29 December 2022

Edson Arantes do Nascimento aka Pelé 1940-2022

Quite simply put, the greatest football player of all time and an inspiration for many millions. Went from shining shoes and triumphed over racism to win three World Cups and scoring 1,281 professional goals when you count the friendlies, which were often against high-profile European sides.

He is to football what Muhammad Ali is to boxing and Don Bradman is to cricket. His name will never be forgotten.

Rest in Peace.

24 December 2022

Merry Christmas

Wishing all my readers, wherever you are, a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year. May the love of God be with you and all your loved ones at this festive time.


11 December 2022

Looks like it might be a cold winter

Snow is outside my house right now and I may end up having to work from home on a day that I normally go in.

With the current energy price situation - and the government needs to do all it can to get them down - this is going to be a tough winter for many poor people and we'll likely see a lot of "excess deaths".

It will be even worse for those in Ukraine, who are dealing with Russian attacks on the electricity supply designed to demoralise them. But those sort of attacks will likely motivate their soldiers even more. 

In any event, the best way to end this situation is to end that war  - with a Ukrainian victory, because we can't give Putin a chance to rearm for a second go.

23 November 2022

59 Years of Doctor Who

Wishing this show a happy 59th anniversary. With a new production team in charge and making some good decisions already, the Diamond Anniversary next year should be a good time. 

In any event, a lot is riding on it, considering how problematic the current ratings are. But I am confident in the skill of Russell T Davies.

20 November 2022

Qatar World Cup

Probably won't be watching very much of this at all, except the England games, maybe not even those as the Monday game is at 1pm UK time and I will be in the office. I am in the work sweepstake, but that's supporting charity.

Alas, this isn't the first major sporting event to be held in a dodgy country and it won't be the last. Boycotts have an appeal, but they tend to not actually bring change; that usually comes from within.

So, yeah... let's hope for some good protests.


12 November 2022

Remembrance 2022

We are now dealing with another war in Europe, the first for over twenty years, fought over much of the same territory where the World Wars were fought. Millions have become refugees, millions more have suffered.

Please remember them and all those who still suffer from past wars.

30 October 2022

London Loop Section 9

Decided to do one last bit of the Loop before the clocks changed and the daylight hours became too short for it to be done safely. It was a warmish day and I worked up a bit of a sweat, losing around half a kilo all in all.

Section 9 is a long one at around nine miles and is pretty much entirely level, although it was a bit muddy especially near the end. It includes Bushy Park with a large wildlife collection, including deer (which are being culled now to control their numbers) and coots.

You also go over what is left of Hounslow Heath, which was a notorious haven for highwaymen, but the route is poorly marked here, and the Inner London Ramblers are discussing with Hounslow council about changing the path to follow the River Crane instead. Most of it has now been built on and the only daylight robbery you'll see now are the car parking charges.

As you go through Donkey Wood and the duck boards, you're under the Heathrow 27L/09R flight path, with aircraft passing over you around every minute and you can read the aircraft numbers.

There are a couple of places to eat in Hampton Hill and other spots on the route; I still got round in just over four and a quarter hours. My walk ended at the 1970s-built Hatton Cross tube, for a long train and bus ride home.

I plan to do Section 10 and 11 together in March next year; when the weather and light is suitable. The aim is to do the other twelve sections of the Loop by the end of 2023, so watch this space.

Doctor Who: The Power of the Doctor

I watched this pretty much live a week ago and I've got to say that I rather enjoyed it. The plot was pretty razor thin - a Chibnall habit - but there was a lot of enjoyable callbacks to the past, as appropriate for a Centenary special.

Jodie Whittaker did a fine job with her swansong and had a good final speech - handing over to a rather different successor than some might have anticipated. But Doctor Who really does need some better security for its production, because it would have even better to be surprised in that case.

Dan wasn't particularly well served, while the ending to Yaz's tenure seemed a bit perfunctory, although perfectly in character for the Doctor, who doesn't seem to like long-term commitments to humans who have a much shorter lifespan.

Ace and Tegan were definitely enjoyable; the former has never really left the show due to her long association with Big Finish.

The Master was crazy as usual and the "Ra Ra Rasputin" dance was highly memorable; I get a feeling Sacha Dhawan's time in the role is probably done though.

Daleks and Cybermen need a rest; they're massively overused now.

Anyway, the Whittaker era is now over - and with Disney now on board, hopefully the show gets a much bigger budget.

8/10

23 October 2022

Exit Thirteen

Today marks the end of the Thirteenth Doctor's era, with her regeneration episode, "The Power of the Doctor", airing at 7.30pm tonight in the UK.

It's reasonable to say that this hasn't been the most successful era in the show's history - ratings have declined, popular interest has gone and the quality of stories has been uneven at best. Chris Chibnall, despite previous good work, was not ultimately suited to the Doctor Who gig.

None of this is Jodie Whittaker's fault - she did the best she could with the material - and hopefully she'll find some better stuff with Big Finish.

So, onto Ncuti Gatwa and RTD2; they've got a big challenge ahead of them.

22 October 2022

Exit Liz Truss

The fastest failure of any Prime Minister that actually managed to form a government in the first place; Truss was utterly unsuited for a Cabinet role, let alone the top job. She now ends her career as a joke - I wouldn't be surprised if she steps down at the next election.

Hopefully they don't re-elect Boris Johnson. Sunak seems the most competent of that sorry lot.

A general election would be best to clear the air, but why would the Tories vote for Christmas? We'll just have to cope with this shambles as best we can.

14 October 2022

Robbie Coltrane 1950-2022

Best known for Cracker, Valentin Zukovsky and Hagrid, he was a brilliant actor who added a lot to anything that he was in.

Rest in Peace.

09 October 2022

Star Trek: Lower Decks

I plan to continue the TOS reviews at some point, but I've got modern Trek to catch up on first.

Got to say that I'm highly enjoying Lower Decks, the animated adult-orientated part of the franchise at the moment. A lot of (reverential) humour, some good stories and great characters all round. They're due to make a live-action appearance in the second season of Strange New Worlds and I look forward to that.

03 October 2022

London Loop Section 8

After a recent trip to Strasbourg and the Oberammergau Passion Play - post on that will follow at some point - I decided to do Section 8 of the London Loop on Wednesday 21 September.

This is a long section - 8 miles including the station links - but a pretty easy one to do as you're following the Hogsmill River for most of it, a tributary of the Thames best known as the backdrop for some famous Victorian paintings (like Ophelia by Sir John Everett Millais, the location shown below) and the route is largely flat, although I am informed it can get pretty muddy. In my case, it stayed dry and was even slightly warm.


Berrylands forms a decent half-way point to stop for lunch, with the pub serving good but rather expensive food. The station building itself looks rather like it was a standard British Rail Southern Region design:


Near the end of the route in Kingston-upon-Thames is a coronation stone supposedly used by seven Saxon Kings, with tributes having been put there for the late Elizabeth II:


The route ends by the Thames. From there, it's a walk through the town centre to the station, with regular trains back to London. Still the old 455s at the moment - the 701s have yet to enter service.


Plan is to do the 10-mile Section 9 in October at some point and Section 10 on November before the weather, along with the light, is truly against me.


08 September 2022

HM Queen Elizabeth II 1926-2022

Her Majesty the Queen has died aged 96. We knew it was going to happen at some point, but it is still a deeply sad moment.

For many, she was the symbol of Britain and the Commonwealth. The most travelled, the most photographed, the most chronicled. Seventy years of devoted service to her people, a reign of record length for this country. A woman of deep faith as well.

She was by many, many millions, even hardened republicans.

She will be deeply missed and we will never see her like again.

Rest in Peace, Your Majesty.

04 September 2022

Mikhail Gorbachev 1931-2022

The former Soviet leader, who died earlier this week, has a decidedly mixed legacy. His actions in ending the Cold War and allowing the Soviet bloc to peacefully break away made the world a safer place. A different leader would have fought a lot harder, and things might have been even worse.

However, he wasn't a perfect man and some of his actions are more questionable - the Soviet action in Afghanistan, even if he did eventually withdraw, played a large part in creating the conditions that allow that country to be a hotbed of extremism. He did also use force on a few occasions against independence movement.

Unfortunately for him and the world, much of the positive work he did has been completely undone by Putin and we are dealing with the consequences.

Liz Truss

This woman is likely to be the next PM, something that should be confirmed tomorrow. She's got a very tough inbox to deal with and I'm not exactly sure she's going to be up to the job based on her past record, which hasn't filled me with confidence.

We shall see.

29 August 2022

London Loop Sections 6 & 7

After a long break due to a) Covid, b) family events and c) the heatwave, I have resumed this walk. However, I am doing another long walk for charity in September and going on holiday, so no Loop post then.

Both Section 6 & Section 7 are short - under five miles a piece. My guidebook in fact recommends combining the two in one walk, so this is what I did. The route takes you from Coulsdon via Banstead to Ewell, crossing into Surrey on more than one occasion and indeed ending there.

I made my last visit to London Bridge for the Loop walks, getting a Thameslink train to Coulsdon South. They run every half an hour on a Saturday and the journey doesn't take that long either as it's a semi-fast service. These trips can even easier on a weekday due to higher frequencies, but you do have rush hour to contend with.

Two pictures from my walk are here:



I completed both stages in under four hours, including a 40-minute break for lunch. They're pretty unchallenging provided you dress appropriately (I have walking boots) - there's no steep hills, the route is mostly well signposted, and you also have quite a lot of residential street bits that you can complete quickly. The stage also lacks some of the great views of London from previous sections - the best I got was the sight of the TV transmitters at Crystal Palace and Croydon.

The drought also meant that the Mayfield Lavender Farm's fields were looking distinctly wilted and, in any event, they want you to get permission for photography there. You can walk through on the right of way for free, but you have to pay if you go off it.

The lunch bit is difficult if you're doing both stages together. After Oaks Park, there's nothing easily off route until you get to Ewell itself. I had some chicken curry at Oaks Park and left dessert until later as I didn't fancy taking ice-cream around on a fairly warm day.

Once you get to Bourne End Park, there is a free local history museum in the local library. From there, it's a short walk to Ewell West station for the train to Waterloo but bear in mind the older non-air-conditioned Class 455s are still in use until they can get the new 701s into service. Had a 14-minute delay in any event, due to signalling issues.

Curious dog count was four if you're interested. And a half as one was recalled by their owner before reaching me.

31 July 2022

England's Lionesses

So, we have an English football team at another major tournament final. They're the underdogs, but still in with a decent chance.

In any event, they must be highly praised for getting this far. Let's hope they can go all the way.

28 July 2022

Bernard Cribbins 1928-2022

Brilliant not just in Doctor Who but in everything he was in. He had a hugely extensive career and touched the hearts of millions.

He will be deeply missed.

Rest in Peace.

17 July 2022

Alien: Isolation

Just finished this after 23 1/2 hours, albeit on the easiest setting. Truly excellent game and I intend to do some of the DLCs, although I'm not planning to do the main campaign again... because that was hard.

I would highly recommend checking it out. 

11 July 2022

Monty Norman 1928-2022

The composer of the James Bond theme has died aged 94. Quite simply put he's responsible for one of the best pieces of music in cinematic history, one that can be hummed by the majority of the people on the planet.

Rest in Peace. 

07 July 2022

Exit Boris Johnson

Good riddance. He was at the end of the day a pretty useless politician with a poor relationship with the truth. It was only the excellent vaccination programme that allowed us to deal with Covid at an "average" level in terms of excess deaths and he didn't really have much to do with that.

Let's hope we get a better PM quickly. It's also notable that he is the first Prime Minister since Walpole forced out through personal scandal.

03 July 2022

Stranger Things 4 Volume 2 Thoughts

Contains spoilers:












Spoilers begin now.
  1. The subtitles in this show are starting to become infamous - lots of "squelches wetly" and "ominous synth music". I'm curious to know what dry squelching sounds like.
  2. The final episode was very enjoyable, but about ten minutes too long.
  3. Natalia Dyer is an underappreciated talent, capable of a superlative "Oh, s***, I'm going to die" face. She'll have a distinguished career in horror if she wants to go that way. If the Alien franchise ever wants to recast Ripley, she'd be great.
  4. Max is a girl brave far beyond her years.
  5. Winona Ryder is a message to actors - don't get Botox, because otherwise you can't do the range of facial expressions that she does even in one scene.
  6. "A Purple Heart just proves that you were smart enough to think of a plan, stupid enough to try it, and lucky enough to survive."
  7. Brenner's death - which I kind of expected - redeemed him a little for all the nasty he's done over the years.
  8. Will and Jonathan had very little to do this season.
  9. Eddie ended up another one-shot character, which was also expected by most. He did have an awesome death scene, I'll give you that.
  10. Tom Wlaschia was great as Dmitri "Enzo" Antonov and I'd like to see him come back in Season 5.
  11. Yuri managed to be an utterly odious character - until he was humanised a bit by Enzo discussing his past.
  12. Argyle proved to be surprisingly useful.
  13. There wasn't exactly a lot of subtlety with the Russia/USSR depiction. This was filmed before the invasion of Ukraine too, which is going to do nothing good in that department - no-one is going to want to really have Russians depicted as goodies for a while.
  14. I figured pretty quickly that Max's death wasn't going to stick based on the remaining runtime, but props to the actors involved for a great job convincing much of the audience. Sadie Sink has probably earned herself a second Emmy nomination for 2023 (which Volume 2 is eligible for) and Max's arc will have to play a massive role in Season 5. El can't lose her BFF!
  15. Jason getting split in two seemed a fitting punishment for the fact he's partly responsible for Max's death.
  16. So, how do we finish this show off in style?

26 June 2022

Star Trek: Strange New Worlds

Watched the first episode of this on Paramount Plus. Has a lot of promise and I intend to get to the others at some point soon. Quite a lot competing for the limited attention of my eyeballs at the moment. 

24 June 2022

Roe v. Wade overturning

The US Supreme Court's decision to overturn Roe vs. Wade is a regressive decision that will harm many thousands of women. It needs to be overturned itself - at the ballot box.

I may find the concept of abortion personally distasteful, but the best way to reduce its occurrence is through better contraception and better education, not this.

18 June 2022

Stranger Things 4 Volume 1

So, just a warning, this post contains spoilers. Although I'll give you a paragraph or two before I actually launch into them.

I didn't actually join Netflix for Stranger Things back in 2016; I came in 2017 for Star Trek: Discovery, which is no longer carried by that platform in the UK and also Mystery Science Theater 3000, which was cancelled there, now operating on its own streaming service.

I don't actually remember when I watched the previous seasons and since I generally don't note TV shows I've watched in my diary (although films I do), I can't really check.

But it's simply put a brilliant show and the latest season has knocked it out of the park...

Spoilers start here

With a spiked baseball bat, which isn't a weapon actually used by Steve "The Hair" Harrington in this series.

The show has a superb atmosphere, storylines with some real depth to them, great production design and - most importantly - a host of characters you will grow to love, played brilliantly by a talented cast. My personal favourite is Robin, but Nancy is handy to have in a fight.

The scene that everyone is talking about is the conclusion of episode 4 - "Dear Billy":

"Girl saved from demon by Kate Bush song" is a concept that when you type it on the screen, but it absolutely works here thanks for a masterful combination of all departments. I came into the second half of this episode (having watched the first part bit on my commute) seriously concerned for Max and fully prepared to write a Facebook post bemoaning her death. The tension is kept going right throughout, with the four-second cut to black a genius stroke in the edit suite, as that's usually when the credits start. It's frankly up there with Doctor Who regeneration scenes in being that good.

Looking forward to Volume 2 and hoping none of the main characters die. They're all loveable.

03 June 2022

Queen's Platinum Jubilee Celebrations

The longest reigning monarch in British history has frankly done an excellent job. There have been hiccups and problems along the way for the Royal Family, but she has managed to keep going and serving through all of them. She keeps going even when many others would have retired.

Thank you very much, Your Majesty. Enjoy the celebrations.

02 June 2022

London Loop Sections 4 & 5

I did Section 4 of the London Loop on the May Day Holiday; that resulted in me doing over 30,000 steps for the day and breaking my all-time personal record in that department. It's over nine miles with the walk from Hayes station, although proper stretching resulted in a good deal less pain afterwards than previously.


It's been over a month in any event and so memories are a bit hazy. You're in the foothills of the Downs at this point and can see the towers of Central London or the Docklands from a few vantage points, depending on conditions.

These walks vary between large parks where there are plenty of people (and their dogs) about and more remote wooded areas where you might be the only person for half a mile or so. There are patches of civilisation though, sometimes outright suburbia.

Had a very good lunch at the Surprise Inn, where the waiter/manager noticed and remarked on my book. "I've walked from X" never fails to impress.

The route was a challenge in places, especially once you're into the fifth hour of walking, and I was glad when I reached the road that marks the end.

Section 4 ends at Hamsey Green, a village you haven't heard of and without a railway station, so you need a bus to get to one. That will be East Croydon if you're going a longer distance due to more frequent and faster trains. There is a Wendy's there and yes, I did post something about that on Reddit.

30 May 2022

Elizabeth Line Central Core visit

Took a ride on this today, getting off at most of the stations and having a look around. It's a great line and will be an even better one once fully connected up; fast trains, great information displays and huge platforms.

I also had some other good fortune as an enthusiast today:
  • witnessing a "scrap move" of two of Southern's withdrawn Class 455s
  • seeing a Class 59 and a 2EPB on my journey out to Hayes & Harlington
  • Arriving at Romford in time to see two of the older Class 315s arriving. Video to go on YouTube.
Some of my photos are below.












21 May 2022

US TV Upfronts 2022

 Some reflections on the recent spate of renewals, cancellations and orders etc.

  • The CW, a network that usually gives its shows a final season order to allow them to wrap up their stories, is now up for sale - and decided to go on a show-killing spree, cancelling no less than nine shows, with only Riverdale getting a final season order. Among these was Legends of Tomorrow, the only Arrowverse show I watched regularly and managed to reinvent itself multiple times, which has gone on a cliffhanger ending, which seems very unwise. There is a fan campaign for a renewal, but I don't place too much hope in these things.
  • I've yet to see CSI: Vegas, which I expect will get an airing on Paramount Plus when it starts here in June, but that got renewed.
  • Blue Bloods is still going, although with a black female NYPD commissioner in real life, is looking rather unrealistic now...
  • The Blacklist is still going too; I've yet to see Season 9, so I can't comment.
  • Yet to see Star Trek: Strange New Worlds (no UK release until June) but Star Trek: Picard after a very good start, really failed to stick the landing. The third season looks very much a TNG reunion and a send-off for Picard. I will be watching that along with Season 5 of Discovery. The best show in the franchise is frankly Lower Decks.
  • The bloom has come very much off the rose with Netflix. They had an expensive flop with Cowboy Bebop (and with that, a lot of pressure will on One Piece to be good), Stranger Things is ending and the tent pole shows are not enough now. With the economic downturn and inflation, many people are cutting back. Netflix will likely have to go for advertising to survive.
  • Advertising, though, will be a problem due to the likely global recession we're heading towards.
  • Apple TV have become a big name in the streaming world with a lot of highly talked about shows. I intend to watch For All Mankind at some point once I've finished French series Missions on BBC4.
  • None of the US network orders have really inspired me; I've not even watched any trailers. They will need to up their game to survive.


14 May 2022

Southern Class 455 Farewell

Went to Victoria this evening to see the farewell tour coming in. I wasn't quite expecting that many enthusiasts. I wasn't expecting that many young and loud enthusiasts. I wonder what the security guys were thinking!

I can't begrudge them enjoying it though - it's nice to know that the hobby has motivated newcomers.

So, that's the end of the 455/8s on Southern. We've got the SWR ones still left going for a few months and I may try to do their farewell tour.





08 May 2022

Ncuti Gatwa is the Doctor

So, we have our 14th Doctor. Wasn't quite expecting it to drop that suddenly around Sunday lunchtime, but it is what is.

Having never seen Sex Education, which I will now have to do, I wasn't familiar with him, but checking out clips in and out of character on YouTube, he seems like he'll be an excellent Doctor.

Welcome to the franchise, Mr Gatwa. Your life will never be the same again.

01 May 2022

Mystery Science Theater 3000: Season 13

I backed this on Kickstarter and have seen the first three episodes that have been previewed for backers. Got to say that I thoroughly enjoyed them, including the Q&As afterwards. Personal favourite so far is probably Beyond Atlantis, with some great jokes and an original song that deserves to go on a soundtrack alarm.

Check it out - it's worth your money

23 April 2022

Elite Dangerous - to the Core and back

Got back into this game a bit recently, having taken rides on a long-range fleet carrier to the centre of the galaxy, flown 3,000 light years on my own to the Great Annihilator black hole and am now on another fleet carrier heading back to the Bubble. Good times, especially when with other players.



15 April 2022

Good Friday

 


He died so our sins might be forgiven and that we would have eternal life.

Thank you, Jesus.

10 April 2022

Palm Sunday

 


He knew what was coming. He could have easily avoided it or made it go away. But he did not because of his love for us.

19 March 2022

London Loop Sections 2 & 3

I thought I'd written something about my Section 2 journey, but clearly I didn't. I did that particular section (Bexley to Petts Wood) back in November, which involved around three hours of walking including getting lost in Acorn Wood, an expensive lunch and crossing three major transport routes.




That was a seven-mile-long affair, which goes mostly through open country parks by nice rivers and happens to start right next to Bexley station.

I then took a break over winter, except for a five-mile walk through my local area on New Year's Day, which happened to be a warm and pleasant one, but my route was altered when the path in front of me turned into a literal marsh.

Keeping a close eye on the weather forecast - rain on the day or the day before is a no-no, along with general coldness, today proved to be the first suitable day I had availability.

****

Section 3 is a much different beast to Section 2. You're talking steep hills, the occasional bit over country roads and paths that are still massively muddy two days after a downpour. It's also over nine miles when you add the links to the stations at either end.

Petts Wood, accessible by Southeastern trains from London Bridge (not my favourite London station, because it's a long walk to the Tube) is not the starting point for the section - you must walk into the country park and then start. Jubilee Country Park had a lot of dogs and their humans.

Then after a walk through the suburb of Southborough, you end up in Crofton Wood. Einstein's comment about relativity very much applies; it felt very much like an hour when I was in there around 30 minutes. Deep unrelenting mud on the main path and the extra path off to the left is still not great, poor signposting not helping either. I have no intention of going back there in a hurry.


You then come out into a lovely meadow before reaching Farnborough, which includes the Change of Horses, an old coaching inn on what was the London to Hastings route. I had sausage and mash there for lunch, but decided their desserts were too pricey. 


It was three miles before lunch - and five after it. Five long arduous miles, not helped by the fact my right leg was hurting (I should have stretched before starting or taken some paracetamol), several steep climbs and the fact you really aren't sure how far you have to go. 

There are some interesting sights, though, including the site of the Wilberforce Oak (where William Wilberforce supposedly decided to try to abolish the slave trade), a possible Iron Age fort and the remains of a mansion that burned down in 1967.  

I did over 28,000 steps today or over 21km, due to all the other walking on the journey. That is a personal record for me.

In any event, I am planning to do Section 4 next month. Expect a post on that. 

12 March 2022

Ukraine #3: The suffering of civilians

Russia is engaging in medieval style siege tactics around Mariupol and other cities, trying to pulverise the places into surrendering. If they want to control Ukraine, taking it over via massive bloodshed is not going to work very well. You'll have a lot of deep resentment against an occupying force as countless examples demonstrate throughout history.

Putin might be thinking that he can make Ukraine surrender if the civilian death toll is that bad, but currently they show no sign of doing that. It's also a rare thing to have happen. Russia had to wreck Grozny and Aleppo.

We could still have a lot more bloodshed to come, sadly.

06 March 2022

Blue Train to Munich - Nightjet and the capital of Bavaria

At the beginning of 2020, I arranged a trip to Bavaria planning to visit Munich and attend the Oberammergau Passion Play. Then Covid happened; the play was put back to 2022 and while Munich looked a possibility for September 2020, increasing travel restrictions made my plans increasingly hard and I eventually shelved the whole thing.

Fortunately, the international travel situation has improved to the point that a fully vaccinated traveller can go to much of the planet with some extra bureaucracy and costs, most notably around testing. Remember when we were told not to stick things up our noses? I know all this stuff is necessary, but I don't think many of us enjoy it.

With some changes to my original plan, I decided to go on the second of my long-distance international train journeys.

First, some context.


Nightjet and all that jazz[1]

Nightjet is the brand name for the overnight trains operated by ÖBB, the state operator of Austria. The operation was created in 2016 when Germany's Deutsche Bahn decided to stop running its sleeper trains and ÖBB took over those services, combining them with its existing EuroNight operations in a name designed to go with their Railjet express services.

They successfully arrested a decline in European sleeper trains and have indeed expanded their services to other countries including the Netherlands earlier this year after a Covid delay.

The Nightjet service consists of three types of carriages:

  • Seated carriages. These contain six-seat compartments for the really budget conscious and not recommended by seasoned travellers. Compartment coaches are something non-existent outside heritage lines in Great Britain, although the proposed Grand Union open access service on the West Coast Main Line is looking to bring some back. 
  • Couchettes. Consisting of two or three padded bunks on each side of the compartment, this is the middle-level option. Mixed-sex, although some ladies-only ones are available, and you don't fully undress in there. The bunks can be folded away to convert the carriages to 'day mode' akin to the seated carriages. There is a toilet and washroom at each end of the carriage.
  • Sleepers. Up to three-fold-down beds with a washbasin in a cupboard; there are also some deluxe compartments with en-suite toilet and shower. The latter had sold out by the time I made my booking, so I needed to use the toilet/shower at the end of the corridor.
Most of the Nightjet sleeper fleet consists of carriages built in the 2000s; while they have charging plugs for mobile phones or laptops, they do not have Wi-Fi, which can be a bit of an issue when you're out in the countryside. Make sure you download anything you want to watch.

Unlike the Caledonian Sleeper (which I went on in 2016, although they now have new carriages) or Night Riviera services in the UK, the compartments can be converted between day mode and night mode with the beds lowered down and put back when you want them. This is something that the attendant does for you and shouldn't be done yourself.

Safety isn't an issue if you take the normal precautions; you can bolt the door to your compartment from the inside and are provided with a keycard for when you pop down to the restroom or shower.

Nightjet also provide a car-sleeper service where you can transport your car on a double-deck wagon on some routes, although not all year round. This is something that could do with reintroduction in the UK; it would help reduce CO2 emissions. 


Outward journey

I purchased a Global Interrail Pass for this trip - worth the money as the high-speed train journeys are expensive otherwise.

I left my home at the civilised hour of 08:05 on Wednesday 6 October, making my way to St Pancras via the London Underground. Once I got there, I made my way to the Collinson Group Covid testing centre on the top floor - the Dutch required a negative lateral flow test for entry. You need to pre-book and even then, there's a bit of a queue, but they do the swabbing for you.

I then checked in; I had to do this manually with my pass, but there were no problems there. I got my negative result while standing in the passport queue for entering France.

Speaking of passports, due to Brexit, British travellers are now required to obtain stamps in their passport when entering or leaving the Schengen border-free zone; not having one can lead to problems. Once ETIAS, the EU's electronic registration system for visa-free entry, becomes a thing, these will no longer be done.


Then it was a case of waiting in the lounge below the platforms until the boarding call.

The Eurostar services to Amsterdam are operated by 320km/h capable electric multiple units built by Siemens. I have been on these before and found them comfortable trains with smart interiors. You don't really notice the speed either unless you're looking out of the window, although walking down the aisle can be a challenge; the handholds should be used.

I had a light lunch on the train during the just over four-hour journey to Amsterdam. The most interesting section of the route is the Brussels to Antwerp part, which runs along a non-high-speed line, allowing you to see regular Belgian rolling stock, which is sometimes covered in graffiti. The Channel Tunnel itself is just a long tunnel and you don't even lose mobile reception in it.

I had three hours to spend in Amsterdam before my sleeper train, so I went for a walk through the city. I avoided the red-light district, which is not my cup of tea at all. I did see a cannabis shop though.

Once I had done my walk, I returned to Amsterdam Centraal and had dinner at the Grand Cafe 1e Klas on Platform 2. A pricey affair - I chose not to pay for dessert - but excellent food and ambience; you can see the activity on the platforms from your seat.

Once I had finished, I collected my suitcase and made my way to Platform 7 where the Nightjet service was due to arrive.
 

Nightjet 421, at the time of my journey, was split into two sections when it departs from Amsterdam, with the third section from Brussels joining it at Troisdorf instead of Cologne West due to engineering works affecting the latter and forcing a diversion away from Cologne's elegant central station. As you can see, there are typically only one or two sleepers for a given route. More is non-economical.

I was in coach 282, third from the back and it was just a case of waiting for the train to pull in. I didn't get a particularly good shot of the Siemens Vectron locomotive in NS yellow-and-blue as it pulled the ten-carriage formation in from the sidings; there also wasn't really time for me to walk down to take a photograph as I was focussed on getting on board.

I showed my ticket to the attendant - in the old days he'd have taken my passport for dealing with frontier checks - and made my way down the corridor to find my compartment.

In this case, it was a 125mph cupboard - the Comfortline carriages are cleared for 200 km/h, although don't get anywhere near it on this journey.


An array of photographs of the interior can be found here; they're better than my shots. While bigger than the Caledonian Sleeper compartments, it is still possible for you to do yourself a mischief if you're used to bigger rooms.

Departure was on time and with no other dessert options available - something I should checked beforehand - I had a large chocolate bar. I also drank the complimentary Prosecco, figuring that it might help me sleep,

There wasn't a huge amount to see - the sun had already set by the time I'd boarded this train, so it was a case of watching something on my tablet - I forget what it was.

The power charger in my room was proving to be temperamental. In fact, the whole room power turned out to be unreliable with the loss of most of the lights, the water (which needs a pump) and the air conditioning. This was one of the most modern locomotives in Europe and it wasn't working properly! Eventually, the train was brought to a stop. By the classic method of turning it off and turning it on again, the power problems were fixed.

We eventually reached Troisdorf and were running behind schedule at this point. With my compartment facing a solid wall and no way I was going to be able to watch any shunting operations on the other side, I decided to turn in at that point.

My sleep wasn't that great. The swaying of the carriage i.e. it was tilting a bit and the narrow bed are not things that I am exactly used to. Coupled with the uncertainty about my location and the fact we were running late, I barely got beyond Rapid Eye Movement. 

We got to Nuremberg around two hours late and I did get around two hours sleep after that before the attendant, having adjusted for our late running, woke me up. Once I was dressed, he converted the compartment back to day mode and then brought me my breakfast.

It was a particularly good breakfast and the Bavarian forest scenery was truly excellent as we approached Munich. The final approach to the Bavarian capital is past an extensive number of sidings and depots, where sights included some Class 218 diesel hydraulic locomotives from the 1960s and two HST power cars now owned by RailAdventure that were parked up at Munich Central.

In the end, we arrived at Munich 75 minutes behind schedule - long enough for me to be entitled to a 25% refund, which I eventually got a few weeks later. I took some photographs of the Taurus locomotive that was going to haul the train, now with car transports added from Hamburg while at Nuremberg, in the opposite direction for the rest of its journey to Innsbruck.

After a few photos, I then dropped my suitcase at my hotel - it was still not even 9am local time, so I then decided to explore the city.

I have to say that I enjoyed the Nightjet journey and would take a sleeper train in future with them. Hopefully, the power won't go out next time.

The whole journey took around 24 hours, although about a sixth of that was waiting at stations or walking in Amsterdam. Not a massive acceleration on how things would have been 50 years ago, where I would have had multiple overnight options from different ports, with the Orient Express from Paris a realistic option.

Time in Munich and elsewhere

Munich itself is a very charming city; with a lot of nice architecture in the city centre around Marienplatz. That location was where I converted my NHS Covid Pass into an EU one for the cost of €6 at the pharmacy there. Bear that in mind for 2022 if you're visiting.

I visited several the sites in this area, including the Residenz, the old Bavarian royal palace that is now a museum. Much of the place was severely damaged in the Second World War[2] and several rooms are incomplete as a result, something that the audio guide frequently points out. It is a big place; you'll need a couple of hours to do it and you may be a bit sick of rococo by the time you're done.


The city also has an extensive public transport system, with a U-Bahn (metro) dating from the 1970s, trams and buses. The suburban railway network is also particularly good and if you're a rail enthusiast, a journey along the line from Pasing to Central provides a smorgasbord (or whatever the German equivalent is) of railway vehicles to see.

I couldn't pass up the opportunity to munch on some sausages in a beer hall, although I didn't drink any beer. The Hofbräuhaus is a genuinely lovely place to visit, although best not to mention the fact it was used for Nazi Party meetings. The hall where the putsch attempt started was demolished in the 1970s, BTW.

Nuremberg & DB Museum

Nuremberg, where Germany's railways began, is easily accessible by train from Munich and you don't have to pay the expensive ICE fare with an Interrail Pass. The modern InterCity Express high-speed services that criss-cross Germany are some of the best trains in Europe, full stop.

Nuremberg itself was where the Nazi regime very much started and ended, with the annual rallies during the 1930s and the war crime trials after the war was done.

I was unable to get close to the reviewing stand where Hitler did his speeches as there was a motor racing event going on - the road in front of it forms part of a street circuit and has done since the American occupation.

However, I was able to visit the Nuremberg Trials Memorial. The former courtroom used for the trials was converted back to a German one after they were done and carried on being used for criminal cases until 2019, when it became part of the museum. The main part of the exhibition is upstairs and while the displays are in German, an audio guide in English is provided. Sitting inside the courtroom itself is a sobering experience even if the Tribunal features are mostly gone. I realised that where I'd been sitting was within literal spitting distance of Hermann Göring's seat during the Major War Criminals Trial. As Hitler's de facto deputy for nearly all the war, he would be the most senior Nazi to face earthly justice, although he would take a cyanide pill just before his scheduled execution.

But the museum does not shy away from the fact that many Nazis got away with their actions. The start of the Cold War meant that many people lost interest in the crimes of that regime and the Western Allies increasingly let the West Germans run the show. Many got away with minor sentences or never faced the courts; no top-level director of Deutsche Reichsbahn for example was ever charged over transporting people by rail in inhuman conditions to the camps.

The role of the German railways in supporting the Nazi regime is something not ignored in the place I visited in the afternoon. Going back to the days of the Bavarian state railway, the DB Museum in Nuremberg is one of three such ones in Germany, with the other two sites in Halle and Koblenz.

The ground floor covers the history of German railways from the start up until 1945, with several historical vehicles on display, including state coaches of Otto von Bismarck and Ludwig II of Bavaria, the one who built the extravagant castles. This includes displays on the World Wars, including the Holocaust.

The first floor takes the story up from 1945, covering the parallel development of Deutsche Bundesbahn and Deutsche Reichsbahn i.e. the operators from West and East Germany. This was by far the most interesting bit of the museum, with an array of exhibits ranging from early railway computer systems to examples of some of the dodgier advertisements DB used in the 1970s.



Across the street there is a yard area with an array of locomotives and carriages, right next to the main line. Some of these are undercover and include the sole remaining bit of the first express DEMU built for German railways. However, the carriages were not open, so you couldn't get the full experience. I like at least one opportunity to sit in an old railway carriage.

There is also a large model railway section and various temporary exhibits; I was not able to do everything before the place closed and I headed back to Munich on a late-running ICE service with a considerable number of Bundeswehr people on the train with me.

Dachau

The first Nazi concentration camp is somewhere where you don't go for fun but is a must-do for any visitor to Munich. You need to get a bus from the S-Bahn station of the same name; the site is well hidden behind trees and within a suburb that residents must feel a bit strange about living in, considering the sheer infamy associated with the very name.

Not all the buildings were open due to Covid, with the cell block and the two barracks for prisoners - rebuilt for the memorial - closed. The main museum block was open though and this provided a comprehensive account of just what went on there. Like Auschwitz and several other such camps, there is an "Arbeit Macht Frei" sign at the gate - this is a replica with the original displayed inside the museum; the latter was stolen in 2014 and found in Norway in December 2016 after an anonymous tip-off.

A very chilling place, particularly the crematorium and gas chamber at the back of the site. Dachau was not used for mass killings, but inmates were subject to medical experiments and other casual brutality, as well as the horrific conditions. A wall near the museum bears the marks of the shootings that took place there and I was slightly upset when I saw someone take a selfie there.

An estimated 41,500 people died at Dachau, many of their ashes dumped into pits at the back of the site, now marked as the graves of many unknown thousands. The message on the memorial walls is a sentiment we can all agree with:


Olympic Stadium

In 1972, Munich hosted the Summer Olympic Games, an event overshadowed massively by the terrorist attack against Israeli athletes. The games are notable for their introduction of the standard icons for the different sports, Mark Spitz winning seven gold medals and Olga Korbut winning three. In a way, this was very much the moment West Germany restored the damage done to Germany's reputation by the war.

The Olympic Park and Village built for the competitors both remain very much in situ. You can walk around the outside of the glass and wire stadium (a bit vertigo inducing at some points) or zipline down from the roof if that's what you enjoy. Much of the stadium was closed off for the Munich marathon due to take place the following day, while the main memorial to the massacre was also shut due to the site needing repairs. There is also a long series of panels detailing the history of those games.

This is a big site and it's quite a walk from the U-Bahn station that serves it. Something true of the London Stadium too, but fortunately, I like a good walk.

Bavarian Railway Museum

Having done the Buckow Light Railway in 2016, which is electric, I wanted to do a steam line this time around. The Bavarian Railway Museum, consisting of a former steam shed linked to an exceptionally long (by heritage standards) single-track line used by freight during the week, is a bit of a trek from Munich, involving three trains to get to the northern end at Gunzenhausen.

Waiting there was a 1939-vintage steam locomotive hauling a series of mostly six-wheeled coaches, which I learned had bodies from the 1950s and underframes from the 1910s - they had to do a lot of recycling in the aftermath of the war. I look a fair bit younger than I am - I get asked to prove my age in pubs! So, it's not that surprising in retrospect that I was mistakenly sold a child's ticket. Not the ticket collector's fault though.


The 'Rekowagens', which stayed into service until the 1980s and had a memorable career end running extra services that had to be put on after the fall of the Berlin Wall, are very pleasant vehicles, although lack air conditioning, so probably aren't great on a balmy day when stationary.

After arriving at the other end of the line in Nördlingen, I made another ride up most of the length of the line, this time riding on a pair of diesel railcars from the 1950s that helped keep branch lines open. This consisted of a noisy powered vehicle where you could see out of the front and a quiet trailer with a guard's section blocking the view that way. It was a pleasant ride and gave me a different perspective on German railway history, although I still hope to ride an old long-distance type at some point.



I was hoping to get off midway and get some lunch, but the train did not in fact stop either way and there was nothing open within easy reach of the other intermediate station, I had to get a late lunch in Nördlingen itself before walking to the main museum itself. The museum is right next to the station, but there is no direct connection, and you need to walk through a housing estate. This limited my time in the museum to just over an hour as I had to get back to the main station for my train; otherwise, I would have needed to wait a further two hours.

The Bavarian Railway Museum does have a very extensive collection of locomotives and rolling stock, these are in fact on both sides of the mainline track. If you like your locomotives big, black and steam, you'll be happy, but there are also diesel and electric locos, some of which are main-line registered. There is also a large model railway display and an exhibition detailing the history of the station. Unfortunately, I didn't find anything to buy in the shop.

I headed back to Munich via a branch line where the platforms were just gravel and a line of bricks, then riding on a locomotive hauled EuroCity train bound for Klagenfurt in Austria.

A good day out, although chilly - Bavaria in October is not a warm place and, on a Sunday, there aren't many shops open in this more conservative part of Germany.

Salzburg

One of the trains that I most definitely wanted to do on this visit was the Railjet high-speed loco hauled service, having seen them on a previous visit to Vienna but not gone on one. At full speed, the Taurus can operate at 230 km/h or 145 mph, which is faster than any British train except the Eurostar, although the relative lack of high-speed routes in Central Europe means that the Taurus cannot really go full power. They also possess a very musical start-up sound (not my video):



The Railjet network runs from Austria as far as Berlin in the north, Budapest in the east, Venice in the south and Zurich in the west, using fixed formations of seven coaches with a driving trailer at the non-loco end in a similar style to the Taurus. Some services operate in pairs to head for different destinations, splitting on route. There are three classes of accommodation, Second, First and Business, the last with three-seater compartments.

Some of the sets and locos are operated by the Czechia state operator, being painted in their blue-and-white colours.

The service I got was Railjet Express 63, ultimate destination Budapest in Hungary. I can safely say that the Railjet is as good as I thought it would be. I had an excellent schnitzel from the buffet car and admired the scenery, even if the issues with the Wi-Fi caused problems getting my pass QR code up for the ticket inspector.

We were about ten minutes late and I was barely able to make a suburban train to Salzburg South, where I got an InterCity train back. I do trips like this just to say I have done those types.

On my return, I saw a locomotive and single carriage, both in Nightjet livery. On investigation, it was a press launch for some 'new' couchette carriages, being converted from surplus seated carriages. They will have Wi-Fi and a dedicated compartment for those with disabilities. I took one photo and left them to it.

I walked through Salzburg, a city which has a lot of Alpine charm and is famous for The Sound of Music - a stage production was due for 22 October.

I went up to the fortress there, which you access by a funicular, or you can walk to it. There are a few museums up there, including one for a military regiment that fought in the First World War, which gives you a different perspective to the British one I'm used to - Austria-Hungary's conflict against Italy was in an environment even less pleasant than the Western Front.

An interesting place with splendid views, although pricey. Such as the way of the world today.


It was also cold up and a bit windy up there - I ended up buying gloves as my hands were getting chapped.

After heading back down, I got a trolleybus back to the station and then a regional train back to Munich, with the German border police boarding at Freilassing, having a chat with someone, and then leaving. I had to put a specific train down for the entry form; if I hadn't, I might have decided to get something different back, but the Stadler Flirt in Germany is just as good as the British version used by Greater Anglia.

Heading back

I had considered getting day trains back but couldn't make the timings work. One advantage of sleepers is that you can of course sleep in them - far more comfortably than if you're sitting in a seat - but I didn't fancy running the risk of a second night of lost sleep.

So, I flew back on Tuesday afternoon (after a final morning walk through the city centre) - and not by the one of the budget airlines, instead taking Lufthansa from Munich airport. The German police officer at passport control was a bit confused as to where I had entered the Schengen Area; not realising that the French stamp your passport at St Pancras. Fortunately, I was stamped out once I explained.

This then a bit farcy as there was a long wait at the gate for our Covid documents to be checked. Why they couldn't have been checked earlier isn't entirely clear. Then the bus to the airport took us all the way around the proverbial houses to our plane, which was parked at the other (closed) terminal. The crew were half an hour late as well.

We flew back on your standard plane ride, made worse by the FFP2 mask, which I binned on landing as I'd worn it all day. Then a long wait to go through the e-gates at Heathrow, which was balanced by my luggage being on the belt when I arrived. Through customs and a long wait on the lift before First Class (an extra seven pound over the regular cost) on Heathrow Express to Paddington - they've recently got 'new' trains - and the Tube home.

Then a day off to recover before returning to the 'real world' of my job that pays for trips like this... trips that I am planning more of.

[1] Does not contain actual jazz. Midnight Trains probably will, if it actually starts.
[2] Munich was subjected to heavy bombing by the Americans and British during the war; it isn't that hard a city to find with the Alps in proximity. Two months after my visit, an unexploded bomb from the war went off during construction work of a new railway tunnel, injuring four people. The city itself fell with not much actual resistance to the Americans in the closing days of the war.