Travel notes

European bathing locations
European bathing locations

Fancy a sewage-free dip at one of Europe’s designated bathing locations but don’t know to get to them?

Bosanski Brod - how the other half live
Bosanski Brod - how the other half live

Across the bridge from Slavonski Brod in Croatia is Bosanski Brod in Bosnia. What’s it like? I went for a walk to find out.

Pianos in France
Pianos in France

Whether you’re feeling inspired by Channel 4’s The Piano or just fancy a tinkle on your travels, here is a map of station pianos in France.

A slice of Brod
A slice of Brod

It’s a lot easier to learn from history when you’re with a good teacher and standing in the right place. Slavonski Brod is one of those places and I think Goran is the right teacher.

World heritage sites
World heritage sites

Journey to the worlds greatest treasures with this map which shows designated World Heritage sites with the nearest public transport links.

Barcelona by bike
Barcelona by bike

I hadn’t planned to stop in Barcelona. I was just going to grab some breakfast on my way from Tarragona to the Pyrenees, but the pull of the pedals, spurred on by my time in Valencia, was too strong.

The biodiversity of dragons' teeth
The biodiversity of dragons' teeth

Studying the biodiversity of dragon’s teeth might sound like a niche activity reserved for role-play gamers but welcome to a site of science and history.

French night trains
French night trains

If one of the simple pleasures of travel is meeting people from different places and backgrounds, then night trains are where it’s at.

Let's Go! - exploring Gorizia and Nova Goriza
Let's Go! - exploring Gorizia and Nova Goriza

I’ve hopped off at the twin towns Gorizia / Nova Gorica on the Italian / Slovenian border which have been awarded 2025 European Capital of Culture. To take a closer look, I’ve decided to hire a bike from outside the Tourist Info office in Nova Gorica for 1 Euro an hour.

A lasting legacy
A lasting legacy

For visitors to this museum in Carpentras, there’s a special treat and it’s not even an exhibit.

Meet and Greet Brussels
Meet and Greet Brussels

With a couple of hours free before catching the Eurostar back to London, Gilles and I went for a wander around St Gilles…

Meet and Greet Lubeck
Meet and Greet Lubeck

It’s a beautiful Sunday morning in Lübeck, Germany and I’m meeting up with Jürgen and Andrea outside the Rathaus or town hall. They are volunteer Greeters and are going to show me around their town.

What are the chances of missing a connection?
What are the chances of missing a connection?

There are plenty of stats on the punctuality of trains, but I’ve struggled to find anything that shows what the consequences of those late running trains, particularly in terms of missing connections are.

To help understand the problem better, I’ve made a live tracker showing arrivals into stations across Europe and for the late-running trains, what viable connections would be missed.

How do you solve a problem like Monturiol?
How do you solve a problem like Monturiol?

The pretty little port of Cadaqués, a short scenic bus ride from Figueres, is a popular place to visit.

Sports report
Sports report

Bullrings don’t feature high on the list of sights that tourists want to see, but there’s a statue in front of one of them that gives us all pause for thought.

Sunnyland - an anti-war advert?
Sunnyland - an anti-war advert?

I’ve decided to go for a walk into the Trebević hills that dominate the south side of Sarajevo and ended up at a perfect place for brunch, Sunnyland.

Swedish night trains
Swedish night trains

What are Swedish night trains are like? Here’s a journey from Stockholm to Umeå.

The architecture tram
The architecture tram

Finland is very proud of its architectural tradition. We can learn about that by taking a tram ride through the city, starting at the main railway station.

Third Place
Third Place

I’ve hopped off the train at Seinäjoki on my way from Vaasa to Tampere. It’s a chance to learn about Third Place - no, not a third place, but the concept of Third Place.

Taking the train to Spain
Taking the train to Spain

The first time I looked into taking the train to Spain for a family holiday, despite having read up what to do including the ever-reliable seat61.com, I still ended up booking a flight.