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…
Tag: Latvia
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.
Leuven and East Brabant named European Capital of Culture 2030
Leuven (Louvain) and the East Brabant reference region have been named European Capital of Culture 2030 by the European jury. The announcement was made at the Royal Library of Belgium in Brussels, where Leuven’s bid, presented under the banner LOV2030 – Leuven & Beyond, triumphed over its Belgian rivals Namur (Namen) in Wallonia and Sint-Jans-Molenbeek…
Visit Antwerp in a day or two
On 22 June 2025, Annabelle Thorpe named in The Guardian our hometown of Antwerp in Belgium as one of the ‘Five of the best European city breaks for summer‘. Thank you for that shoutout. But ask myself. How to visit Antwerp? And how long?
Seventeen EU countries condemn Hungary’s pride and protest ban as human rights groups launch legal challenge
In a move that has sparked widespread outrage across Europe, the Budapest police have formally banned an LGBTQIA+ march scheduled for 1 June 2025, citing its resemblance to Budapest Pride. This is the first known use of Hungary’s newly enacted ‘Anti-Pride’ law, and it has triggered an intense backlash from human rights organisations, 17 European…
RAINBOW EUROPE MAP AND INDEX 2025 | United Kingdom, Hungary and Georgia drop dramatically on LGBTQIA+ rights ranking
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland has dropped six places on this year‘s ILGA-Europe’s Rainbow Map and Rainbow Index, as Hungary and the Republic of Georgia also register steep falls following anti-LGBTI legislation. The data highlights how rollbacks on LGBTI human rights are part of a broader erosion of democratic protections across…
There’s more than one way to enjoy a cruise
July 2024. Steve and I are cruising on the Norwegian Getaway, a Breakaway class ship by Norwegian Cruise Line or NCL. Interestingly, our stay on board happened shortly after the Getaway paid a visit to the dry dock for some refurbishments. The route? Piraeus, which is the port of Athens in Greece; followed by Mykonos;…
Switzerland, Czechia and Belgium top railway network density in Europe
In 2023, the European Union railway network had 200,947 km of railway lines, with the highest densities being found in and around main cities and other population hubs, a Eurostat blogpost reveals.
EUROPEAN UNION | Pride events do raise awareness for LGBTQIA+
As more than 200 organisers of LGBTQIA+ pride events gather in Portugal for their biggest ever annual conference this weekend, new data from the European Commission shows that awareness of EuroPride is thought to be at an all time high.
European Union, Switzerland, Iceland, Norway, Liechtenstein introduce European Travel Information and Authorisation System (ETIAS) from May 2025
On 14 September 2024, the European Union launched its website for ETIAS, the European Travel Information and Authorisation System. The scheme will start being applied from May 2025.
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