Category Archives: Travel

Greetings from Greece (part 3)

18 Tuesday Oct 2022

Posted by in Greece, Photography, Travel

≈ Leave a comment

Tags

, ,

We’re still enjoying our time here in Greece, mixing chilling with sightseeing, depending on how the mood takes us. Yesterday was a travel day as the storms of the past 48 hours had passed so we were graced with clear blue skies once more. Not that we ventured far. We caught a local bus from Lardos to head up the road to ancient Lindos which is little more than half an hour away. The bus service is really good as they run roughly half-hourly, although the service is starting to reduce as the season and passenger numbers run down. That said, the 09:20 bus we caught was full, but then it’s eventual destination was Rhodes town, some 90 minutes away.

Lindos is a fascinating little place as you see very little of it from the road as it’s hidden in a dip. What you do see is the ancient citadel (or Acropolis) atop cliffs that the town is built in the lee of. The citadel, has had many incarnations and occupants. It dates back before 600BC, having been occupied by Greeks, Romans, Byzantines, the Knights of St John and the Ottomans. Oh, the Italians have also had a bit to do with the place too when Rhodes was part of their ‘manor’. They carried out a well-meaning but botched restoration in the 1930s but concrete and rebar plus sea air don’t mix well!

As expected with a citadel atop cliffs it’s a climb up lots of steps. That said, we fared better than many visitors who really struggled, but then we live in the Pennines which is anything but flat! We made it to the top without losing breath whilst overtaking many folk (often much younger) who sounded like steam engines trying to haul 1000 tonnes up a steep hill!

It’s worth the climb and the 12 euro entrance fee. Not only is it a fascinating place to look around but the views from the top are sublime. Here’s a few views.

Lindos town seen from the Acropolis.
Some of the restored/recreated pillars with the old church beyond. The views from the Acropolis are stunning.
One of the chambers under the old Knights buildings
Looking down on St Paul’s Bay from the Acropolis
The main bar/restaurantat St Paul’s Bay has a stunning location. The Acropolisdominates the skyline beyond

Afterwards we wandered the narrow streets of Lindos to find something to eat. The town’s very tourist orientated nowadays but that doesn’t detract from the attractiveness of the architecture and the traditional layout of the town. There’s more rooftop restaurants than you can shake a stick at and I’m sure many are busy not because of the quality of the food but because they’re mentioned in one guide book or another so are ‘the places’ to go to. Instead, we followed our noses and looked at the menu’s posted outside and found Alexi’s, where we had the roof to ourselves and enjoyed a glorious salad made with walnuts and figs along with home-made ‘Dolmades’ and some excellent whitebait with a delicious dip that tasted of mango and honey.

Suitably stuffed we wandered (and got lost) in the backstreets of Lindos whilst looking for St Paul’s bay until a lovely ex-pat Israeli woman spotted us. The bay was where she was heading to for her daily swim so we struck up conversation whilst she escorted us. St Paul’s bay us a stunning sheltered location although the restaurant/bar that dominates the main beach is a a bit so-so, being expensive with indifferent service. Even so, it’s worth stopping for a drink purely to soak up the location.

Catching the bus ‘home’ we relaxed for a couple of hours by the pool before a quiet night indoors self-catering and making up our own salads with ingredients bought from local supermarkets. Today we decided a slow day was in order. Walking into Lardos village we took up residence in our favorite local coffee-shop for a few hours and got chatting to the lovely young girl who’s been behind the counter every day that we’ve been there. That turns out because she works seven days a week! Andriana is of Bulgarian descent, having moved to Greece with her parents as a young child. We had a fascinating chat and learned a lot about Rhodian life (as well as some local gossip) from her as now the season’s winding down she had time to stay and talk.

Tomorrow we’re off on the first bus of the day to visit Rhodes town.I’ll blog about that another time…

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/

Or – you can now buy me a coffee! https://ko-fi.com/paulbigland68312

Thank you!

Greetings from Greece (part 2).

16 Sunday Oct 2022

Posted by in Food and drink, Greece, Photography, Travel

≈ Leave a comment

Tags

, , ,

We’ve been having a lazy few days here in Lardos. Partly because we can (we’re on holiday after all) and partly because these past few days we’ve had a dramatic change in the weather. Yesterday (Saturday) the sunshine was overwhelmed by an amazing thunder and lightning storm accompanied by torrential rain that had been making its way Eastwards across the Mediterranean before arriving in our neck of the woods in the Aegean. We managed a pleasant few hours by the hotel pool, reading and sunbathing before the skies darkened, the temperature dropped and the wind got up. I’m used to tropical storms, having seen plenty of them in South-East Asia. But this is the first time I’ve experienced something similar in this neck of the woods. It was spectacular to say the least. The sky was as black as Hades and the rain was torrential. We sought shelter in the bar downstairs where we could watch the show without getting soaked and enjoy a drink in the process. My only regret was I never managed to catch any of the amazing lightning strikes out at sea on camera – try as I might. Even so, here’s a few pictures from yesterday’s entertainment.

Skies as black as Hades yesterday as the storm swept in from the West.
Pomegranate growing on a tree outside the local supermarket. You don’t get this at Tesco!
If Pomegranates aren’t your thing, there’s always Olives…

The storm stayed with us overnight and into today, although we had a respite this morning that allowed us to catch some sun before walking up into the village for coffee, chance to watch the world go by and stock up on shopping before the skies darkened once again and we found ourselves indulging in a brisk walk home to escape the oncoming storm. At the time of writing (mid afternoon) we’ve escaped the worst of the stormfront although the rain’s keeping most people indoors bar one hardy family who’ve decided this is a good time to have the swimming pool to yourselves. Besides, if you’re in a pool, why would you mind about some rain?

Sitting outside a lovely little Greek coffee shop, looking over at the local supermarket, then spotting the sky and thinking “perhaps it’s time to shop and go walk home, before this sky catches up with us”!

Dee and I have decided it’s time to retreat to our room and enjoy downtime. Well, not *entirely* downtime for me as I’ve a RAIL article that needs to be finished. I can think of worse places to be stuck scribbling!

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/

Or – you can now buy me a coffee! https://ko-fi.com/paulbigland68312

Thank you!

Greetings from Greece (pt 1).

12 Wednesday Oct 2022

Posted by in Greece, History, Photography, Travel

≈ Leave a comment

Tags

, , ,

Here’s my first blog from Greece where the pair of us are doing our best to kick back and enjoy a holiday whilst trying to take a break and ignore as much as possible the political and economic madness of the UK (and the rest of the world). To that end we’ve even booked a hotel where we don’t have wifi in the room so that we’re not tempted to be constantly checking t’internet and have a bit of a media detox – hence my lack of blogging. I’ve even had days out where the camera’s stayed at home. Lordy!

We’re staying at a little place called Lardos in the South-East coast of Rhodes. It’s unheard of for us but we’re actually on a package holiday, staying in the same place for a fortnight for the simple reason that this really is meant to be a holiday. Chance to relax, have a base from which we can explore – or just sit by the pool and sun ourselves. The area we’re staying in is a satellite development of the original village. It’s by the beach whilst the old town is inland. Again, it’s not where we’d normally stay but we’ve a great little hotel. (the Cosmos Maris) and the village is only a 25 minute walk away. We pop up there most days for a coffee in a great little local café which is an ideal place to sit and people watch as it’s on the edge of the town square and frequented by many locals, unlike the nearby tourist orientated restaurants, where people (mostly, but not exclusively Brits) are swilling beer and cocktails by 11:00. Instead, we sit with a cup of java (in my case Greek coffee) and watch the world go by. There’s normally a handful of old boys who turn up on their scooters and sit for hours chatting, occasionally swapping hello’s with some of the Greek grannies who regularly pass by to/from the local supermarkets. It’s quite funny to watch as many of the old dears are using prams as shopping trollies! The first time I saw it I did a double take. You don’t expect to see a silver-haired, black-clad, headscarf-wearing Greek granny to be pushing a buggy!

As well as tourist restaurants the village possesses a couple of local Greek tavernas, one of which does a roaring trade as a local-take out. The menu’s good and the prices are very reasonable. It’s run by a couple who must be in their 70s, so don’t expect fast service early-doors until the younger staff arrive!

We’ve been here a few days now and established somewhat of a routine, splitting our time between exploring and relaxing. Yesterday we walked East along the coast from Lardos to nearby Pefkos, which is a much larger version of a tourist town. You can tell the fact most visitors are English by the fact restaurants are advertising English breakfasts (complete with black pudding) and Yorkshire tea. Despite the fact it’s almost the end of season the main beach was packed. We didn’t linger, just stopped long enough to have a coffee and a snack at a place overlooking the beach, then continued walking up into the hills along the coast. I’d realised that the classic Hollywood war film ‘The Guns of Naverone’ was filmed nearby. In fact, the bay where it was filmed is now officially known as ‘Naverone beach’. It’s all cobblers of course. Alistair McLean, who wrote the novel invented ‘Naverone’ and a whole chain of fictitious islands for the plot of his yarn, but as this is where the film was made the name’s been adopted.

It’s quite a walk up into the hills above Pefkos to get to the viewpoint, the last mile is on an unmade road that’s little more than a dirt track, but when you get there, the views across both bays are wonderful and there’s a handy tree for shade whilst you take in the sights. But bring your own water and food as you won’t find anything after leaving Pefkos. The trek isn’t that popular. We were the only ones there and we didn’t pass anyone else either, but that made it part of the fun as we were well off the tourist trail.

Naverone bay seen from the cliffs above them. In the middle distance is the Acropolis at Lindos (see next picture).
The beauty of a 400mm lens! Here’s a close-up look at the Acropolis at Lindos taken from the same location as the last photo (which used a 50mm lens).
The cliffs of ‘Naverone’ – and not a gun emplacement in sight! That’s the wonders of Hollywood for you…

On the way back we passed a local taverna on the edge of Pefki where we stopped for a well-earned beer. Dawn was tempted by their Baklava and ice-cream, so we shared a portion, which was gorgeous. I don’t know if it was home-made, but it was far superior to what you can buy in the supermarkets.

Baklava and ice cream. Just the thing for topping up the blood sugar after a long walk in the sun…

Our spirits restored we decided to walk all the way home but stopped off at a little bar en-route and the smaller Plakia beach on the edge of town, where there’s the Blue Waves ‘cantina’ which is a little shack with a few shady tables set back from the beach. It serves the locally made Magnus Magister beer on draft which was a bonus for me!

Plakia beach seen from our table at ‘Blue Waves’…

By the time we got home, sweaty but happy – we’d covered over 11.6 miles. Not everybody’s idea of a relaxing holiday, admittedly – but we enjoyed it!  

Over the next few days, we’ll be taking local buses to visit Lindos and Rhodes town which we’re both really looking forward to. The island’s got a fascinating history which we’re keen to learn more of. Don’t expect a blog every day, but there will be more updates – and pictures.

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/

Or – you can now buy me a coffee! https://ko-fi.com/paulbigland68312

Thank you!

5th October picture of the day…

05 Wednesday Oct 2022

Posted by in Musings, Photography, Picture of the day, Politics, Travel

≈ Leave a comment

Tags

, , , ,

I’ve spent another day marooned here at Bigland Towers, although to be honest – it’s been the right day to be stuck indoors as the weather’s been awful. We had rain throughout most of the day and some very heavy cloudbursts from pitch-black skies. Anyone would have thought the heavens knew Liz Truss was about to deliver her speech at the Tory party conference!

As I was slaving away in the office I thought I’d tune in, just to see how bad it was. I wasn’t disappointed. She was awful. Her first gaffe came in her opening paragraph when she praised Andy Street, the Tory “Mayor of Birmingham” – clearly unaware that Street is actually the Mayor of the West Midlands, not just Birmingham. It didn’t get any better. It was trite, nostalgic and cringeworthy, with constant references to the past – especially hers. She said that “I grew up in Paisley and in Leeds in the 80s and 90s. I have seen the boarded-up shops. I have seen people left with no hope turning to drugs. I have seen families struggling to put food on the table”. Amnesia has clearly kicked in as what she forgot to mention is who was in power between 1979 and 1997 – the years she’s speaking about? Oh, yes – the Tories!

This amnesia ran through her speech like the letters through a stick of rock. At one point she had the audacity to say “I believe in getting value for the taxpayer”. This from a woman who was in Johnson’s government, the same Government that wasted billions on dodgy PPE contracts dished out to its friends, and £37bn on a Covid ‘track and trace’ programme that was an abject failure!

She then took aim at something she dubbed the “anti-growth coalition” – whatever the hell that’s meant to mean – other than anyone who doesn’t agree with her mad economics! Soundbites were the only thing that weren’t in short supply in her speech. We were treated to bucketfuls. What we weren’t told was how she was going to make any of her economic fantasies come true. Needless to say, the markets weren’t impressed. By the time she’d finished speaking she’d managed to knock another point of the value of Sterling! Well, that’ll really help the economy grow!

The sooner her and the whole rotten bunch go the better. I’ll be very interested to see what the next batch of opinion polls come out at as I can’t see anyone but the most rabid Tory thinking this speech was a winner. Meanwhile, ordinary people will still be wondering what the hell’s going to happen to their mortgage payments, wages and the cost of living, because it’s clear Truss has no answers.

Having listened to this tripe I got on with the things I needed to do ready for heading off to Manchester tomorrow for the Community Rail Awards. I should have time for some blogging and pictures (even though I’ll be working) so expect some light relief from the Tory farce. I’m really looking forward to catching up with old friends on what’s always an enjoyable night. We’re staying overnight in Manchester before heading back on Friday, then the tempo changes as its…holiday time!

But, for now, here’s today’s picture. I’m slowly working my way through all the pictures from my recent travels in order to get them on my Zenfolio website. This is one of the most recent additions. Harwich port is hardly the most scenic of places, but the night I sailed there was a gorgeous sunset. So, here’s the Stena Britannica at Harwich a few hours before departure, seen from Harwich Town.

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/

Or – you can now buy me a coffee! https://ko-fi.com/paulbigland68312

Thank you!

30th September picture of the day…

30 Friday Sep 2022

Posted by in Norfolk, Photography, Picture of the day, Travel

≈ Leave a comment

Tags

, , ,

It’s an extremely short blog from me tonight. I’ve had a lovely day out around West Yorkshire catching up with and acting as a tour guide for old friends. Now I’m back at home editing a few more pictures before having some chill-time with Dawn. So, here’s the picture of the day which comes from Norwich. As shop names go…

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/

Or – you can now buy me a coffee! https://ko-fi.com/paulbigland68312

Thank you!

29th September picture of the day…

29 Thursday Sep 2022

Posted by in Architecture, Musings, Norfolk, Picture of the day, Politics, Travel

≈ Leave a comment

Tags

, , , , ,

There was no blog from me last night as the pair of us were having a convivial night round at the house of friends. Tonight, Dee’s out with friends whilst I’m ‘billy no mates’, sat at home working and trying to catch-up with writing and picture editing, along with a few household chores. Not that I’m complaining. After my time in Germany/Holland it’s nice to have some time not lugging a heavy camera bag around all day. Instead, I get to sit at home in the warm, do some work and observe (via the internet) the Truss government implode. Sadly, that’s not all that’s imploding, the FTSE100 and the currency are too. I always suspected Boris Johnson’s reputation of being the worst Prime Minister we’ve ever had was going to be short-lived, but I had little idea Truss would be so quick to steal that mantle. After all, she’s only been in the job for a few weeks! Today she gave a series of BBC local radio interviews which were excruciatingly painful as it was obvious how ill-prepared and wooden she was as she responded to some very pertinent and hardball questions – or rather, didn’t respond, as time and time again she came back to her script rather than answer the actual questions but doubled-down on her economic madness which immediately caused more damage to the pound and the stock market!

I’ve avoided talking much about politics recently, but the events of the past week have left me both angry and fearful as it painfully obvious the swivel-eyed loons of the libertarian right are in charge now and seen hell-bent on wrecking the country as they apply their economic theories, no matter what.

The result? A sense of disbelief across the country as this shitstorm is engulfing everyone. It may be dogmatic theory to Truss and her Tufton St cabal but ordinary people are genuinely worried about how they’re going to keep a roof over their head and feed themselves and their loved ones. Forget the lie that Truss told that no-one will pay more than £2,500 for heating bills this year. As many others have explained, either she doesn’t understand her own policy, or she just outright lied about it. Meanwhile, the very real threat of massive interest rate hikes could see many people losing their homes which is a far greater worry than paying to heat a house you no longer have.

The upshot of this is that the Tories are tanking in the opinion polls. One (YouGov) put Labour with an unheard-of lead of 33 points! Others had more modest but equally ‘wipe-out’ territory leads of 17-19 points. Next week’s Tory party conference is going to be a very ‘interesting’ event as many Tory MPs arses are going to be twitching like a bunny’s nose. They know they can’t depose another leader and get away with it, nor can they survive the levels of public outrage over her policies. All they can do is try and persuade her to change her mind (or what passes for one) but as she models herself on Thatcher the lady ‘who wasn’t for turning’, that’s going to be a massive challenge.

If it wasn’t so damned serious and affecting us all so badly I’d be happy to sit back with some popcorn and watch the Tory party tear itself apart. They’ve got themselves into the mess, sadly, the rest of the country will be collateral damage.

Right, enough for now. I’ve got to go back to writing for a living. So, here’s today’s picture which was taken on our recent Suffolk holiday but is with others in the queue for editing and adding to my Zenfolio website in the future. This is the rather elegant National Trust property called Blickling Hall.

I hate to think what their energy bills are going to be this winter…

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/

Or – you can now buy me a coffee! https://ko-fi.com/paulbigland68312

Thank you!

Rolling blog. Rotterdam repose…

25 Sunday Sep 2022

Posted by in Photography, Rolling blogs, Travel

≈ Leave a comment

Tags

, , ,

09:45.

A quiet night in a hotel in Rotterdam has allowed me to start catching up on sleep after a very hectic week. I resisted the temptation to go out and explore yesterday and elected to stay in my room with a beer and a laptop in order to catch up with the volume of pictures I’ve been taking this past week. Food was provided by a little Persian supermarket around the corner where I bought the Iranian version of the Greek Dolmades (stuffed vine leaves). Only the main ingredient in Dolmeh appears to be chickpeas rather than rice. They were delicious!

Now I’m about to check out of my hotel to spend the day exploring the city before heading to the Hook of Holland to catch the night boat. Sadly, this one isn’t to Cairo but back to Brexit Britain run by the asset strippers of the Tory party…

13:30.

I’m taking a short break to rest my weary bones and enjoy the sun having spent the past few hours wandering miles around Rotterdam. I’ve realised that I’ve not bee here since 2007 when I was working for a French firm who build train simulators. In one way it seems like the blink of an eye, in other ways it’s a lifetime. Here’s a few phone piics from my wanderings. As you can imagine, my real camera has been kept very busy!

I love the mix of architecture here. I spotted these doors on a building opposite my hotel.
Rotterdam is a city built for people, not for cars.
The old docks and a preserved ‘Sik’ (Goat) shunting engine.
A memorial to Jewish children killed in the war.
As you can imagine, there’s plenty of bridges here. The tall one is a former railway bridge.
The view from where I’m sitting right now.

20:00.

I’m finally on my way to the Hook of Holland after a lovely day exploring the city. There’s so much that I could write about the place and my experiences through the day, but here’s a few. Holland is a melting pot. I passed and took photos of a silent march by members of the Muslim faith where the sole purpose was to remind people that no-one is free of opression. I had a lovely chat with one of the stewards whi saw my interest. Heading back to thr hotel I popped in to a Persian supermarket to buy some if the delicacies I’d seen last night. I had a chat with the lovely he old guy running it where he talked about what’s happening in Iran right now. When I got to the metro station and started poring over the map a chap of Indisn origin worked out I was English and offered to help. We struck up a conversation as he was Sri Lankan but had livef in the Netherlands for 40 years whereas I’ve been a regular visitor to the island. I love these chance meetings and interatctions.

21:40.

It’s time to say goodnight. I’m now on the ferry back to Britain and there’s no free wifi on this one. See you on the other side as they say…

Rolling blog. Take the long way home…

24 Saturday Sep 2022

Posted by in Berlin, Germany, Railways, Rolling blogs, Travel

≈ Leave a comment

Tags

, , , , ,

08:15.

Time to get on the road again, only with a slight change of plan. I’d originally intended to get the ferry from the Hook of Holland back to the UK tonight but having seen the way punctuality of the German rail network isn’t what it was – and my connection in Rotterdam being tight I’ve decided to have one last night in the Netherlands and not have to stress about connections as I change trains four times on the way. Right now, I’m ready to begin the first leg from Frankfurt (Oder) to Berlin. Let’s see what happens…

09:55.

I had a pleasant stroll to the station as the weather’s still mild here. En-route I passed this sobering reminder of the country’s dark past. These two brass plaques were sunk into the pavement outside an apartment block. They’re a permenant reminder of local Jews who were murdered by the Nazis.

I’d given myself plenty of time to get to the station so that I could get some shots on the way. I’d hoped to get a selection of the meter gauge tram network but the little buggers proved elusive. It was only when I was almost at the station that a gaggle of them appeared, including this example.

The weather turned gloomy by the time I’d dug the camera out at the staion which was a shame as it’s a busy place. Rehional services to Berlin are interspersed with local trains and even international expresses from over the Polish burder just the other side of the Oder river. Heavy freight trains pass through every few minutes, carrying mix of containers, new VWs, minerals, chemicals and steel.

Not wanting to push my luch and knowing just how unreliable DB are nowadays I decided to hope on an earlier train (the 09:34) to get me to Berlin Ostbahnhof rather than my booked 09:58. It was a wise move. Despite starting from here it left 20 mins late at 09:54 so I hate to think what time the 09:58 will run at! My connection time in Berlin’s 24 minutes…

11:34.

In reality the journey panned out OK. Yes, the train I should have caught was late, but only by six minutes. The extra time I had in the bank allowed me to have a wander before my train arrived in the shape of a pair of the older Intercity (ICE2) sets. I’m now set up in the quiet coach, laptop plugged in and charging. The advantage of getting the train from Ostbahnhof is the sets arrive empty off the depot, so you have plenty of time to settle in as only a handful of other passengers do the same. Next stop is the Hauptbahnhof which is mayhem as the platforms are full – and now so is my train!

It doesn’t look like this anymore…

13:45.

It was all going so well until we left Stendal…

A few minutes later we ground to a rather rapid halt. Not quite a full ‘drop the lot’ emergency stop, but a very rapid deceleration ending in a slow stop. Then the crew call alarm went – which is normally a bad sign. It means the driver needs to talk to the train manager. After a while the train manager explained the delay was down to unspecified ‘engineering work’. As I’ve bought my ticket online from the DB website, I get regular email updates about my delayed trains and suggested revised onwards connections. The latest on also mentioned engineering work and also told me I’d still make my onwards connection – which was reassuring. Of course, that depends on nothing else going tits up! With that news and the fact I’s no idea how long we’d be stuck, there was only one thing to do. Find the bar car…

The delay’s annoying as I was looking forward to some spare time as Duisburg to get a few pictures before boarding another train. Now we’ll have to see. Right now we’ve just pulled into Hannover Hauptbahnhof at least 25 minutes down. The train’s getting even busier too. One or two have got off but far more are joining and, on my trip, back from the bar car I had to step over young people sitting in the vestibules.

22:00.

I’m now relaxing in my hotel in Rotterdam after completing the trip, so I’m resuming where I left off earlier. My eventual arrival in Duisberg was over 30 minutes late which was a great shame as it looks like a fascinating station to take pictures at. It’s old and untypical of many German stations as the mix of shops in the subway is a mix of the exotic and the down-market. It was also incredibly busy. I had enough time to grab something to eat, find my train and that was about it. The station reminds me of Crewe back in the UK. It shares the same levels of faded glory and decrepitude – but with better food!

I was hoping for a more relaxed train across the border to Arnhem, but it wasn’t to be. A pair of units turned up which were busy before they arrived and absolutely rammed when they left, but at least I managed to get a seat. I’ve not travelled on the lines around here or through Oberhausen for years, so I was rather taken about by how much weeds and bushes are taking over. Again, it reminded me of the UK, apart from the fact German railways are so much bigger. The amount of freight is staggering, but then Germany is still an industrialised nation – unlike the UK, where most of our comparable industries were run down during the Thatcher government years.

I changed trains yet again at Arnhem, a recently rebuilt station which (compared to Germany) has few facilities. A Dutch four car double-deck EMU arrived to take us forward but this was far too small for the numbers and left hopelessly overcrowded. I ended up standing in a vestibule all the way to Utrecht, where I changed for the final time. The next train was another hopelessly packed EMU where I had to stand almost all the way to Rotterdam. Both trains contained lots of young people heading for a night out in various places, which may have exacerbated the situation. On the bright side? Both trains were spot on time. The downside? They were all dirty and graffiti covered, not that it seems to put people off from using them.

People often make unfavorable comparisons between the UKs railways and those of Europe. I can only assume the majority of those people have never spent much (if any) time actually travelling in trains in Europe, because if they had they’d know what simplistic nonsense is talked. The UK network is far from perfect, but the trains are in far better condition than those of many EU countries and that applies to the stations too.

Right, I’m going to bring this blog to a close. It’s time for bed. There’ll be time for a lot more thought tomorrow, before my return to little Britain…

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/

Or – you can now buy me a coffee! https://ko-fi.com/paulbigland68312

Thank you!

Rolling blog. Innotrans day 4…

23 Friday Sep 2022

Posted by in Berlin, Germany, Innotrans, Photography, Railways, Travel

≈ Leave a comment

Tags

, , , , ,

10:15.

My day began at 06:00 as usual but today the trains behaved themselves and my service into Berlin was seamless. Now I’ve finished up some picture editing in the Innotrans press centre and I’m about to hit the halls. Watch out for loads of pictures today as I’m free to roam – and it’s a bright, sunny morning…

13:50.

Having spent the last several hours wandering around halls and outdoor displays I’m taking a few minutes break to download some of the pictures, top up my water levels and use the facilities. Today’s akways the quietest as many people have already left so it’s easier to get pictures. Even so, you still need patience.

The Dubai ‘Sky pod’.
The new FPS Plus
FPS plus interior
Trenitalia and Hitachi ‘blues’.
‘blues’ interior
‘blues’ bike and luggage area.
The new Siemens U-bahn car shows why you have to be patient. There’s often someone taking extreme interest in the underfloor equipment!
Never complain about the hardness of UK train seats again. The Wein U-bahn trains are fitted with plain plywood ones!

17:10.

I elected to leave Innotrans before the bitter end as I’d done most of what I wanted. There’s not a cat in hell’s chance of getting around it all and it’s such a lovely evening I thought I’d explore the city’s railways. Here’s a couple of shots so far…

A Siemens built Class 182 calls at Friedrichstrasse.
Alexanderplatz staion in the former East Berlin with a double-deck, loco hauled set working to Magdeburg.

22:30.

I’m now homeward bound after a great few hours exploring the Berlin S and U bahn (and the areas it passes through) before meeting up with an old friend for a couple of beers and chatting about life, the universe and everything. Here’s one of the paces I discovered, the wonderful architecture of the old Berlin Pankow station.

Strange to think I’ll be moving on again tomorrow. I’ve kinda got into the routine of being a commuter and living life in a city I really enjoy.

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/

Or – you can now buy me a coffee! https://ko-fi.com/paulbigland68312

Thank you!

Rolling blog. Innotrans day 2…

21 Wednesday Sep 2022

Posted by in Berlin, Germany, Innotrans, Railways, Rolling blogs, Travel

≈ Leave a comment

Tags

, , , ,

10:45.

German railways let me down again this morning. My inbound train was 25 mins late so I didn’t get to Innotrans until way after 09:00. First job was to check in with my clients and find out what’s happening today. Luckily their presentation (which is on another stand) is literally next door – I was fearing it’d be in a hall on the other side of the Messe!

Next port of call was the press centre where I’ve bumped into a large chunk of the UK trade press. Tips and gossip swapped and pictures downloaded it’s time to hit the halls…

Another busy day beckons…

13:10.

Finally, a chance to sit down for a few minutes before the next gig. The problem with Innotrans is that there are so many launch or other events you’re always running from one to the other. I had Hitachi Energy unveiling a new transformer back to back with Talgo hosting the Spanish transport minister who was having a look at one of their new coaches for DB. Next I have a joint UK-Saudi signing. Still, it’s kept me occupied. Here’s a few phone pictures

Here’s one of two UK pavilions. This one has a Welsh flavour and a plan of the new £250m test track that’s under construction
It’s not just trains either. Transport needs to be integrated (and green). Here’s a new electric bus with a 450km range.

The countdown nears its end as Hitachi Energy prepare to unveil their new transformer that’s lighter and greener.

Don’t worry, there’ll be more trains soon!…

22:11.

Yet another day where my step count is getting silly! Right now I’m sat on the (late running -surprise, surprise) RER train to Frankfurt (Oder) after another great day. I still haven’t seen anywhere near enough of Innotrans but then I’ve been busy with various assignments. Then there’s the amount of people you bump into at random or by design. Innotrans is such a seminal event in the rail industry calender that almost everyone is here. It’s difficult to explain just what a vast event it is. A map doesn’t do it justice as it doesn’t give away the fact these huge exhibition buildings have several floors. I ended up recce’ing how long it would take me to get from one stand to another in a completely different building so that I knew I could do certain launches – hence one of the reasons for my step count.

We’re half way through the event so now I’m listing the trains/stands/people I’ve still not seen. Thankfully, my work calender should thin out a bit tomortow.

This evening I bunked off before the show closed as a bunch of us UK rail people had arranged to meet in the city centre for beers and food. The beers weren’t sobering but the reminiscing could be when we counted down the time and realised we’d been involved in group trips to Europe for 17 years – and I have the website pictures to prove it!

It wasn’t all a trip down memory lane, we had some new people join us which swelled our group to 13. It wasn’t a bad place to eat and drink either. It’s a bar in the railway arches West of Alexandetplatz that brews its own beer.