March 2025. We’re embarking on a train trip to Sicily. We fly from Brussels Airport to Leonardo da Vinci Rome Fiumicino Airport with ITA Airways. Then we take an Intercity Notte sleeper train by Trenitalia from Roma Termini Railway Station across Italy to Syracuse. Yes, the train is loaded on a ferry to cross the…
Month: November 2025
European Commission wants to link all EU capitals by high-speed train by 2040… and that’s not going to happen
On Wednesday 5 November 2025, the European Commission unveiled a comprehensive plan to accelerate the development of high-speed rail across the European Union, offering passengers significantly reduced travel times. By boosting fast, comfortable, safe, and reliable rail services, the plan supports the EU’s twin goals of becoming carbon-neutral by 2050 and strengthening Europe’s global competitiveness.
SBB CFF FFS announce night train to Malmö from April 2026
Starting on 15 April 2026, the Swiss Federal Railways SBB CFF FFS, together with RDC Deutschland, will introduce a new night train connection from Basel in Switzerland to Copenhagen in Denmark and Malmö in Sweden. The EuroNight will run three times per week, strengthening Switzerland’s international night train network.
GAY ITAEWON | Homo Hill = Usadan-ro 12-gil (우사단로12길) in Seoul, South Korea
Autumn 2024. Ten years after my first trip to Seoul in 2014, I am returning to the Republic of Korea, better known as South Korea. Not solo this time, but with Oriol, who has never been to Korea. On the itinerary: flying with Qatar Airways to Incheon via Doha, the capital Seoul, the historic city…
FLANDERS | Chocolate now top agricultural export as Brussels Airport is world’s biggest chocolate retailer
For the first time, chocolate and cocoa products have overtaken dairy products as Flanders‘ most important agricultural export. In 2024, exports of chocolate and cocoa products peaked at €4.8 billion – an increase of 33% compared to 2023.
BELGIUM | Trams in Liège
April 2025. For the first time since 1968, trams ride on the streets of Liège (Luik, Lüttich). Belgium has now five cities with trams: Brussels, Antwerp, Ghent, Charleroi and now Liège. And, of course there’s the Coast Tram or Kusttram in West Flanders, with 67 km the longest tram line in the world. Danny and…
Travellers in Europe increasingly open to choosing trains over planes for short-haul journeys
A study published in May 2025 suggests that many travellers across Europe are increasingly open to choosing trains over planes for short-haul journeys, particularly when high-speed rail alternatives are available. A study commissioned by Hitachi Rail, based on responses from over 11,000 people in Europe and North America, found that around two-thirds of Europeans support…