As is usual my boyfriend and I gift a holiday as a birthday gift to each other. In 2025 Sam was early by gifting my ‘present’ trip to Crete in May as in late September we would be off to Japan.
Tag: Greece
TRAIN TRAVEL | European Union records 429 billion passenger-kilometres in 2023 but domestic travel still dominates
Rail travel in Europe soared to new heights in 2023, marking the highest levels of passenger transport in years. According to Eurostat, total rail passenger transport across the European Union reached an impressive 429 billion passenger-kilometres.
European Commission pumps €2.8 billion in 94 transport infrastructure projects
The European Commission has announced in July 2025 the selection of 94 transport infrastructure projects to receive nearly €2.8 billion in grants under the Connecting Europe Facility (CEF), a flagship EU funding instrument aimed at building a sustainable and interconnected transport network across the continent.
REVIEW | Rijksmuseum van Oudheden or National Museum of Antiquities in Leiden
May 2025. I have a few days off so I decide to take a train to Leiden (Leyden, Leyde) in the Dutch province of South Holland to visit the Rijksmuseum van Oudheden, or the National Museum of Antiquities. Steve, my former Latin and Ancient Greek teacher in my teen years, says it’s quite good. As…
5 million passengers flew from and to Brussels Airport in summer 2025
In August 2025, the second month of the summer holiday, Brussels Airport in Zaventem, Belgium welcomed 2.5 million passengers, an increase of 3% compared to August 2024. Because of the end of the school holidays, the number of arriving passengers was very high, the airport manager says in a press release.
SICILY | Catania
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…
Antwerp International Airport outlines ambitious growth amid financial and political challenges
Antwerp International Airport, located in Deurne, continues to face financial difficulties and political scrutiny, yet its management is pursuing a bold strategy to transform the airport into a profitable regional hub.
SICILY | Neapolis Archeological Park of Syracuse
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…
How Belgium has changed in the last 25 years
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. The 21st century is now 25 years old. In January 2025, the newspaper De Morgen looked at how the country has changed in a quarter century. Quite a…
Star Alliance wins World’s Best Airline Alliance at 2025 Skytrax Awards
On 7 June 2025, Star Alliance was once again voted the World’s Best Airline Alliance for the fourth consecutive year at the 2025 Skytrax World Airline Awards, taking its total tally of the title to 13 times out of 18 when the category was first introduced in 2005.
