My epic 40-day journey marks a grand return to rail travel, unlocking the sheer pleasure of seeing the continent unfold at ground level.
It’s my last night in Lisbon, and I’m immersed in that most Portuguese of musical styles: fado.
I’ve longed for a return to European travel, hopping almost immediately on a train, of course, once I finally got there, through those dark years of the pandemic. Passing through eight countries, the trip will embrace Europe’s untold diversity and its unique convenience for international travel. Six of my countries are within the European Union and the border-free Schengen Zone, and seven use the euro for currency .My constant companion on this journey will be my Eurail pass with my journey encompassing 15 days of comfortable, nearly all first-class travel within two months. No paper is involved, as in the past.
On reaching Entroncamento, I wander around, mystified, until a station worker directs me to my next train: the craftily hidden RE 481, a single carriage with a soothing aquamarine paint scheme. with chicken, camembert and caramelised onions, which I devour at a narrow bench while the northern Spanish landscape rushes by.Barcelona is a feast of the senses and the tastebuds with its cuisine ranging from its high-grade jamon to its irresistible churros, essentially fried dough made from flour, water, and salt.
Here I shiver on the chilly platform as I wait for the bright red Frecciarossa train FR 9281, whose business class interior has beige decor and comfortable wide leather-covered seats. There’s time to properly explore the city as well as utilising it as a handy base for enjoyable side-trips – by train, of course – to other equally fascinating places. After the chilly blast in France, the weather has mercifully heated up again, remaining warm for the rest of my journey.
At Trieste Centrale I find my next train, a dose of nostalgia. It’s an old-school EuroCity, one of a network of international express services formed in the 1980s. Alone in one, I’m rewarded with the most impressive ride of the entire journey with the railway between the Slovenian and Croatian capitals following the course of the Sava River, revealing villages tucked between rocky slopes beside this picturesque waterway.
In Dubrovnik I’m staying at the historic Hotel Excelsior. Built in 1913, it’s perched on a hillside with views of the sea, and of the old town whichfans will immediately identify as King’s Landing. It’s the perfect place for a rest as I near the end of my rail odyssey.iStock
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