Rail enthusiasts and families will once again head to the Bocq Valley next month as the annual Fête du Rail returns on Saturday 15 and Sunday 16 August. Organised by Patrimoine Ferroviaire et Tourisme – Toerisme en SpoorPatrimonium (PFT-TSP), the two-day festival will showcase Belgium‘s railway heritage along the scenic Bocq Railway (Chemin de Fer…
JAPAN | The Hiroshima Peace Memorial, the Peace Memorial Park and the Peace Memorial Museum
Autumn 2025. We – Sam and Danny, Michel and Wille, and Timothy – are travelling to Japan for a quite classic tour of the Land of the Rising Sun. We are flying separately as we used miles. On the planning: Tokyo, Kanazawa, Shirakawa, Osaka, and Expo 2025, Hiroshima, Himeji, Miyajima, Kyoto, Nara, Nagoya, Hakone, and…
GERMANY | Italo confirms €3.6 billion investment to launch high-speed trains, signs €3 billion Siemens rolling stock deal
Italian high-speed rail operator Italo Holding has signed a major contract with Siemens Mobility for 26 high-speed trains, with an option for a further 14, as part of its planned expansion into the German rail market. The agreement, signed in Munich in Bavaria, is worth around €3 billion and forms part of a total €3.6…
Belgian Council of Ministers approves roadmap to open rail market to competition after 2032
During the last Council of Ministers – a weekly meeting of government ministers – before the 2026 summer recess, the Belgian Government has approved the strategy and guiding principles for a far-reaching reform of Belgium‘s passenger rail market, marking the first formal step towards opening public rail services to competition after the current public service…
Belgium tourism reaches new heights as record visitor numbers underline the country’s growing appeal
Today is the National Holiday of Belgium. On 21 July 1831, Prince Leopold of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha took the constitutional oath to become King of the Belgians.
ANTWERP PRIDE 2026 | MAS Darling returns with week-long queer culture festival
2026 marks the nineteenth (19th) edition of Antwerp Pride. From Wednesday 5 to Sunday 9 August, Antwerp in Belgium will once again be taken over by rainbow vibes. Prides are a mix of celebration – parties – and activism and advocacy. For the 2026 edition, the organising committee focuses on fearing less and being fearless.
ANTWERP PRIDE | Alternative love stories: author Nikita Goossens puts friendship and aromanticism centre stage
2026 marks the nineteenth (19th) edition of Antwerp Pride. From Wednesday 5 to Sunday 9 August, Antwerp in Belgium will once again be taken over by rainbow vibes. Prides are a mix of celebration – parties – and activism and advocacy. For the 2026 edition, the organising committee focuses on fearing less and being fearless.
LITHUANIA | Two days in Vilnius
August 2025. We’re travelling to the Baltic States: Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania, and more specifically their respective capitals Tallinn, Riga and Vilnius. Are they interconnected by rail? Yes, but not in the most straightforward or userfriendly way possible. The Rail Baltica project should remedy this. Unsurprisingly though, this megaproject faces political and budgetary hurdles. It…
LONDON | Queer Britain or the British National LGBTQ+ Museum
In 2024, I showed Oscar from Denver, Colorado the highlights of London. It was his first time in England. In contrast, Thanh and I have been to the capital of the United Kingdom many times. During the weekend of Pentecost 2026, we went together for a weekend of museums, food, and a concert.
Brussels Airport closes first half of 2026 with 3.6% passenger growth despite Middle East / Strait of Hormuz conflict
Brussels Airport welcomed almost 11.7 million passengers during the first six months of 2026, despite industrial action and disruption caused by the conflict in the Middle East and the Strait of Hormuz. The airport also reported strong growth in cargo traffic, underlining its role as one of Europe‘s leading freight hubs.