with my time in Dresden being short I was up early in order to enjoy a lighting walking tour of the Alstadt (old town). With it being early – and a Sunday, Dresden was very quiet indeed – which made picture taking so much easier! The weather Gods has smiled upon me too as we had yet more blue skies. Dresden is another European city where the sheer size and scale of the buildings can’t fail to impress. What’s also impressive is the way the city has been restored after the terrible bombings it suffered at the hands of the British and Americans towards the end of World War 2, in February1945.
I’d loved to have stayed and explored more. Not just the city itself but also the expansive rail network. The city’s very much a hub for freight traffic which is interesting to see for a Briton brought up in a country that’s done its best to get freight off (not on) the railways.
The countryside around Dresden looks interesting too. There’s rolling hills and what look like vineyards, which is a refreshing change from the flatness of the areas of Scandinavia and Northern Europe that I’ve traversed on this trip so far. I’m looking forward to putting that right…
Now I’m back in Berlin for just over 24 hours before beginning the trek to Southern Europe through countryside that’s anything but flat!
Here’s a couple of pictures from today’s wanderings to whet your appetite.
The Cathedral of St TrinitatisThe Fürstenzug is a mural made of porcelain tiles which depicts Saxon rulers throughout the ages.This is the Frauenkirche, a Baroque church reconsecrated in 2005 after being destroyed in World War 2.A DB class 232 pauses at Neustadt for a crew change. nicknamed ‘Ludmillas’ these engines were built by the Soviet Union in Ukraine from 1973-82.
More later…
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Yesterday things didn’t quite go to plan due to the weather staying sunny all day. That and massive crowds of people meant that the idea of getting decent internal shots of some of the new trains for the Nordics, Austria and the UK went out of the window. I spent most of my time trawling the halls for interesting things to photograph instead.
Today’s different. we had rain overnight and the skies remain cloudy, so I’ve made a start at getting pictures. Innotrans will quieten down a lot today – as you can tell by the amount of suitcases left in the luggage area in the main foyer! This afternoon I’ll be heading out to Spandau for a couple of hours on a press trip with Siemens to have a look at an autonomous train they’re testing.
In the meantime, here’s a new selection of pictures from yesterday and today, including from an event this morning when Siemens handed over one of the new London Underground trains to Transport for London.
Michael Peter, CEO Siemens Mobility presents a momento made from the same material as the trains to Andy Lord, Commissioner of Transport for London.Inside the new tube trains for the Piccadilly line. Hyundai Rotem unveiled this striking new high speed train model.Two new OBB Railjet trains were on show, one from Siemens and one from Stadler. This is the interior of the 200kph Stadler KISS
I’ll be adding more later…
21:45.
A small update as it’s been yet another very busy day. Thanks to Siemens a few of us got to ride on and learn about theur autonomus train project. It’s an interesting idea that’s been three years in development. It’s also worth a blog in its own right because it’s a complex project. Here’s the train out at Spandau. Observant eyes may notice that this is the Mireo that aas bult as a hydrogen powered train.
Now it’s days end and I’m kicking back at my villa in Werder. I’ll be back at Innotrans for the final day first thing tomorrow as I have a lot of interesting pictures to add, which include the excellent new train for Norway, which is being built by Stadler.
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I’m staying in Warsaw until 11:00 tomorrow when I move on to Berlin, so I have a full day to explore the city. The weather’s gorgeous with clear blue skies. The temperature is due to hit 21 degrees, so I’m out exploring. My first destination was the old town which was half an hour’s walk away. That time wasn’t wasted as I got to see the more of the modern city. I have to say, I’m impressed with Warsaw. The quality of its transport infrastructure puts many UK cities to shame. Especially the provision for cycling. But then, that’s been 6. 3off the idea that the only way to get around it by car – and they’re all much nicer places for it. Unfortunately, there’s still a mindset in Britain that car’s should come first and any attempt to provide safe and attractive options for pedestrians and cyclists is an ‘attack on the motorist’.
5i made it to to the old town early, so as to avoid the tourist hordes. Most bars and restaurants were still closed which gave me the opportunity to take pictures of nearly empty streets. The architecture and artwork of the old town is gorgeous, even more so when you realise that it’s been painstakingly recreated. During world war 2 the old town was razed to the ground by the Nazis in retaliation for the Warsaw Uprising. 85% of it was destroyed. There’s many plaques on buildings explaining their significance during t53hose awful, brutal times. I’ve a whole selection of pictures to edit when I get the time, but here’s a few for now.
After experiencing the darker side of human history I encountered something completely different. I hadn’t realised, but Warsaw was hosting the annual international tram driving competition. Imagine ‘it’s a knockout’ with trams! Teams form 26 countries (including the UK, who sent a team from Croydon) compete on various challenges which show off their skills in driving trams. It’s wonderful. Warsaw had turned it into a big event with displays of old trams and buses and lots of family activities. Thousands of people turned up.
Tram skittles!
the event was so much fun that I changed my plans to hang around, watch and take pictures. Next year the event is in Luxembourg in July.
Right, that’s all for now. The flaky wifi here in the hotel won’t let me add more. I’ll (hopefully) blog from the train to Berlin tomorrow.
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Typical! The day the rain stops is the day I’m on the move again!
I was woken early this morning by the sound of military jets in the skies above Vilnius. It’s easy to forget that the Lithuanian capital is only a few miles away from Belarus, part of Russia. The Russians have been getting increasingly aggressive in their attitude towards NATO countries. Sending drones and sabotage teams over various countries borders. The idea that Putin is no threat is not one that’s held in the Baltic states. The Ukrainian flag is on display everywhere around town. Even the buses carry this message on their PIS screens.
As my train didn’t didn’t leave until 12:20 I had time to have another wander around the old town, only this time in the sunshine. Here’s a couple of pictures.
I do love a good market and this one in the old town is redolent with the smell of smoked meats, pickles and spices. Many buildings could do with some TLC. Plenty are receiving it – just not this one, yet.My train to Warsaw, which is of the same type that’s taken me all the way from the Estonian border, through Latvia to here. This particular services runs all the way to Krakow, via Warsaw with a change of train at Mockava.
14:05.
We’ve stopped twice on the trip so far. First at the busy junction and freight yards at Kaunas, where we picked up so many passengers that we’re almost full – then at the small town and junction of Kazlų Rūda. My table bay of four now has three occupants, of which I’m one. But, I have a window seat, a power socket and wifi, so I’m content. We’re gradually leaving the built up and more industrial areas behind to head out across open fields, which makes a change as the railways in this part of the world are often hemmed in by trees. I’ve just watched a pair of deer bound away from the tracks!
My fellow passengers seem to be mostly locals of all ages with a smattering of older travellers like me. The atmosphere is relaxed and the two young women stewards both helpful and efficient.
We’ve just called at the wonderfully ornate station at Marijampole. The station building is a delight. The area also boasts extensive freight yards full of grain wagons (there’s some massive grain silos here) and tank wagons – although I haven’t got a clue what they carry. Lithuanian railways are fascinating as (unlike the UK) most industrial sites still have a rail connection. Some are disused, but they still exist.
15:25.
We arrived at Mockava Spot on time. A swift cross platform interchange saw us go from a crowded 3-car multiple unit to a far more expansive locomotive hauled train run by Polish railways (PKP).
14:45.
We’re currently stopped at Kierunek, where a posse of Polish Immigration officers and military have checked everyone’s passports. We’re in the territory of the Suwalki gap, which has gained greater significance since Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.
16:15.
Polish railways are like stepping back in time. We’ve not seen anything like this in the UK since the 1980s. Imagine a loco-hauled train of half a dozen coaches – one of which is a buffet car! Said buffet car serves freshly cooked meals from pans. None of this ‘prick and ping’ microwave stuff! At Suwalki we stopped for a good 20 minutes so the the engine could run round the train. Now we’re bowling through the countryside along a railway followed by telegraph poles.
The buffet car counter on my Polish train.Arrived. We had an engine change from diesel to electric at Bialystok where this modern EU160 was attached for the final leg.
It took me 25 minutes to walk to my hotel in central Warsaw, partly because the place was packed with people. It being Friday night a lot of young people were out on the town. The city certainly seems to have a vibrant nightlife, although as a solo traveller that’s not something I’m partaking of. Instead, it was a trip to the local Lidl to stock up on food for the kitchenette I share with another room at the hotel, have a video call with Dawn, then work at my desk sorting out pictures. Unfortunately, the hotel wifi’s a bit flaky, which is hindering these updates. Let’s see what tomorrow brings.
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Sadly, the weather’s let me down today. I’ve been really lucky everywhere I’ve been up to now, there was an evening shower in Tallinn, but the next day was fabulous. I was looking forward to exploring Vilnius this morning, but the weather’s been crap. It’s been raining since I woke up at 07:00 so I decided to make the most of the facilities where I’m staying (I have a great room with a desk and a kitchenette) to catch up on editing some of the pictures from the last 9 days travels.
I’ve now cleared my French collection, which can be found on my Zenfolio picture website. The railway ones are here and the travel ones here.
The weather’s slowly clearing. The forecast is that the rain will stop by mid afternoon, which is when I’ll head off into the old town. I did nip out to the station earlier to have a quick look at the adjacent railway museum and check out picture opportunities before I leave for Warsaw on the 12:20 tomorrow. Here’s a couple of pictures for now.
It’s fair to say that (being outdoors) some of the exhibits at the railway museum are looking a little the worse for wear. Like this ChME3 class heavy shunting locomotive! At the station I found this ER20 class “Eurorunner” from Siemens. Originally bought to work freight trains, they now find themselves on passenger services, like this one – the 12:35 to Klaipėda.
OK, the rain seems to have stopped, so I’m off exploring…
18th September update.
I was conned! the rain didn’t clear up until nearly 16:00! Still, I had chance to explore more of the railway station before heading off into the old town, brolly in hand. Vilnius is quite hilly, which makes walking more exerting than in Riga, but it’s rewarding because (like Tallinn) you never know what you’re going to find when you peek round corners and into doorways. There’s a lot of restoration work going on in the old town, parts of which can be quite rundown. Even so, it’s an attractive town with some great architecture. It didn’t really come to life until after 17:00 when – with the rain having stopped – all the restaurants and bars but their tables and chairs out in the streets. There was even a huge screen in one square that was showing opera in the evening.
Here’s a few pictures.
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I’m on the move between countries again, but part of me wishes I wasn’t. I’ve really enjoyed Riga. It’s the best new city I’ve seen on this set of travels as it has so much of interest. Today I did more of the tourist thing. First thing was to take the lift to within 2 floors of the Latvian Academy of Sciences Observation deck. The last couple of flights you have to walk. The views from the top are well worth the 8 Euro admission fee. Plus, it’s one hell of a building.
Having filled my camera with views across the city I moved on to a nearby site that’s far less entertaining. The Riga ghetto and holocaust museum which is a very informative and sobering account of the fate of so many Jews (and others) in world war 2. We’ve learned so little in the past century. Then it was people demonising Jews. Now it’s people (some of whom should know better) demonising Muslims. Is it any wonder that some of us are cynical about religions?
Needing my spirits lifting to celebrate the best (not the worst) humanity can achieve I walked back into the old town to photograph more of the amazing buildings. You’ll have to wait for pictures I’m afraid.
Now I’m on the train from Riga to Vilnius en-route to the third of the Baltic states and yet another new country for me. I’m on another modern Class 730 that carried me from Varga, only this one is nowhere near as busy. I’ll describe the journey (with pictures) tomorrow.
For now, here’s a couple of shots from the top of Institute.
The old Zepplin hangers which now form part of a huge and fantastic market.Looking across to the old town.
My train to Vilnius left Riga at 16:55, which was great for giving me extra time in Riga but it meant that I didn’t get to Vilnius until 21:22, leaving me no time to explore the city. Fortunately, my hotel was less than 10 minutes walk away from the station, so I decided the best thing to do that night was take an evening off and hope to make the most of the next day.
The trip itself was fine. The train was one of the same class 730ML’s that carried me through Latvia from Estonia. it wasn’t too busy and the only minor interruption in the journey was when we crossed the border and immigration officers walked through the train checking passports. From what i could see, Lithuania is a lot less rugged than Latvia, but then nearly half the journey was in darkness. I’m looking forward to having time to explore tomorrow.
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For the first time on this trip I’ve not actually been travelling anywhere. Instead I’ve had a full day in Riga. I have to say I’ve been really impressed with the city. There’s so much to see and do here. It has fantastic architecture, a huge market (both indoor and outdoor) and a really interesting transport network which includes trams, trains and trollybuses. There’s far too much to mention in a blog, so today’s is going to be picture based.
There’s a huge outdoor market in central Riga where stallholders sell fruit and veg, clothing and bric-a-brac. Inside one of the Riga Central Market halls. There’s five of these large buildings (although a couple are now empty) which were constructed in 1930 from old Zepplin sheds. Integreted transport as a train passes the coach terminal. The new standard gauge Rail Baltica station takes shape next to the existing Riga railway station.Architecture in the old town.The Freedom Monument. A 42m tall statue dedicated to Latvians who lost their lives fighting for independence between 1918 & 1920.Soldiers on duty at the Freedom monument. 6 of them rotate the duty, doing one hour on and two hours off. The old town is a Baroque delight!
I’m back on the move again tomorrow, heading to Vilnius in Lithuania where I’ll be taking another break.
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The ferry from Stockholm to Tallinn was a great way to travel and a fascinating experience in people-watching. This wasn’t just a ferry, it’s more a cruise. There were live shows aboard, multiple restaurants, a piano bar and a massive duty-free shop which was doing a roaring trade as Swedes stocked up on cheap booze. Mind you, it wasn’t just Swedes or Estonians aboard. I was surprised to find groups of Chinese, Japanese and even Indian tourists travelling.
I didn’t join in the partying. Instead I retreated to my cabin for a good night’s sleep. The ferry was large enough that there was no pitching and rolling or feeling of being out at sea so a good night’s sleep was easy.
The Baltic Queen in Tallinn.
We arrived at Tallinn at 11:00. Sadly, the sunshine that’s followed me most of the trip decided to abandon me today. Tallinn had seen a downpour and residual but intermittent rain remained. For some that was no bad thing because when I walked into town I encountered the runners of the Tallinn marathon!
Marathon running. Not something you want to be doing in blazing heat.Encouragement. I’m not sure of the relevance of the dinosaur tho’..
As I had a couple of hours to kill before I could check into my hotel I watched the runners, many of whom had clearly come from all across Europe to take part. Next, I popped over to the railway station to check out the place before catching my train tomorrow. Sadly, Estonian railways has modernised their fleet in recent years. All that was around were modern diesel and electric multiple units. Good for passengers, but not so interesting from an enthusiasts perspective.
Passenger operator Elron uses modern Stadler ‘Flirt’ trains in Estonia.
Finally, it was time to get to my hotel in the old town, and it didn’t disappoint. The St Olav hotel’s a refurbished neoclassical building dating from 1437 with a quirky interior but comfortable rooms. It’s a great base from which to explore the old town, which is delightful.
You can’t beat a quirky vintage hotel.My room
I’ve enjoyed exploring Tallin, a medieval town with amazing buildings and streets which are full of nooks and crannies. Unsurprisingly, it can get very busy during the day with tourists – especially when cruise ships are visiting, but in the evening it’s much quieter which makes it a great time to explore. Here’s a few shots from my wanderings.
Not a menu for veggies. I don’t think I’ve ever seen somewhere with Elk on the menu before.A backstreet Italian restaurant. The rain returned this evening. Which always makes for good reflective pictures, especially now the streets are quiet. The remains of the old city walls.
I’ve enjoyed my day in Tallinn, it’s a gorgeous place rich in history. I’d certainly come back, but tomorrow I’m on the move again. This time to Riga in Latvia.
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Excuse the lateness of posting this but it’s been a long day and it’s still before noon here in Sweden. I left Copenhagen early this morning after a day full of memories – even if they were bittersweet. This was my first visit in 22 years and the last time I was there was for the funeral of a friend. Where’s the time gone? The city’s certainly changed a bit. Not Christianshavn where we used to stay, but certainly along the river, where there’s lots of new developments. Even so, it’s still a lovely city with a liberal soul. Being up late meant that I discovered new pictures like this.
In some ways I’d have liked to have lingered longer, but as I don’t have the same connections to the city anymore I was content to move on and explore new territory, which is what I did. One of the early morning trains was heading for a place in Sweden called Kalmar, which was on the end of a branch line to the coast. I thought, ‘that sounds good to me’, plonked myself in the train and promptly fell asleep!
Several hours later I woke up surrounded by Swedish forests and lakes. I now understand why the Swedes make so much wooden furniture – there’s no shortage of trees! Kalmar was a lovely little place that would be worth exploring more, if I’d had the time. Having had a short wander to get pictures of the shoreside castle I was back on another train. This was like stepping back in time too. four old coaches hauled by an equally old loco. That said, there was 1st Class and it was equipped with power sockets and wifi.
Kalmar castle on the shores of the town. These electric locos date from 1985 but the styling makes them look a lot older.
Having retraced my steps to Alvesta I’m now on a sleek modern express heading for Stockholm…
13:30.
Bugger! We’re currently stuck at a place called Linköping. The Train Manager has announced that there’s a ‘problem with a bridge’ further down the line. I’m assuming this means that a railway bridge has been hit by a road vehicle, a not uncommon event back in the UK. Good job I’m in no hurry to get to Stockholm. On the bright side, there’s free tea, coffee and snacks in 1st Class on these trains. Despite the fact we’ve been sat here for around 30 minutes now there’s a distinct lack of complaining form my fellow passengers. If this was the UK the tutting level would have reached ‘severe’ by now.
My 1st Class coach.
14:41.
We’re still stuck! Many passengers are out on the platform, making the most of the sun. Unlike Brits who’d be sucking on fags or vapes quite a few passengers are doing calisthenics or taking the time to get some steps in! We’ve still no idea when we’re going to be on the move. Other trains are trapped here too. Only a couple of local services have come and gone, but they’re all heading South.
15:23.
We’re finally on the move!
15:40.
Whilst it’s good not to be stationary anymore our pace is best described as ‘pedestrian’ so I’ve no idea when we’re likely to arrive in Stockholm. I’m not expecting to get much sightseeing done today unfortunately. That’s a shame as I’ve never been here before, but that’s life. This trip was always going to be a taster – I’d just hoped the taste wouldn’t be this tantalising! Even so, I’m enjoying the trip. From what I’ve seen so far, Sweden looks lovely, with pretty little villages and lots of brightly painted wooden houses with red being the favourite colour.
We’ve just departed from Norrköping, a busy station that once has extensive freight yards, although most are now lifted or disused although some goods traffic still remains. There’s also an old steam era locomotive roundhouse tucked away in a corner, but I can’t tell if it’s still used for anything.
A useful feature in these 1st Class coaches is the amount of plug sockets provided. I’m in an airline seat and there’s two sockets between the seats and two in the back of the seats in front, which gives me the opportunity to power up the laptop and recharge my camera battery at the same time. I rather like these X2000 trains. They may only be 5-cars long but they still have a buffet as well as the little refreshment station in 1st class.
Free tea and coffee – and healthy snacks. Well, if you ignore the chocolates!
21:15.
And relax! We finally made it to Stockholm and I wasted no time in getting to my hotel. Or should that be ship – as that’s what I’m staying on. Rygerfjord is a collection of three ships that have been converted into a bar, Thai restaurant and floating accommodation. The cabins are cosy but offer a fantastic views of Stockholm from their moorings. Their Thai food is pretty good too! Here’s a few pictures.
The view from the floating jetty between the two housboats.This is the view from my cabin, looking at the main boat which contains the bar and restaurant. The stir-fry vegetables with chicken and rice was really rather good. There’s 20% discount for guests.
Right, it’s been a very long day – so I’m off to bed. I want to try and see at least a bit of Stockholm tomorrow before I’m on a different boat – the ferry to Tallin, Estonia….
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Another day, another city. As I was late arriving in Hamburg I haven’t had chance to explore more than the area I’m staying in, which is functional, but not very attractive. I’m not sure how much I’ll be able to see before I leave, but Hamburg tourism wasn’t high on my agenda for this trip, it was more a useful stopover on my way elsewhere.
Today I travel across unfamiliar territory to a city I once knew very well 20 odd years ago. Back then, Lynn (my first wife) and I had Danish friends who lived there. We’d often go over and stay with Didi, so we got to know the city well. Now, I’m the only one left out of the trio. I’ve not been back since Didi’s funeral, so I’ll be curious to see how much has changed.
Right now I’m leaving Hamburg aboard a rather nice Danish Railways DSB train formed of modern Talgo articulated coaches. I’ve grabbed a seat in the rear coach as there’s a little window at the back that allows you to see where you’ve come from. I’m hoping to use it for photographs later. Plus, there’s power sockets and wifi, so I can blog along the way. As this is a DSB service I’m hoping to avoid another DB farce like yesterday.
I didn’t see much of Hamburg, but then I didn’t expect to. Most of my time was spent taking pictures at the vast main station which is like a mini city in itself. I’d certainly return to Hamburg. Whilst the area around the station can be a bit seedy it looks like an interesting place that’s seeing a lot of investment in infrastructure. The cities international links can be seen through the trains that serve it. Earlier I watched a Czech train arrive on it’s way to Budapest, Hungary! If I hadn’t already got plans I’d have been sorely tempted…
The main hall, which is a rather impressive steel and iron shopping centre
Just as I was settling in for the journey every phone in the coach went off, including mine. It was the Germans testing their national alert system!
11:50.
The trip’s going well so far (touch wood). We’ve juts passed through Neumunster, a small town with a large railway works of the sort we lost in the UK many years ago. All sort of DB vehicles appear to be repaired or refurbished here. There’s still a lot of freight traffic too. Once thing I’ve noticed is the number of solar and wind farms we’ve passed so far. They’re a real sign of investment in clean energy. The countryside itself isn’t that exciting. It’s pretty flat but is obviously good farming country with a variety of uses. Maize seems to be a popular crop around here.
12:10.
OK. I take it back about the countryside being flat! We’ve just passed over the 1913 Rendsburg high bridge which crosses the Kiel canal at a height of more than 40 meters. It’s a very impressive structure I’d love to come back and photograph!
12:43.
Having made our first stop at Schleswig I decided to have a wander through the train. It’s packed, with lots of people standing. Heading to the rear was a wise move! Sadly, there’s no buffet car, just the standard Danish vending machines offering tea, coffee, fizzy drinks and sugar rushes.
Now the train’s even more packed with the last few available seats in the rear car taken.
15:15.
Having crossed ove into Denmark at Padborg we had a prefunctory passport check. No-one actually looked at passports in our car at least. Danish Immigration officrs just stuck their heads in and looked around!
Niw we’re only a short distance from Copenhagen, having crossed between a number of islands by bridge or tunnel. It’s been an interesting trip. A lot of investment seems to be going into the railways, including building new lines. There’s quite a bit of freight around too, including pocket wagons carrying HGV trailers, which is good to see. The weather’s picked up too with lots of sunshine around. Shame I’m only here overnight…
The further
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/
