Tag Archives: Train Journeys

Scandinavian Tour Part 5 – Narvik in Norway

The North Atlantic port of Narvik is right at the end of the Iron Ore/Ofoten line from Lulea on Sweden’s Baltic Coast. You can read parts 3 & 4 of my tour to read about our journey there. My fourth visit to the strategically important town was my first from east to west, with my […]

Scandinavia Tour 2022 Part 4 – From Sweden Into Norway

Kiruna to Narvik When my travelling companion and I were learning geography at school, we were taught all about the Swedish iron ore industry and how a train line was built to Narvik so the ore could be exported. You see, the shallow Swedish Baltic Sea port at Luleå that was the main route out […]

Scandinavia Tour 2022 Part 3 – Iron Ore in the North of Sweden

I left off part 2 with us being stuck in Boden waiting for a rail replacement bus to take us to Gällivare. To our surprise our ticket collector travelled with us and proceeded to give us a guided commentary on the journey. As bus journeys went this was not too shabby! The three-hour journey sped […]

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Scandinavia Tour 2022 Part Two – Luleå in Sweden

Luleå  The bus journey from the Finnish border would take 90-minutes and flew past despite the frequent stops, the small settlements acting as brief interruptions from the golden forest and lichen covered rock. We soon found our hotel and then took to the Baltic coastline. Luleå in Norbotten County is a key export centre for Swedish […]

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Scandinavia Tour 2022 Part One – Finland

After over three years of hoping, we finally had to give up on the idea of taking the trans-Siberian Express across Russia. COVID and the unjust & appalling war put paid to our journey from Baltic to Pacific, from Helsinki to Vladivostok. So what to do with our flight to Helsinki? We decided to head […]

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Monday Morning Blues – Train Window View in Norway

I am just back from 18 days touring Scandinavia by train and bus. I have many favourite Nordic journeys and I will blog about my latest travels soon. This particular picture comes from the wonderful Oslo to Bergen line, which takes you right up alongside snowy peaks no matter what time of year that yo7 […]

The Khan's Palace, Bakhchysarai, Crimea

Ukraine Tour 2011 Part 4 – Bakhchiseray & Sevastopol

Continuing the recount of my tour of Ukraine over a decade ago. See my previous posts from Odesa, Sevastopol Arrival and Balaklava. Khan Do Attitude Bakhchiseray is a stop off on the main line from Sevastopol to Simferopol in Crimea. Back we went to the scene of the previous day’s hell. I was pleased to […]

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Tuesday Train Journey – Batumi to Tbilisi in Georgia

Continuing my weekly series of overseas train trips from down the years…….. To set the scene, Hamish & I were embarking on an overnight train from Batumi on the Black Sea Coast of Georgia to Yerevan, the splendid capital of Armenia, via Tbilisi. We had booked a berth each on the overnight sleeper on an […]

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Monday Morning Blues – Odessa Train Station in Ukraine

The Black Sea port city of Odessa was my entry point into Ukraine in 2011, arriving by train from Chisinau in Moldova.

Tuesday Train Journey – Puno to Cusco in Peru

The Puno to Cusco Express One of my favourite train journeys ever is the one I undertook in September 2001 from the shores of Lake Titicaca in Puno to Cusco, gateway to the Inca kingdom in Peru. I am actually amazed that this journey never seems to make the lists of the finest train trips […]