Overnight trains
Marrakesh Express – London to Marrakech by Train – Part 2
Sunday, May 16th, 2010
The next morning, I took the train from Cordoba down to Algeciras, the port for entry into Morocco. The line cuts spectacularly through the Andalucian mountains and the unmistakeable shape of the Rock of Gibraltar looms on the landscape, before you arrive into Algeciras station.
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Marrakech Express – London to Marrakech by Train – Part 1
Thursday, May 13th, 2010
Upon leaving the grandeur of London St Pancras one busy Friday afternoon, the epic nature of my adventure began to dawn on me. As usual, Eurostar whisked me away through the Kent countryside and into Paris, then I made the easy metro transfer on line 5 to Gare d’Austerlitz. This all seemed fairly straightforward, but was simply the hors d’oeuvres for what was to come.
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London to Istanbul by Train
Tuesday, March 23rd, 2010
As I boarded the last Eurostar on a cold evening at the impressive St Pancras station, I was in no doubt as to the enormity of the epic journey ahead of me. To travel overland to Istanbul would involve three overnight sleeper trains and breaking my journey in some of Europe’s major cities. Crossing ten countries, three time zones and countless cultures, this journey was as eagerly awaited as it was daunting.
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Crete to London by Train and Ferry
Thursday, February 11th, 2010
After an epic but enjoyable journey by train from London to Athens I took the ferry to the island of Crete where my mother and stepfather have settled in the picturesque hamlet of Houmeriakos. Before I knew it my week was up, I boarded the high speed ferry at Heraklion to begin my long journey home by ferry and train to London.
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Thessaloniki to Istanbul – The Friendship Express
Friday, January 22nd, 2010
Following on from my late running journey to Thessaloniki I was left with just 3 hours until my next train left for Istanbul at 19:00. I was due to travel on the “Filia-Dostluk Express” to Istanbul, the name meaning Friendship in both Greek and Turkish languages. Whilst I hoped the name indicated a friendly onboard service I wondered if it had a more political meaning considering the past tensions between the countries.
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Around the World in 80 days – London to Istanbul
Friday, October 16th, 2009You may have seen the programme “Around the World in 80 days” for BBC Children in Need. It featured comedians Frank Skinner and Lee Mack travelling across Europe to Istanbul. The journey started from Paris to Vienna on an overnight train.
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Trans-Siberian Express
Sunday, August 2nd, 2009A wise man once said ‘the journey not the arrival matters’ and if any holiday proves that adage, this one does. This was a journey I will never forget.
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