Travel stories, quotes and fun facts

Krakow's bugle call stops mid-note

A trumpeter plays the Hejnal from St Mary's tower every hour, cutting off abruptly to commemorate a medieval bugler said to have been shot mid-warning.

The wrong train, the right valley

We boarded the wrong regional train and only realised at the fourth stop. The valley it climbed into had a glacier at the end of it and a hut selling apricot dumplings. We told everyone afterwards that we had planned it.

Czech beer beats water

Czechs drink more beer per person than any other nation, and the pilsner style itself was born in the Bohemian town of Plzen in 1842.

The traveller sees what he sees

The traveller sees what he sees. The tourist sees what he has come to see.

Prague's astronomical clock still works

The Orloj has been keeping time since 1410, making it the oldest astronomical clock still operating, complete with a parade of apostles on the hour.

A conductor's mercy

My ticket was for the wrong day. The conductor examined it for a long moment, looked at the rain outside, punched it anyway, and moved on down the carriage without saying a word.

Slovakia has the most castles per person

Slovakia counts more than 100 castles and hundreds of manor houses across a country smaller than Denmark, giving it one of the highest castle densities on Earth.

The autobahn lesson

A car passed us so fast the mirrors shook. Our host later explained the unwritten rule: the left lane is not a place to live, it is a place to visit. We drove more politely for the rest of the trip.

Hungary's thermal underground

Budapest sits on more than 100 thermal springs, feeding grand bathhouses where locals play chess in steaming water in the middle of winter.

Not all who wander are lost

Not all those who wander are lost.

Austria's ice cave is the biggest

Eisriesenwelt near Werfen stretches 42 kilometres into the Alps and is the largest ice cave in the world, lit only by carbide lamps carried by visitors.

Canal house arithmetic

The staircase in our rental was steeper than a ladder. The landlord explained that houses were taxed on width, so everything went up instead of out, and furniture still arrives through the windows on a hoist.

Vienna's tap water rides the mountains

Vienna's drinking water arrives by gravity alone through pipelines from Alpine springs more than 100 kilometres away, no pumping required.

A single step

A journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step.

Switzerland has bunkers everywhere

Swiss law long required fallout shelters in new buildings, leaving the country with enough bunker space for its entire population, now often used as wine cellars and hostels.

Waffles and rain

It rained for four days without pause. On the fifth we gave up on sightseeing, sat in a cafe for six hours with two waffles and a notebook, and had the best day of the trip.

The Matterhorn's shadow is famous

The Matterhorn is so recognisable that its silhouette became the model for the Toblerone chocolate bar, made in Bern since 1908.

A good traveller has no fixed plans

A good traveller has no fixed plans and is not intent on arriving.

Liechtenstein can be rented

The entire principality of Liechtenstein was once offered for rent for corporate events, complete with temporary street signs and a night in the village.

The last metro home

At 00:58 the platform at Chatelet was full of people all pretending not to run. When the train came, a busker got on with an accordion and played the same song for four stops while nobody looked up and everybody listened.

Germany has no autobahn speed limit

About half of Germany's autobahn network has no general speed limit, though an advisory 130 km/h applies and trucks are strictly capped.

A market that closed at noon

We arrived at half past eleven and thought we had time. The stallholders were already packing. One olive seller pressed a bag into my hands, refused payment, and said the word for tomorrow twice, pointing at his watch.

Berlin has more bridges than Venice

Berlin's rivers and canals are crossed by more than 900 bridges, comfortably outnumbering those in Venice.

Wherever you go

Wherever you go, go with all your heart.