If Montreal is the brazen youth of the French-Canadian province of Quebec, the capital Quebec City is the maiden aunt. Staid, proper and well turned out, it’s also packed with history and great architecture. At times it’s got the look and feel of an ancient French village. But this is also where the indigenous people…
Tag: Rail journeys
A trip to Agra and the Taj Mahal
Agra is dirty, full of litter and shambolic, yet it’s home to the world’s most beautiful building – the Taj Mahal – and a spectacular Mughal-era fort. We couldn’t go all the way to India and not visit Shah Jahan’s monument to love but we almost didn’t make it because our Graham woke on the…
Japan: The train to Kyoto
Our stay in Takayama was over and it was time to head to Kyoto, the historic heart of Japan and the climax of our fortnight-long trip. Takayama had made for an interesting diversion, offered a taste of a smaller Japanese city, but three days was enough. Indeed, people we’d met there were surprised we’d stopped for so…
Japan: The bullet train and a stop in Takayama
Tokyo is an insane city. It’s fascinating from start to finish, noisy and chaotic, futuristic, colourful and creative, but I didn’t warm to it as much as I thought I would. As we departed the Hilton Hotel in the heat and made our way on the courtesy bus to Shinjuku station on the next step…
From Bergen to Geilo on Norway’s most famous train
The railway that links Bergen with the Norwegian capital Oslo is said to be one of the most spectacular in the world, offering incredible views as it carves through the mountainous landscape in the heart of the country. But with rain falling heavily in Bergen and the clouds low over the city, we weren’t going…
A trip on the Napa Valley Wine Train in California
We couldn’t go to San Francisco without visiting wine country for a day. But not wanting to drive, and on the recommendation of a friend, we opted for lunch on the Napa Valley Wine Train. Our week in San Francisco in 2011 coincided with one of the hottest Septembers in years and it was another magical…
Zaha Hadid’s stunning Innsbruck railway
The late great architect Zaha Hadid designed some of the very best modern buildings. Her aquatic centre in Stratford’s Olympic Park, to take just one example, remains the greatest of the London 2012 venues. But it’s odd that her reptilian, ultra-modern and oh-so organic designs are found scattered across the seemingly conservative Austrian city of…