Today is the day. The real reason why I wanted to make this trip: I am taking the night train from Rome to Sicily and I am finally going to see how they put the train onto the ferry at the Strait of Messina. Yes: you read that right. The train literally drives onto the ferry. On the coupe it says "Wagon de luxe". As the Germans put it so beautifully: Bin mal gespannt. In other words: I am curious. Are you coming aboard? Well, I am content with my "hotel suite" for tonight. I

When I wake up, the grey cloudy sky has given way to a bright sun. Hooray. :) I went around the corner to grab a coffee and the bartender asked if I was from Albania. Uh… that’s pretty specific. I was too flabbergasted for a moment to ask where he got that idea from. And to this day, I still wonder which part of my body looks Albanian... :))) Maybe it’s best that a person doesn’t know everything. Or who knows, maybe it was a really, really bad opening line. ;) Anyway, I'm hea

When I wake up, I suddenly realize that I am already halfway through my train journey. Phew… this probably sounds ironic to some, but time flies! It is with a heavy heart that I leave Turin, but I am also very curious about Milan. I was there once before, about 30 years ago, and apart from the Duomo and the beautiful shopping arcades, I can't really remember anything else. By the way, it turns out today is a public holiday in Italy: Republic Day. That is clearly noticeable on

I’ve planned a day of rest for today. Or as Wout van Aert would say: a day of doing absolutely nothing. So first I roll over for a good snooze, and then I’ll have a leisurely breakfast. The breakfast looks delicious. The waiter asks which coffee I want and gives me some explanation about the buffet. When he mentions the "croissant vuoto," or empty croissant, I look at him in surprise for a moment. Um... isn't a croissant empty by definition? Apparently not in Italy. He points

It feels like my suitcase is getting heavier by the day. That must be because of all the sweat sticking to it by now… ;) On today's schedule: first from Nice to Ventimiglia, and then transferring to the train to Turin. It's going to be a long day on the train today, so I'll start by stocking up on provisions for the journey. And plenty of drinks, especially lots of drinks. Then off to the station quickly, because I want to secure a strategic window seat again. I'm probably re

Wanneer ik wakker word in Marseille, voel ik me toch een beetje geradbraakt. Gelukkig wordt het een iets rustigere spoordag: vandaag gaat het van Marseille naar Nice. Op de metro naar het station ontmoet ik 2 oudere Amerikaanse dames, die verbolgen zijn over het feit dat de Franse spoorwegen hen niet hebben laten weten dat de trein naar Nice niet vanuit Marseille St Charles vertrekt, maar vanuit Marseille Blancarde. Ik help ze op weg en sla wat proviand in voor onderweg. En

I am what they call a true "train buff" in English. The best Dutch translation for this might be a "Train Enthusiast in a Category of its own." Put me on a train and I am a happy man. ;) When I was 18, I traveled through all of Europe by train with Interrail for the first time. I met new people every day, and I just saw for myself which new destination I would visit the next day. Wonderful. In my student room in Ghent, I hung a large map of Europe above my desk, on which I ma

Ouch, ouch, ouch... The alarm goes off at 5:30. Anyone who knows me a little knows that I am a real night owl and that I am usually only at the beginning of my REM sleep at this time. But look, I've never jumped out of bed as quickly as today. All for a good cause! The bus to Dunkirk leaves at 6:30, so no time for breakfast. The wine, the bread, and the Boursin can wait until later. ;) Packed and ready to go, and in a ridiculously good mood, I stand at the bus station a momen