Tag: Holy Roman Empire

SICILY | Palermo Cathedral

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…

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MÜNSTER | Peace of Westphalia signing venue Friedenssaal at the old Rathaus

The weekend before Christmas 2024, Dennis and I went to Münster in North Rhine-Westphalia for the Weihnachtsmarkt, the Christmas market. Germany is a master in Christmas markets. And a successful excursion to Bonn in 2023 left us wanting a sequel. On our way to Germany on Friday night, we learned about the 2024 Magdeburg Christmas…

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Introducing the Grand Duchy of Luxembourg

We haven’t travelled to the Grand Duchy of Luxembourg since 2018 and 2019, but in January 2025 we returned to get a taste of the Alstom Coradia Stream HC which the Société Nationale des Chemins de Fer Luxembourgeois (CFL) runs under the name Série 2400. The Coradia Stream HC was a candidate to become NMBS…

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Sightseeing Switzerland

Switzerland will host the 2025 Eurovision Song Contest. But which city in the Helvetic Confederation will welcome the thousands of artists, media people and fans? Geneva, Sankt Gallen, Basel and Fribourg have already expressed their interest. Other obvious options are Zurich and Bern. And why not Lausanne? Swiss broadcaster Schweizer Radio und Fernsehen (SRF) also…

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Lier Walking Tour

For New Year’s Eve 2022 – 2023, Steve and I spent the weekend in Lier, his childhood hometown. We had a dinner party at Philippe‘s but stayed at Guzy, a relatively new hotel. Before dinner, Steve and I explored the medieval town of Lier. 

SWITZERLAND | Basel during Herbstmesse

October 2022. As we wanted to test Trenitalia‘s Frecciarossa 1000 service from Paris to Milan, we planned a rail trip around it. From Antwerp to Paris with Thalys, the ‘Red Arrow’ to Milan and once in Italy continuing to Trieste and Bologna. The return trip took us to Basel in Switzerland to enjoy SBB‘s panoramic…

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FRANCE | Sedan and Sedan Castle

The 21st of July is Belgium‘s National Day. This date was chosen as on July the 21st, 1831, Prince Leopold of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha took the Constitutional Oat to become King of the Belgians. Being a public holiday with many shops and catering options closed, Oriol and I decided to go to Sedan just across…

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