Tag Archives: Train
(Late Running) Tuesday Train – The Cuckoo, Borjomi in Georgia.
I took the train known as the ‘cuckoo’ in 2019. The Kukushka (translates as little cuckoo in Russian) is a 37 km narrow-gauge railway linking the national park town of Borjomi to the village & ski resort of Bakuriani in Georgia. The construction of the 900mm wide line began in 1897, when Georgia was still […]
Tuesday Train – Loco at Bukhara Station in Uzbekistan
My 2018 visit to Turkmenistan & Uzbekistan is up there with my favourite ever trips. Train was to be our transport of choice in the latter with fast trains connecting the main cities. First up was to be Bukhara (my favourite place in Uzbekistan) to Samarkand. I took the picture below as we expectedly waited […]
Tuesday Train – Iron Ore Train in Narvik, Norway
Millions of tonnes of iron ore are exported every year from Sweden via Norway. The reason? Sweden’s Baltic coastline freezes in Winter and therefore the ice-free Norwegian port on the North Sea is vital to continue trade. Each laden train can weigh up to a staggering 8,600 tonnes with the lore-class locomotives pulling 68 trucks. […]
Tuesday Train – Lulea in Sweden
This was to be the first leg of us traversing the whole Iron Ore Line from Lulea to the ice-free port of Narvik. We were going as far as Gallivare, to then continue 2-days later. We hadn’t figured on track problems however, ending up only getting as far as Boden and then having to take […]
Tuesday Train – Kosovo
This picture is taken in 2017 at Hani I Elezit at the end of the then only operating train in Kosovo from Pristina close to the border with North Macedonia. You can read about my time in Pristina and the train journey I undertook at this link. If this whets your appetite, you can read […]
Tuesday Train – Narvik in Norway
The picture is from January 2018 as we took the train to Abisko just inside the Swedish border. The line forms part of the Iron Ore Line between the ice-free port of Narvik and the mines of Gallivare & Lulea in Sweden, whose Baltic port is frozen in winter.
2023 Gone, 2024 Beckons
Somewhere in 2023 I lost my blogging/writing mojo. However, my wanderlust was alive and kicking! Hopefully I will get back on the scribing saddle in 2024, but here is a quick summary of travels in the past year, plus one or two to come. 2023 April – Rhodes 24 years after we were engaged in […]
European Train Tour #1 – Spain
Europe is a wonderful continent. Culturally & geographically diverse and incredibly easy to navigate from the Arctic to the Mediterranean or even the Atlantic to the Pacific. The best way to explore the region is by train with a vast network of train tracks criss-crossing the continent, connecting amazing cities and countries. Arm yourself with […]
My Iconic Travel Moments – Part One, Up Until 2010
My number one travel experience is a very personal one, which involves a site that had almost mythical status during my childhood. You see, on June 8th 1957 my parents were married at St George’s Church, Tanglin, Singapore. I was brought up on tales of how they met in the army, got engaged on Christmas […]
Ukraine in 2011
Ukraine is never far from my thoughts these days. One can only imagine the fear & hardship that innocent citizens are facing. Ukrainians are our friends. A proud & hospitable nation that made me feel so welcome in 2011, less than a year before they hosted Euro 2012 with their great Polish neighbours. Here are […]
