the Christianshavns canal with Christianhavn on the right bank.
The lovingly restored old station interior at Østerport. The station’s a major interchange and open 24 hours a day.

The next place that’s in the queue for editing is the first new country for me, Sweden. Expect pictures to start surfacing tomorrow.

I’ve a small favour to ask…
If you enjoy reading this or any of the other blogs I’ve written, please click on an advert or two. You don’t have to buy anything you don’t want to of course – although if you did find something that tickled your fancy that would be fab! – but the revenue from them helps me to cover some of the cost of maintaining this site (which isn’t cheap and comes out of my own pocket). Remember, 99% of the pictures used in my blogs can be purchased as prints from my other website –  https://paulbigland.zenfolio.com/

Cheers,

Paul

10th October picture(s) of the day…

10 Saturday Oct 2026

Posted by in Belgium, Food and drink, Photojournalism, Picture of the day, Railways, Travel

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I’m playing catch-up with blogging right now as I’m a few days behind due to the weekend and spending time with Dawn away from computer screens. Well, mostly! I did spend a few hours on Saturday morning clearing some of the 1000s of pictures from my European trip which are in the editing queue – as you’ll see later.

But, by afternoon the weather had picked up, so the two of us decided to stretch our legs by walking into Halifax to pick up some shopping and have a wander around. There’s a new(ish) Asian supermarket that’s opened which we both wanted to explore. Umrah is located on Horton St, right in the centre of town. It’s well organised and offers a huge selection of Asian spices, fresh herbs , fruit and veg as well as all the usual dried and tinned ingredients. There’s also a butchers counter and (unusually) a variety of sweet and cake counters which include Iranian sweetmeats, which look delicious. We stocked up on a variety of bits at very reasonable prices. It’s good to know what it offers as the location means I can pick stuff up en-route to home from the station, saving myself a detour into King Cross.

We also nipped into the magnificent Piece Hall but didn’t linger as it was full of families with children taking part in a Scarecrow treasure hunt, which meant the place was overrun. Instead we wandered home via the Big 6 for a quick drink, after which I took over the kitchen. Having been away I’d not done any for ages. Getting back in the swing was a pleasure as I really enjoy cooking. So, whilst Dee put her feet up I rustled up an old favourite – chicken vindail, a South Indian dish with a Portugese influence. It went down a treat with some of the luxury soft chappatis we’d bought from Umrah earlier in the day.

Not a bad way to end a Saturday!

I mentioned that I’d been editing lots more pictures, here’s a link to the latest selection which are of Belgian railways. But that doesn’t just mean trains, it also encompasses some brilliant (and contrasting) station architecture. Like this;

The interior of the roof at Tournai station, which was completed in 1879.

In contrast, here’s modern Liege Guillemins which was rebuilt and opened in 2009.

The next country in the queue is Denmark. Travel and rail pictures from Copenhagen will start appearing tomorrow.

I’ve a small favour to ask…
If you enjoy reading this or any of the other blogs I’ve written, please click on an advert or two. You don’t have to buy anything you don’t want to of course – although if you did find something that tickled your fancy that would be fab! – but the revenue from them helps me to cover some of the cost of maintaining this site (which isn’t cheap and comes out of my own pocket). Remember, 99% of the pictures used in my blogs can be purchased as prints from my other website –  https://paulbigland.zenfolio.com/

Cheers,

Paul

Rolling blog. The OLE challenge (and challenge to get home)…

08 Thursday Oct 2026

Posted by in Photography, Railway Engineering Institute, Railways, Rolling blogs, Travel

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06;00.

My body clocks stubborn setting of 06:00 has stood me in good stead here in Swindon as we prepare to get ready for today’s OLE challenge at the Network Rail training school here. Today’s weather is a great improvement on yesterday’s were everyone got a soaking, so I’m confident of getting some good pictures without drowning the camera. But first, there’s the important matter of breakfast…

08:25.

We’re at the training centre and changing into PPE before the first session

14:45.

It’s been a busy morning with various hands on tasks or other learning.

A general view of the training centre’s outdoor facilities.

17:00.

The course finished just before 16:00 with a presentation of certificates to the participants by Garry Keenor, author of *the* book on OLE. After which it was time for me to pack my PPE and hotfoot it to Swindon in order to start getting back North. A caught a short-formed GWR service to Bristol Parkway (but at least I got a seat).Now I’m crammed into another vestibule of a 5 car Cross-Country Voyager all the way to Leeds. Will I manage to get a seat on the way? Who knows?

At least I can people watch, and what I’ve noticed is that all three young women in the vestibile have cut themselves off aurally through the use of earbuds (in the case of one) or headphones by the others. Rendering on-train announcements about anything trivial or important entirely redundent.

17:20.

Upon leaving Cheltenham we swapped one gaggle of headphone wearing women for an even greater number. It’s almost like Dr Who’s ‘cybermen’ have taken a feminine, human form – only with more fluidity – even if the deadpan expressions are the same. Maybe I’m noticing these things more after my tour of Europe.

Having called at Worcestershire Parkway we have breathing space in the vestibule – even if the saloon is still standing room only! I’ve revised my suspicions about one of the women. She’s sat on the floor doing her makeup. Very un-cybermen like behaviour!

18:30.

I finally managed to get a seat after the Birmingham New St melee, where we simply swapped one load of packed people for another, with the added fun of folks trying to cram on before everyone had got off! The same was true of our Tamwoth call when I thought the train just might start to empty out a bit. Truth is, Cross-Country are an intercity service in name only. For much of the day and on much of their core routes they’re little more than a glorified regional commuter service with small trains.

19:35.

We’re now North of rainy Sheffield. Whilst this Voyager is still packed it’s no longer full and standing. It’s also an ex-Avanti hand me down unit which means it still has a ‘proper’ buffet counter in coach D which I can now access to buy some muscle relaxant!

20:50.

Deep joy (part 4372). I was in Leeds in plenty of time to catch my 20:27 connection. Apart from the fact it was late due to a passenger  being taken ill. Then the time kept slipping. Then we were told it would be terminating short at Bradford Interchange – just as it was too late to leg it over to another platform to get a Leeds – Manchester Victoria train that was going all the way! Grrr…

UPDATE:

I finally got home just before 22:00 after changing trains at Bradford Interchange with Dawn picking me up from Halifax station to drive me home. So, that’s it for now folks. I’m going nowhere (except locally) for a while. I’ve a massive amount of pictures to edit and other work to do. Even so, expect a few more blogs on different subjects and the odd picture from my travels.

I’ve a small favour to ask…
If you enjoy reading this or any of the other blogs I’ve written, please click on an advert or two. You don’t have to buy anything you don’t want to of course – although if you did find something that tickled your fancy that would be fab! – but the revenue from them helps me to cover some of the cost of maintaining this site (which isn’t cheap and comes out of my own pocket). Remember, 99% of the pictures used in my blogs can be purchased as prints from my other website –  https://paulbigland.zenfolio.com/

Cheers,

Paul

Home again, off again…

07 Wednesday Oct 2026

Posted by in Photography, Railway Engineering Institute, Railways, Rolling blogs, Travel

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12:00

My time at home was brief. Just one night for now as today I travel to Swindon to join the annual Railway Engineering Institute (formerly the Permanent Way Institute) OLE challenge so my trusty suitcase has swapped its holiday contents for railway standard PPE.

Right now I’m on train number 1. A crowded Northern Class 195 is carrying me to Leeds where I’ll pick up a Cross-Country Voyager for the long journey down to Bristol Parkway. I can’t say that the idea of spending so much time on a cramped Voyager is felling me with glee. It’s rather a comedown from 1st class in a high-speed German ICE!

12:57.

Ho hum. My Cross-country train fron Leeds to Bristol Parkway is running 19 minutes late and it hasn’t even made it to York yet – much less Leeds. So that’s my 8 minute connection at Bristol out of the window then…

13:46.

Deep fcuking joy! We’ve just left Leeds 32 minutes late on an utterly inadequate 5-car Voyager which is completely rammed. There are 12 people stood with me in the vestibule by the disabled toilet in the rear car and every other vestibule is the same. God, how I hate Cross-Country.

But it shouldn’t have been like this. We should have had a modern, high-speed intercity line with plenty of capacity between Leeds, Sheffield and Birmingham in the shape of HS2 – until the Tories cancelled it. Now this is all the North and Midlands have to look forward to and put up with.

16:00.

We’ve finally reached and left Birmingham  New St 42 minutes late.Fortunately, enough people left that I could finally get a seat. To be fair to my fellow vestibule inmates, the atmosphere was rather ‘wartime spirit’ with a lot of laughing and joking, despite the conditions. Apparently, part of the problem had been caused by an earlier fatality at Northallerton, which resulted in several preceding services being cancelled. Events completely out of Cross-Country’s control. But throwing out a 5-car on a long-distance Edinburgh-Plymouth service really isn’t good enough.

22:00.

Time to bring this blog to a close. Having made it to Bristol Parkway I transferred to an on time GWR service which got me to Swindon, albeit an hour later than planned. I was just in time to have a quick drink and chat with colleagues in the REI reception before we swung into the sit-down meal and presentations, which kept me busy taking photographs. Now we’ve wound down for the evening. I’m back in my hotel room editing pictures and prepping all my kit for tomorrow. The day’s been so rushed that I’ve hardly taken any pictures other than official ones. The only shot I managed on the journey was this one back in Leeds when a Colas rail class 70 passed through on a cement train.

maybe I’ll have chance to do better tomorrow when I’m on my way home, although it’ll probably be a late one…

I’ve a small favour to ask…
If you enjoy reading this or any of the other blogs I’ve written, please click on an advert or two. You don’t have to buy anything you don’t want to of course – although if you did find something that tickled your fancy that would be fab! – but the revenue from them helps me to cover some of the cost of maintaining this site (which isn’t cheap and comes out of my own pocket). Remember, 99% of the pictures used in my blogs can be purchased as prints from my other website –  https://paulbigland.zenfolio.com/

Cheers,

Paul

The grand tour. Day 29. Back in the UK.

06 Tuesday Oct 2026

Posted by in Photography, Railways, The Grand Tour, Travel

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Only slightly later than planned…

That’s because I missed my scheduled ferry from Calais this morning! A combination of factors meant I had difficulty finding the P and O check in desk so by the time I get their it was closed, even though my ferry wasn’t sailing for well over an hour. I now know that their operation when it comes to foot passengers is very much a one man and his dog operation. Or, in this case, one woman! most ferry companies seem to have given up on carrying foot passengers, leaving P and O the only one – and the next ferry wasn’t until 15;00, five hours later.

Still, I had a very nice hall to myself, a couple of staff and a pair of recreated Bleriot aeroplanes.

The newish Calais passenger hall. The ferry counters are tucked away right at the back.  The entrance to the hall is hidden away at the side. There’s no entrance at the front. It’s fair to say this three storey building is underutilised.
A closer look at the planes. The closest one is a replica of the one Bleriot flew across the channel in 1909.

However, there was wifi and plug sockets, so I managed to get some work done and the time passed quickly. When it came time to get on the bus to get onto the ferry (you’re not allowed to walk on and off anymore) there were just four of us. Me, another chap and his two children. So I can kind of see why all the other ferry companies had shut their counters down completely. It seems the days of foot passengers pitching up to catch ferries across the channel to the UK are almost over. We’re a dying breed…

In truth the whole ferry was quiet. it seemed packed on the way in with an endless stream of HGVs leaving its bowels, but when I went for a look around once we’d left port there were few passengers in the duty free of cafe and one of the cafe’s wasn’t even opened. ah well, at least Dawn’s happy with my duty free shopping – a large bottle of Chanel No5!

Now I’m back in the UK, aboard a train that seems really tiny after all the ones I’ve been aboard recently. A SET Javelin is carrying me to London.

It’s now 19:06 and I’m speeding North in another Hitachi product, this time it’s an LNER ‘Azuma’ which will carry me to York. Compared to German ICEs these things feel very rough riding, even at the lower speed of 125mph. I nearly spilled my gin and tonic! On the positive side, LNERs 1st Class offering does include free food and drink at this time of day.

Baked potato and chilli hit the spot.

22:45.

Today was nearly a day for missing things.  My LNER train was late into York, meaning I only made my Northern connection with a minute to spare.

Now I’m back home and relaxing for the evening. But I’ll be back on the rails again tomorrow as I need to be in Swindon for a commission on Thursday. It’s only on Friday that I’ll be train free for a while. I’m looking forward to being camera rucsac free for a while too…

I’ve a small favour to ask…
If you enjoy reading this or any of the other blogs I’ve written, please click on an advert or two. You don’t have to buy anything you don’t want to of course – although if you did find something that tickled your fancy that would be fab! – but the revenue from them helps me to cover some of the cost of maintaining this site (which isn’t cheap and comes out of my own pocket). Remember, 99% of the pictures used in my blogs can be purchased as prints from my other website –  https://paulbigland.zenfolio.com/

Cheers,

Paul

The grand tour. Day 28. Aachen to Calais.

05 Monday Oct 2026

Posted by in France, Germany, Photography, Railways, The Grand Tour, Travel

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Today I’m homeward bound and heading for the coast to get a ferry back to the UK, but not without exploring some very different styles of architecture. I left Aachen aboard one of DB’s fleet of ICE trains, which are without doubt the best trains I’ve used on this trip. The levels of comfort in 1st Class are hard to beat, plus the fact they can nip along at up to 250kph. In just over 20 minutes I was across the border and at my first stop, Leige’s Guillemins station, which is a stunning piece of modern architecture. I was there in ideal conditions too as it was another beautifully sunny day, which really showed off the station’s roof to best effect.

Having spent a couple of hours admiring and photographing the place I moved on by local Belgian trains which left a bit to be desired – even in 1st Class. Whilst the double deck coach I travelled in had plug sockets, there was no wifi. Plus, there was a problem with the sockets if you’re using UK plugs with an adaptor. You have to use the plug upside down, but there’s so little room between the socket and the seat cushion that they don’t fit – which is why this blog’s a day late!

Still, the train was comfortable and uncrowded and I got to Brussels on time to catch my next connection to Tournai. This was a station I passed through on my first day. I didn’t have time to stop and explore then but I was fascinated by the sheer size of the station building. This time I decided to tarry and I’m glad that I did as it’s a classic – both inside and out.

Moving on again I changed trains ay Lille – where there’s desks with plug sockets on the concourse for anyone to use – before arriving in Calais, another place I didn’t have time to explore on my inward trip. This time I did. What a contrast to Dover, its counterpoint across the channel, which is a bit of a shithole. Calais has life and vibrancy, some attractive restaurants and cafes – and this…

I’ve a small favour to ask…
If you enjoy reading this or any of the other blogs I’ve written, please click on an advert or two. You don’t have to buy anything you don’t want to of course – although if you did find something that tickled your fancy that would be fab! – but the revenue from them helps me to cover some of the cost of maintaining this site (which isn’t cheap and comes out of my own pocket). Remember, 99% of the pictures used in my blogs can be purchased as prints from my other website –  https://paulbigland.zenfolio.com/

Cheers,

Paul