Ciao from Rome! With my arrival in Rome, this marks the end of my solo journey that started in London, England. I’ve managed to make it all this way with nothing but train travel and my own two feet!

Milano centrale.

But before reflecting further, here’s my ride from Milan. This is Trenitalia’s Frecciarossa high speed train model ETR 1000, which I believe is the newer engine and cars.

The cabin on this car is a little bit nicer than my equivalent TGV from Paris to Lyon. This is also where I wrote the majority of this post.

Arriving into Roma Termini.

Overall the trip went smoothly. One thing that surprised me was how many tunnels, long completely dark tunnels, this trip entailed. Looking at the map, it makes sense, as we have to traverse multiple mountain ranges. I don’t think it’d be feasible to travel at high speed over the mountains.

My hotel was close enough that I decided to walk.

It’s amazing to me that we are staying right next to the Roman Forum. These ruins are steps away from the hotel’s front door. It’s hard for me to believe that ruins from 2,000 years ago are just right here!

So, I think now is a good time to reflect on the overall trip. There’s so much novel for me in this trip: new countries, new modes of transportation. Despite how unfamiliar I was with all of this, I think things went extremely smoothly. My trains all ran on schedule and I was able to complete each leg of the journey without a hitch.

Knowing what I know now, would I recommend trains, especially high speed trains, as a mode of travel between European cities? Absolutely. For me, traveling like this is just so much more relaxed than flying. If it’s realistic to take a train, that’s how I’d go in the future.

I really wish high speed rail would come to America. I think it enables a type of travel that isn’t really possible without it.

Ok, now for some highlights.

Favorite train: Glacier Express. How could I not choose this? It was just over the top in every way.

Favorite non-scenic train: Eurostar from London to Paris. This train had the nicest cabin and best service. Oh and not that this train isn’t scenic, the French countryside was beautiful, once you get through the darkness of the Chunnel. The only negative of the Eurostar is having to go through airport like security and passport control. But that’s all about Britain and the EU and not the train’s fault. But it’s notable that this is the only time I’ve had to go through security and passport checks like this.

Favorite stop: Zermatt, Switzerland. Seeing the Matterhorn both just from the streets of Zermatt where it seems to loom over the town as well as from mountain top via the gondola was absolutely incredible. From my experience, Switzerland is just an incredible country. So beautiful in many regards. I’m looking forward to returning someday.

Favorite city: Lyon, France. Historic and beautiful Vieux Lyon, good food, bike friendly. I’d like to return and spend more time here!

Favorite train station: This is harder as I didn’t spend too much time in the stations…but I think it goes to St. Pancras in London. I loved all the glass ceilings and how it seems to mix modern and classic architecture.

So, what next? Here in Rome, I’ll be linking up with my wife and we will travel around Italy. I arrived first due to her flight being delayed. (Hahah, train wins!)

I think this will conclude the daily travel reports. But I will try to post some highlights from each part of Italy. We will be staying a few days in Rome, Florence, the Tuscany countryside, then all the way down in Puglia outside Bari, finally back to Rome for our flight home. We will be taking trains to travel from Rome -> Florence and then Florence -> Bari. We looked into flights for the Florence -> Bari leg, but we really couldn’t find anything that made more sense than the train.

So, thank you very much for reading and following along with my trip! It’s been really incredible. I feel so lucky to have seen so many countries, cities, and sights along the way. I’m glad I could share some of it with you all here.

Ciao!

Buona sera da Milano! I spent the day wondering around Milan, here’s what I got into.

The first stop for me today was Castello Sforzesco, a castle from the Renaissance era.

It was fun to see the huge courtyards with their impressive architecture.

Don’t forget to look up every now and then!

Here they have a room that displays the Rondanini Pietà which is Michelangelo’s last sculpture.

My next stop is the Duomo di Milano. I’m here mostly for the architecture and it’s a shame that the tickets to go up on the terraces and roof are all sold out! I did not anticipate that tickets to go up stairs or an elevator would sell out. Wait hours in line, sure. But, I would guess that due to the age of the building they might limit how many people are allowed up.

Still, the building is impressive enough from the plaza.

And on the inside.

This is some of the most detailed stained glass I’ve ever seen. This one almost looked 3d to me.

Check out this statue of Saint Bartholomew with no skin!

A square right around the corner from the Duomo.

The sightseeing today was classic Milan, but I think the best part of my day might have been dinner. I was lucky and found a place that seemed less touristy. At least, they did not have an English menu and my waiter did not speak English. Still, it was some of the friendliest service that I’ve had since entering Italy. And the food was exactly what I was looking for, really good without being overly fancy or pretentious. I think I did alright ordering in a mix of bad Italian, English, and pointing. One thing I’m learning, ChatGPT is pretty helpful with other languages (at least Italian and French). It provides a little more context and guidance than something like Google translate. It certainly helped me navigate this menu for some of the terms I did not recognize.

Here’s one of the dishes I had, it’s tagliatelle with pulipo (octopus) and Gorgonzola. When I ordered, I was wondering if the Gorgonzola would be overpowering, but it wasn’t! The dish was great and very well balanced.

This brings me to the end of my night. Tomorrow, I take the high speed Trenitalia line to Rome!

Buonanotte!

Hello from Milan, Italy! I’ve reached the final country on my trek and I’ve arrived via another world class train line. Today’s star was the Bernina Express, which travels between St. Moritz and Tirano, Italy. This line is named after the Bernina Pass through the Alps.

In the last few days, I had been seeing snow in the forecast for St. Moritz. I spoke about the forecasted snow with a few people working at my hotel and they were skeptical that it would snow there this time of year.

So, this morning when I woke up and looked out my window…sure enough the snow was falling!

Staff in the hotel continued to tell me this is very abnormal for St. Moritz this time of year. I’ll take them at their word and believe that I must be very lucky then to have a train ride in snow today.

And it really did make the passing forests look like a winter wonderland.

Sure, we couldn’t see the mountains or valleys that we’d normally see on this route, but I think it was worth it to get a taste of winter in Switzerland. A few passengers sitting nearby agreed it was our lucky day.

After about an hour into the trip, we stopped so passengers could exit and take photos. We were told this is a very scenic location. I’ll just have to assume that’s true.

Since we really couldn’t see anything much in the distance, I decided to photograph the snowy train instead.

When we got underway again and slowly began our decent, the snow turned to rain and the forests became more dense and green.

Looking at the weather radar, it the snow really seemed to be isolated just to the area around St. Moritz.

As we traveled along, one of the notable sights was this 360 degree spiral viaduct. I always enjoy when the curve is tight enough to see the cars ahead of us.

Shortly after the viaduct, we arrived in Tirano, Italy! The Bernina Express describes itself as “from glaciers to palms” and sure enough I did see palm trees in Tirano! What a ride to go from the snow to palm trees in about 2 hours.

I thought it was interesting that the Bernina Express basically runs right through the heart of this small town, almost operating as a street car. When you exit, you are in a small square. Here’s the building that serves as the entrance to the railway to Switzerland.

And here’s the building for the Italian train service, operating under the name Trenord.

I had lunch in Tirano, cacio e pepe from a restaurant right next to the station. Not bad! Certainly better than what I was expecting to eat near the station.

The view waiting for the train in Tirano. Not a bad view with the Alps in the background. But I couldn’t help but notice that things were no longer as pristine as they were in Switzerland.

My original ticket from Tirano to Milan was for 3pm. I’m not sure why I left myself so much time (almost 4 hours) in Tirano. I guess I thought I’d have a leisurely lunch? Well, I was ready to head out around 12:30, so I bought a ticket for the 1:00 train to Milan.

As the train neared Milan, it got pretty crowded. At least in my car, it seemed every seat was taken.

After about 2 and a half hours, we pulled into Milan and wow it’s crowded. I’ve to see a train station so bustling. I guess a lot of people are taking the train in Milan.

And that brings us to the present moment, here in my hotel room in Milan. Tomorrow I’ll sightsee, then on Sunday I head to Rome, which will mark the end of my solo train adventure. (Don’t worry, my wife and I will still be using trains to get around Italy. But the motives change to practicality over train travel for the sake of train travel.)

Reflecting now on my time in Switzerland, wow was it incredible. Not just because of the trains (which were great), but all the natural beauty is what stands out. Seeing the Alps was amazing. The views from the Glacier Express were great, but honestly, being in Zermatt, seeing the Matterhorn, then taking the gondola up to 12,700 feet for even more insane views really takes the cake. What an amazing place. I’m already thinking about when I can return, haha!

That’s all for now. I’ll have another update tomorrow with what I saw in Milan. Goodnight!

Hello again from St. Moritz!

I decided to have a rather low key day today, the skies were mostly overcast and after so many days of either travel or activities, I was feeling the need to recover.

So, what’s a low key day in the Swiss Alps look like? How about a short train ride, followed by a gondola? Sure, why not.

I’m learning that spring in St. Moritz, more so than Zermatt, is a very in-between season. Ski slopes and lifts are shut down. Summer activities largely don’t open up until a few weeks into June. In fact, there’s only one gondola and mountaintop open near St. Moritz: Diavolezza.

My view from the top.

Normally, the view from here includes several higher peaks, including Piz Bernina, which is the tallest peak in the eastern Alps. But, no such luck today. However, I do think parts of the glacier were visible when the clouds cooperated. I stayed for a bit to see if things would clear up some, but more clouds rolled in. It also snowed/sleeted very slightly. I was at about 10,000 ft of elevation and even with the clouds, it was a curious combination of being hot and cold at the same time. Cold because of the air, but hot because of what little bit of intense sun made it through the clouds.

So, I decided to head back down the mountain. Here’s the view from the gondola on the way down.

My train back to St. Moritz pulling into the station.

From here, I returned to the hotel to have some tea and do some reading. I enjoyed the view of the lake and mountains while doing so.

Tonight, I’ll have an early dinner at the hotel and an early night. Tomorrow, I have the Bernina Express which will travel through the Bernina Pass to Tirano, Italy. After a short stop there, I’ll take a train to Milan.

Goodnight!

There’s some interest in how I packed for this trip, so here’s a post about that. (Hi, Su!)

I knew I needed to develop a packing strategy ahead of the trip so I could be away for about a month. I also had a few other goals:

• Have a carry-on sized bag so I wouldn’t need to check it and it’d more easily be stowed on trains
• Ideally a backpack so I’m not lugging a roller down cobblestone streets or something like that. Plus it would be nice to have both hands free
• Enough organization to keep clean and dirty clothes separated. Plus have my bag not turn into a sloppy nightmare after living out of it for a month. Since for a good portion of the trip I’d be in the same spot for only 2 nights, repacking and staying organized should be easy.

So, in anticipation for this trip, I got a Cotopaxi Allpa 42L travel pack.

What appealed to me about this is that it opens suitcase style and has some organization but not too much. So more pockets than a duffle bag, but not excessively compartmentalized.

It’s also a backpack first and includes a hip belt, which has been great and I’d highly recommend a hip belt for a bag this size.

Here’s how I’m organizing the bag:

• Main compartment
  • jackets and nicer shirts in the bottom of the main compartment folded simply to not be too thick
  • packing cubes on top of those
    • small packing cube (top): underwear and socks
    • large packing cube (bottom): pants, shorts, t-shirts
• Top left small compartment
  • packable day bag
  • travel towel
• Bottom left mid-size compartment
  • Beach stuff (bathing suits, beach shirts)
  • Extra shoes and sandals
• small compartment on the face of the bag (which is face down on the bed)
  • My dopp kit
  • Some small items like power adapters and battery

Here’s everything stowed.

And here’s the bag all zipped up.

Packed like this it weighs 24.6 lbs.

While I got this bag in anticipation of this trip, I’ve used it for some shorter trips earlier in the year as a trial run. So far, I’m very happy with this bag. I’ll probably continue to use it when I need something that doesn’t need to be checked.

As far as clothing strategy, I wanted to go for a capsule wardrobe where any top can be worn with any bottom. I also chose merino wool t-shirts since I’ve read they are good for travel, stay relatively clean (even after wearing for multiple days, but so far I haven’t had to test this theory), and dry quickly (in the event you need to wash them in your hotel room).

My goal was to be able to go 7 days without doing laundry, so I have enough socks, underwear, and shirts to accomplish that. Ideally I’d be able use hotel laundry service before I hit 7 days and I could avoid doing laundry in my room. So far, so good on this front. I’ve used a coin-op laundry once and have my hotel doing laundry today.

So one challenge for my trip in particular, aside from the length, is the different climates I’d be traveling through. From moderate, damp climates like London, cold mountain climates of Switzerland, and warm beach climates of Italy.

Here’s a tally of what I packed in more detail:

• 2x button up long sleeve shirts
• 1x button up short sleeve shirt
• 2x cotton t-shirts
• 5x merino short sleeve t-shirts
• 1x merino long sleeve shirt
• 1x exercise/hike shirt
• 1x lounge shorts
• 2x synthetic shorts
• 1x synthetic pants (wore the second pair on the plane)
• 7x pairs of socks (5x merino, 2x cotton)
• 7x underware
• Rain jacket
• Arcterix packable down jacket
• 2x hats
• 2x swim suits
• 2x beach shirts
• Sandals
• Extra sneakers (Lems)
• packable backpack (Matador)
• packable travel towel

Reading this list out, I think I fit a lot in the bag without it feeling extremely over packed. (It does require some effort to close, though.)

One thing I didn’t want to put in the Allpa was any electronics or things (like medicine) I’d want with me in the event my backpack was checked.

For this, I opted for this sling bag from Aer. In here I packed:

• iPad 10" Air
• Kobo ebook reader
• Medicine
• International power adapters
• Phone/iPad charger and cords
• Passport
• Print out of train tickets
• Glasses and sunglasses

This bag is just big enough to fit all the above!

So, about a week and a half in to the trip and so far I’m pretty satisfied with this setup! I think this has convinced me that carry-on backpack travel is the way to go!

Have you ever packed for a trip like this? How did you pack and how did it go? Let me know in the comments!

Update: I forgot to mention some clothing I purchased during my trip:

• A lightweight zip up fleece from North Face. I wanted another layer in Zermatt before going up to 12,000 feet and something that was more mid-weight than my down jacket.
• A crushable Mont Bell hat. I’ve been wanting more hats like this and found it in Zermatt.

These two items easily fit in the backpack!

Hello from St. Moritz!

Today is all about the Glacier Express, a scenic train through the Swiss Alps between Zermatt and St. Moritz. This train is considered a bucket list item by many and has accolades aplenty. Will it live up to these expectations?

The exterior of the train is rather ordinary for Switzerland.

But the interior, that’s something incredible.

I’m riding in what they call the Excellence Class. Here, every seat is at these picture windows with a table. You are served a six course meal with wine pairing as the trip progresses. It’s excessively luxurious, but this is likely a once in a lifetime thing, so I thought it was worth the splurge.

Here’s a few facts and figures from the Excellence Magazine that was provided to us:

• UNESCO World Heritage Sites: Jungfrau-Aletsch and Albula & Bernini Line
• Route length: 291 kilometers
• 291 bridges
• 42 km/h avg speed
• From 584 to 2,033 meters above sea level
• 45 m^2 windows in each carriage
• 91 tunnels
• In operation since 1930
• Steepest gradient: 12.5%
• 31.9km cog wheel stretch

But forget the numbers, let’s talk about the views. The landscapes quickly became impressive. A lot of the advertising shows this train in winter, but I’m glad that I was able to take it in the spring, as the green fields with wildflowers against the snow capped mountains made for stunning view after stunning view.

I’m very sorry that these photos do not do it justice. You’ll have to take my word for it. Or, better yet, come and experience the Glacier Express for yourself!

Here we have one of the first highlight landscapes: The Oberalp Pass, which is 2,033 meters above sea level. Here you see the Oberalp Lake.

Near the pass is, surprisingly enough, this lighthouse. This lighthouse marks the source (well, one of) the Rhine river. It’s a smaller scale exact copy of the lighthouse in Rotterdam where the Rhine meets the sea!

When I booked this trip, I did not expect to see the origin of these famous rivers. In Lyon, the Rhône river passes through the city. The train route from Lyon to Geneva to Brig follows the Rhône river valley and we saw the headwaters of this river as well. So incredible! Not to mention the milky blue color of the water, which my train neighbor told me is due to the glacial melt water mixed with the mineral content of the mountains.

The next highlight is the Rhine Gorge, which we are told is known as the “Swiss Grand Canyon.” I’m not sure about that comparison, but it was an incredible sight that stood out from the other landscapes. This photo really doesn’t do it justice.

We had a short stop at a station to switch out engines. So, I took an opportunity to photograph engine 626.

A few more scenic village views before our next highlight.

The final highlight on the trip is the Landwasser Viaduct. It was built in 1902 and stands 65 meters tall. It is considered an architectural masterpiece. Again, the photos do not do it justice and, honestly, the best views would have been from outside the train rather than on it. But I do think it was cool that we could catch a glimpse of the forward carriages of our train as we made the crossing.

Not too long after the viaduct, we pulled into the platform at St. Moritz.

Thank you, Glacier Express, for an incredible experience! So, does it live up to the hype? Yes, I think so. I don’t think I’ll ever experience anything quite like this anywhere else. The views were amazing. The train interior was over the top luxury. The service was great. The food, hands down the best I’ve ever had on a mode of transportation. It was certainly high-end restaurant level of food. And the wine pairings (all Swiss wines, I believe) were very good as well.

The view in St. Moritz immediately outside the train station.

And here’s the view from my room. It’s perfectly on theme for this whole trip and somewhat accidental, as I didn’t realize it overlooked the station.

Tomorrow, I’ll explore St. Moritz! I believe there’s a cog railway up the mountain that I’ll most likely visit.

Goodnight!

Hello from Zermatt, Switzerland! Today was all about the mountains.

I spent the morning with breakfast at the hotel (another enjoyable buffet!) and some wandering around town. I was waiting for the sky to clear before I headed up into the mountains.

When I saw this, the Matterhorn, emerge from the clouds, I knew it was time.

I headed to the back of town where the gondola base station is location. Our destination: the Matterhorn Glacier Paradise. I hopped on the first gondola and began the ascent. Pretty quickly we were approaching the tree line.

After a total of 3 separate gondolas, I was at the top! I immediately went to the viewing platform and it was incredible! The sky was clear, any clouds still hanging about, we were above them!

And the Matterhorn looks stunning! From up here you see a different face of the mountain.

I think this shot is of the highest peak visible from this location. I believe it’s over 4,500m (~14,700ft). The Matterhorn clocks in around 4,400m.

Yours truly posing with the Matterhorn in the background. I didn’t build the snowman.

From this platform we are at 3883m (12,739ft) of elevation, which is the highest mountain platform in Europe.

Here’s a few more photos from the viewing platform. It’s really stunning to be so high up and seeing these incredible mountains. One bit of info that I thought was fun is this location is very close to the Italian border. There’s a gondola that can take you down on the Italian side. I believe you can also walk or ski over the border. I was so close that my phone must have connected to an Italian cell tower because I got a “Welcome to Italy” text from Verizon to tell me about my travel pass. Also, the cell service was, somehow, incredible up here.

Next, I went inside the building (which is really more like tunnels carved into the mountain) to check out the glacier palace, complete with ice sculptures.

There’s even a restaurant up here! So I grabbed a bite. I had a dish that was bread covered in mushrooms in sauce topped with cheese. The whole plate was stuck under the broiler to melt the cheese. Then it was topped with a fried egg. Not bad!

Before I made my way down, I went back to the viewing platform one more time. I snapped this photo of the tower next to the platform. This must be why the cell signal is so great.

On the way down, I exited at the last gondola station so I could take the walking path back to town. I had maybe 1,000ft of descent left, and this path looked nice on the way up. I’m very glad I did, because I think this was one of the most beautiful walks in my life.

And then, a final reward, one more incredible view of the Matterhorn.

Finally, pasted the gondola station where my ascent began.

Today has been amazing. Zermatt is an incredible place. It’s certainly one of the most scenic places I’ve ever traveled to.

Tomorrow I depart to St. Moritz on the Glacier Express! If this train is even a fraction of its reputation, I think it will be incredible.

Goodnight!

Hello from Zermatt, Switzerland!

Today was one of the most complicated days of travel as I had multiple connections. But everything went smoothly and felt rather relaxed overall.

First up, my train from Lyon to Geneva, Switzerland. It’s a regional train that made multiple stops along the way.

My first class cabin.

After about 2 hours, I arrived in Geneva! Switzerland is not in the EU, so there’s technically a border crossing between France and here. I did see the border/customs while exiting the platform, but they weren’t stopping anyone to check passports or scan bags.

I had about an hour here, which was more than enough time to have lunch and coffee and do a small bit of sightseeing just outside the station.

Gotta love the bike parking!

Next was a Swiss regional train headed to Brig, but I’d be transferring at Visp.

Another first class cabin. Nothing too special, but totally comfortable.

As we rose further into the Alps, the landscapes became more dramatic. There’s some very beautiful looking towns on the way from Geneva to Visp. Looking at the map, I realized I’m following the Rhône river all the way from Lyon to Visp. The river valley in the Alps makes for some great scenery.

At Visp, I had a short stop to transfer to the train destined for Zermatt, which is the end of the line.

It’s steep enough in sections that there are cogs between the tracks. I have no idea if my train uses these, but interesting to see nonetheless.

In about an hour, I’ve arrived in Zermatt and, wow, is it beautiful! It’s a million chalets, sporting shops, a river, and mountains. Zermatt is essentially car free. Tourists must park in one town lower in the valley and take the train up.

At 5,276 ft (1,608 m) of elevation, we are certainly up in the mountains!

Just steps from where I’m staying.

The view from the small balcony on my room, incredible!

That’s all from me today. I’m hoping to have an early dinner and an early night so I can clock a full 8 hours. Tomorrow, I’ve booked a gondola to take me up to one of the highest gondola accessible points in Europe. There should be views of the Matterhorn and many other peaks.

Goodnight!

Here’s how I spent my lazy Sunday in Lyon.

A late breakfast at the hotel (I tend to really love European breakfast buffets and this one was no exception) then I headed back to Vieux Lyon to see a movie and miniatures museum I noticed yesterday.

Soon after walking in the door, I was greeted with this and knew it’d be a place I’d enjoy:

They had a whole room of Ghostbusters paraphernalia. This is a childhood favorite franchise of mine. They had a case of vintage toys and I spotted a few I had as a kid.

One of my favorite exhibits was on movie posters by the artist Drew Struzan. I was definitely familiar with his work, but never knew about the artist behind these posters.

The miniature displays were something to see. So many small, painstaking details. I really liked the interior of this vintage New York subway car.

Next, I decided to take a river boat cruise along the Saône river.

It was very relaxing. One aspect I enjoyed was seeing the contrasting architecture of the Renaissance era buildings of Vieux Lyon with the modern architecture of the Confluence district (so called because it’s the confluence of the Rhône and Saône rivers).

After the boat, I had an ice cream Sunday for lunch. There was a place that every time I’ve walked past it’s had a giant line. Today was no exception. But I saw they had an area with some tables and waiter service that somehow had no wait. So that’s where I went.

After this, I rented an e-bike. I’ve seen so many people on bikes both in Paris and here, I definitely wanted to experience it for myself. Speaking of the Confluence, I decided to head back to that area on bike and explore the bike paths along the rivers a little more.

A quick break at the hotel and I ventured back into Vieux Lyon for dinner. I keep returning to this neighborhood for a few reasons. One, it’s super charming and I love the Renaissance era streets and buildings. Two, it’s a short (and beautiful) walk from my hotel. I learned on the boat tour that Vieux Lyon is a UNESCO World Heritage site and one of the largest remaining districts of Renaissance buildings.

Another quick aside on language. I’m surprised how many little bits of French I understand. (When written! Spoken, I have no clue.) It’s mostly food related terms that I’ve learned from restaurants in the US. Sometimes, the French description of food is more illuminating to me than the English description. For instance, my meal last night was described as sausage, but in French it was boudin noir (which I know to be a type of blood sausage). Tonight, I had steak with “pepper sauce”. In French, it was sauce au poivre, which I’ve even cooked myself sonI knew exactly what to expect. There’s also other non-food related terms that have entered the English language from French, so there’s no translation needed. Like “confluence”!

After dinner, it was back to the hotel to get some sleep. It’s another early day tomorrow. I’m headed to Zermatt, Switzerland via Geneva. It’ll be a long day on multiple trains, but it should be fairly relaxed, so I’m looking forward to it.

Goodnight!

Hello from Lyon!

Today’s train was Ouigo Grande Vitesse train No 7885 operating on the high speed line between Paris and Lyon.

This is my second high speed line after the Eurostar to Paris. I only wish this train was in an orange livery like the original TGVs. Instead I got this…interesting color choice. Nonetheless, I’ve fulfilled the goal of riding the high speed line that caught my attention as a child!

What was exciting, new, and futuristic around 40 years ago now just seems ordinary here. The train lives up to its high speed lineage. The cars themselves were nothing special, I’d say. Double decker, luggage racks, bathrooms, a mix of seats with tables and without. Roughly similar to what I’m familiar with in the northeast of the US. Definitely comfortable and roomy compared to a plane. But Eurostar is taking the cake in terms of fit and finish and service. Of course, I chose this leg based on schedule and speed. I could have taken an earlier or later train that had more amenities. But honestly, it’s such a short trip I didn’t really miss them.

Plus, the scenery passing by was beautiful. It felt like an animated Windows XP wallpaper, only better looking.

Pretty quickly we were pulling in to Lyon. My train went on to other stops beyond this, so it was only in the station for a few minutes. This particular route stopped at the station near the Lyon airport. And wow, I really loved the architecture of the station.

Because I was at the airport, I needed to take light rail into the city center.

After this, I took a street tram further into the city toward my hotel. A short walk later and I’m at my hotel. I’m staying at Hotel Globe et Cecil which is charming and centrally located.

Because of the length of my trip and the limited packing space I have (if you have interest in how I packed for this trip, let me know and I can post about it!), I needed to get some laundry done. I thought my hotel had laundry service, but turns out they do, just not on weekends. So I decided to try a coin op. Can you believe this is my walk to the laundromat, which is in Vieux Lyon (the old city):

I returned later to Vieux Lyon for dinner at a bouchon (a restaurant serving classic French dishes). I had a boudin noir and apple pie which I really enjoyed. Dessert was a dish called île flottante which means floating island. I needed to look this one up before ordering, I’ve never heard of the dish in English or French. It’s a block of meringue floating in a pool of crème anglaise. It’s really great!

After dinner, I walked a little out of the way around Vieux Lyon to take in the scenery at night.

Tomorrow, another day in Lyon. Goodnight!

Hello! A shorter update tonight because it’s late and I have an earlyish day tomorrow.

The main event of today was visiting the Louvre. It was incredible! I knew it was supposed to be great, but I really had no idea how great. What an amazing museum. I could probably write for an hour about what I saw and I barely scratched the surface of what the museum has on display.

And I the then building itself is art, I mean look at this place!

Of course, the art on display is amazing as well.

I bought the self guided audio tour and was amused the device is a Nintendo 3DS. I have many questions about how this came to be. But it worked surprisingly well!

After the Louvre, I strolled along the Seine until I reached the Eiffel Tower.

After that, I took the metro–a quaint older tram/train/not sure what to call it with rubber wheels that ran along an elevated track–to the Montmartre neighborhood for dinner.

The views on the way back from dinner were great.

Tomorrow, we take the TGV to Lyon! Goodnight!

Welcome back to another update from my Europe Train Adventure.

Today was the first high speed rail leg of my trip, starting at St. Pancras International station in London and arriving at Gare du Nord in Paris.

I enjoyed the architecture of St. Pancras station as I headed to board Eurostar 9022 to Paris.

My car for the journey. It was clean, comfortable, and spacious. I also appreciated how low key the boarding experience was. I was relaxing in my seat and without any fanfare we slowly started to depart the station.

The high speed rail lived up to its name! That’s about 182 mph.

The trip felt quick too. We were practically to Paris by the time I was able to upload a photo and make a short post. My seat included food, which was served before we even entered the Chunnel.

The platform in Gare du Nord station.

The station exterior from the street.

My hotel is only a short walk from Gare du Nord. After checking in to my room, I decided to stroll around and I ended up walking along Canal Saint Martin.

Something I noticed while walking around Paris is how many bikes there are and the numerous bike lanes and associated bike infrastructure. Many lanes on busier streets seemed protected from car traffic, which is great. Other European cities, such as Amsterdam, are famous for their biking, but I didn’t realize Paris was this far along. I wish US cities would adopt this kind of bike infrastructure. There’s an increasing number of people riding bikes in Atlanta, but we are especially far behind when it comes to bike infra!

Tomorrow, I’ll do some sightseeing around Paris. Goodnight!

Today was spent mostly at the Tower of London, which I really enjoyed. It’s incredible to see the structures built over the ages, including nearly 2000 year old remains from the Romans as well as many towers and keeps from the 1200s to relatively recent Tudor era timber framed buildings.

Here, the White Tower is the central keep of the fortress and is nearly 1000 years old!

The Queen’s house (note the royal guard) is an example of the Tudor style.

The Tower of London also serves as a reminder of England’s often brutal past, as this location served as a prison, torture dungeon, and a place for executions.

Here a memorial marks the site of several executions, most famously that of Anne Boleyn.

One thing that struck me in several of the keeps used as prisons was the inscriptions left in the walls by prisoners over the years. They were numerous and, at times, elaborate.

Here you can see Traitor’s Gate which was a water entrance off of the River Thames, so called because it was a commonly used entrance for prisoner barges.

The Tower is also home to the Crown Jewels (no photos allowed in here, folks!), including the current crown worn by King Charles. Curious that they are kept in a place with such a dark history.

The Tower grounds are also home to several ravens which are tended to by the official Ravenmaster. (Best title ever?) The legend goes, the kingdom and Tower of London will fall if the ravens ever leave.

Next, I walked over the Tower Bridge and headed along the Thames towards Borough Market.

I ended my day out taking the train back to the Bull and Last. You’ve heard of the London Underground, but did you know there’s an Overground?

Since the weather cleared, I took the long way back through Hampstead Heath and enjoyed the moody sunset.

Tomorrow, it’s the Eurostar to Paris! Goodnight!

My flight touched down at Heathrow airport early this morning (before 7am).

I didn’t check a bag, so getting through the border and exiting the airport was a breeze.

I decided to take the train to get from the airport to the neighborhood where I’d be staying (how could I not??). I took the Elizabeth line from the airport and transferred to the northern line on the Tube.

I’m staying in London at The Bull and Last a pub and inn right next to Hampstead Heath park in the NW5. A real pub is something I wanted to experience while in London, so why not stay at one! But seriously, I think it’s great how they’ve remodeled this old pub and brought it back as an active inn.

My limited touring around today (lack of sleep on the plane got me–the flight was comfortable, a 5pm departure was just too early for me to fall asleep) involved walking through part of Hampstead Heath. I quickly learned this part of London is very dog friendly (which makes me like it even more). There were tons of dogs in the park, many off leash. Even better, there were lots of dogs in the cafe I visited this morning and in the pub.

Another creature that’s abundant here: snails. Not sure if all of London is like this or it’s just this neighborhood. 🐌

Before dinner, I wanted to try and see a little more, so I headed out toward the Barbican where I hoped to see the conservatory. Unfortunately that was closed but I checked out a gallery and the surrounding area.

Then back to The Bull and Last for dinner, which was good. I ordered a tomato salad and the BBQ cod which I really enjoyed.

Tomorrow is more sightseeing before I take the Eurostar to Paris on Thursday.

Goodnight!

I haven’t talked about this much here, but in March I left my job with the intention of taking some extended time off. Travel is one of the things that I want to do during my time off. And my first big trip is coming up this week:

I’ll be traveling from London to Rome via train!

The trip is structured so I’ll have 2 nights in each city along the way, which I hope will give me a chance to have a break and do some sightseeing in-between travel days (plus a buffer if there should be an issue with one of the trains).

Here’s my itinerary:

• London
• Eurostar to Paris
• TGV to Lyon
• SNCF regional to Geneva; Swiss regional to Zermatt
• Glacier Express to St. Moritz
• Bernina Express to Tirano, Italy; Trenord to Milan
• Trenitalia to Rome

Oddly, Google Maps won’t let you enter a multi-stop public transit trip, so I had to enter this as a car journey. It’ll be roughly correct. (You’d think they’d support this for train transit!)

There’s a couple of train highlights for me on this trip. First up is the TGV (Train à Grande Vitesse, “high-speed train”) from Paris to Lyon.

Somehow as a child, the image of these orange, high speed trains got filed in my brain as very cool and futuristic. Although the Eurostar will be the first high speed train on this journey, I’m most looking forward to this orange beast. As an adult, I’ve been upset and jealous that the US doesn’t have anything of the sort! So, I’m excited to finally be experiencing world-class high speed rail.

The next highlight is the Glacier Express which is a scenic train through the Swiss Alps.

This should be the star of the show. I’m spoiling myself by booking an Excellence Class ticket that includes fine dining and wine at your seat next to giant picture windows. I’ve heard nothing but great things about this particular train and its incredible journey through the Alps. I can’t wait!

The Glacier Express terminates in St. Moritz where I’ll take the Bernina Express to finish my pass through the Alps and transit into Italy via Tirano. Two nights in Milan is followed by Italian high speed rail down to Rome, where I’ll link up with my wife.

There’s a lot of firsts for me in this trip: every country on the itinerary, high speed rail, and an extended solo journey. I’ve traveled solo for work and conferences in the past, but never on vacation. So, this will be a true adventure for me. I’m mostly excited, but also a little anxious.

In Rome, I’ll meet up with my wife, who’s traveling separately after a trip with her sister. From there, we’ll spend the next two weeks together traveling in Italy. In addition to Rome, we have Florence, Tuscany, and Puglia (via Bari) on our Italian itinerary.

If you’d like to follow along with my journey, I plan to post updates as I go right here on this site. If email is your thing, I’ve turned on this site’s newsletter feature (subscribe here) so you can these posts right in your inbox.

The journey begins this week on May 20 when I take the overnight flight from Atlanta to London. Thanks for reading! Next update from London!