Travelling 6,000km by train

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  • čas přidán 24. 03. 2022
  • Travelling across Europe without flying! Watch the companion video about electric cars on Nebula: nebula.tv/videos/simonclark-h...
    (link updated March 2023)
    I was given the opportunity to speak at NTNU in Trondheim, Norway, and due to my pledge to not fly unless absolutely necessary, I took the train! That meant an epic 6000km journey across Belgium, Germany, Denmark, Sweden, and Norway. Then on the way back I stopped over in Stockholm to meet up with some new affiliates of the Wikicast empire...
    The Wikicast on Apple Podcasts: podcasts.apple.com/gb/podcast...
    The Wikicast on Spotify: open.spotify.com/show/0lXo8zF...
    Travelling by train is more expensive and it takes longer, but is a totally different experience to flying. I felt connected to the journey in a more meaningful way, and actually enjoyed the experience. I had leg room! I had nice food! If you've never taken a medium-long distance trip like this by train before, honestly give it a go. It's better for the climate, and it's better for you.
    You can support the channel by becoming a patron at / simonoxfphys
    Check out my website! www.simonoxfphys.com/
    --------- II ---------
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    Music by Epidemic Sound: epidemicsound.com
    This is a travel vlog about travelling 6000km by train across Europe instead of flying. I visit Brussels, Cologne, Hamburg, Copenhagen, Gothenburg, Oslo, Trondheim, and Stockholm in this epic travel vlog. My trip is to give a talk at NTNU in Norway, a university specialising in maths, science, engineering, and technology. If you like travel vlogs from Casey Neistat and the vagabrothers you'll enjoy this travel vlog of travelling by train.
    Huge thanks to my supporters on Patreon: Tom Malcolm, Marcus Bosshard, Andrew Knop, Shab Kumar, Cameron Grey, Brady Johnston, Liat Khitman, Jesper Norsted, Kent & Krista Halloran, Rapssack, Kevin O'Connor, Timo Kerremans, Thines Ganeshamoorthy, Sam Harvey, Ashley Wilkins, Michael Parmenter, Samuel Baumgartner, Dan Sherman, ST0RMW1NG 1, Adrian Sand, Morten Engsvang, Josh Schiager, Farsight101, K.L, poundedjam, Daan Sneep, Felix Freiberger, Chris Field, Robert Connell, ChemMentat, Kolbrandr, , Sebastain Graf, Dan Nelson, Shane O'Brien, Alex, Fujia Li, Harry Eakins, Will Tolley, Cody VanZandt, Jesper Koed, Jonathan Craske, Albrecht Striffler, Igor Francetic, Jack Troup, SexyCaveman , James Munro, Sean Richards, Kedar , Omar Miranda, Alastair Fortune, bitreign33 , Mat Allen, Anne Smith, Rafaela Corrêa Pereira, Colin J. Brown, Princess Andromeda, Mach_D, BenDent, Thusto , Andy Hartley, Lachlan Woods, Dan Hanvey, Simon Donkers, Kodzo , James Bridges, Liam , Andrea De Mezzo, Wendover Productions, Kendra Johnson.

Komentáře • 563

  • @AFAndersen
    @AFAndersen Před 2 lety +232

    As a Norwegian, I have a duty to remind everyone that the ship "Vasa" sank on it's maiden voyage, only after about 20 minutes of sailing, because of a gust of wind.

    • @denklokegud
      @denklokegud Před 2 lety +10

      And a lack of computer modeling, that placed most of the heavy stuff to high in the ship. Still a great ship it just does not handle seas or any other body of water very well. Still love the swedes, and Sweden in general.

    • @ericdew2021
      @ericdew2021 Před 2 lety +8

      The Vasa Museum was, by far, the most interesting and intriguing place I went to in Stockholm. The level of scholarship and research is incomparable. They've detailed practically what each person ate that morning, where they were when the ship started to sink, how their clothes were made... everything.

    • @SpaceflightSimulator
      @SpaceflightSimulator Před 2 lety +4

      In other words ‘terrible designed’

    • @dijikstra8
      @dijikstra8 Před rokem +6

      ​@@denklokegud The ship designers were definitely aware that the ship was not very stable, they were experienced ship builders from all over Europe. They even performed tests by running people from side to side before the maiden voyage that indicated it was not stable, but no one was brave enough to tell this to the king lest he get upset, so they made it go away, with catastrophic results.

    • @lordrindfleisch1584
      @lordrindfleisch1584 Před rokem +7

      And as a Swede, I have a duty to remind everyone that it was designed by a dutchman

  • @lairdmikeywood
    @lairdmikeywood Před 2 lety +465

    I'm proud of you for not having flown, and for having met Greta Thunberg. She does look like Greta Thunberg.

    • @engineeringvision9507
      @engineeringvision9507 Před 2 lety +1

      When did you last fly?

    • @lairdmikeywood
      @lairdmikeywood Před 2 lety +9

      @@engineeringvision9507 2007. My parents are going to die alone.

    • @vigilantcosmicpenguin8721
      @vigilantcosmicpenguin8721 Před 2 lety +54

      When she showed up on the screen I seriously thought, hmm, she looks like Greta Thunberg. Then I realized Simon said her name was Greta and it clicked.

    • @COMEINTOMYWORLD
      @COMEINTOMYWORLD Před 2 lety +1

      Greta Thunberg, has a carbon footprint caused by using flights. She has now, somewhat late to the party, decided to cut back on FLYING. Yes, really.

    • @Alexander_Dunn
      @Alexander_Dunn Před 2 lety

      She has to be Greta thunberg

  • @NotJustBikes
    @NotJustBikes Před 2 lety +697

    You're making me so jealous! Now I need to take a trip to Trondheim (I hear it has some of the highest levels of cycling for a hilly city).
    It's sometimes said of train travel that the journey IS the destination, and I think you captured that feeling here. Plane travel is fast, but it's painful. And while train travel may be longer (depending on the trip and how early you have to check in at the airport), it can be much, much more enjoyable.
    I remember when my wife and I finished our 5½ day train trip from Moscow to Beijing, it was so enjoyable that we didn't want to get off of the train!

    • @SondreBKrogh
      @SondreBKrogh Před 2 lety +12

      If you go, you should check out the trampe bicycle lift!

    • @jesper2k
      @jesper2k Před 2 lety +7

      It also has it's own Wikipedia page: en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Trampe_bicycle_lift

    • @AndrewReesonLeather
      @AndrewReesonLeather Před 2 lety +7

      I've also taken the Moscow to Beijing train. I remember hopping of the train in Beijing at 4:30am and thinking that it was a surprisingly quick six days. Even though I lived off noodles in a tiny cabin the whole time, I enjoyed the whole thing. At no point was it draining in the same way a long flight is. I'm very glad I did it.

    • @Felix-nz7lq
      @Felix-nz7lq Před 2 lety +3

      Trondheim is also home to the World’s most Northern and Pointless Tram line so there’s that too

    • @gurito4374
      @gurito4374 Před 2 lety +2

      @@Felix-nz7lq and don’t forget to buy a buss ticket (before the buss is even in the station) cuz the fine is 100€

  • @sanderhoefsloot6852
    @sanderhoefsloot6852 Před 2 lety +203

    I really love train journeys. We travelled by train from Amsterdam to Paris for a few days and not only the days in Paris but the journey itself was just super comfortable and fun. I do agree the price is intense, but the actual travelling exprerience is also great. Lets hope travelling by train gets cheaper :)

    • @robot4jarvis836
      @robot4jarvis836 Před 2 lety +4

      Hey, mr. Moon. I am mr. Red Moon. Nice to meet you.

    • @dredfell
      @dredfell Před 2 lety +2

      UK peak time train travel is bat-sh!t crazy expensive - up here in Scotland, ScotRail is now managed by the government (as of about a week ago), so aye, here’s hoping they’ll reduce the peak time fares, or at the very least not continue drastically increasing the fares.

  • @pingu99991
    @pingu99991 Před 2 lety +165

    Becoming disabled has made these videos much more stressful to view. When level boarding isn't an option every changeover becomes a double point of failure that can have a cascading impact on the whole trip. If you can't make it off or onto the train you're screwed.
    I've been on a European train journey before and really enjoyed it but I fear that today it would cause too much anxiety.
    Plane travel isn't that much more accessible. Not long ago a disability activist died when their wheelchair got broken by American airlines. This isn't an uncommon occurrence, however there are still better procedures for helping disabled people in airports than there are at train stations. This needs to change for more climate conscious travel to become a realistic option for disabled people.

    • @rfldss89
      @rfldss89 Před 2 lety +6

      I rarely think of the struggle disabled people go through to travel by train, yet sometimes even for able bodied people it can be quite the feat. I'm sure theres some reasoning behind it, but its a shame most stations arent built level with train entrances...

    • @dylanhamilton1441
      @dylanhamilton1441 Před 2 lety +23

      I travelled by train on crutches once, and when I raised how inaccessible it was online someone just responded "well why did you go then." Really depressing that the response should be we just shouldn't travel...

    • @drdewott9154
      @drdewott9154 Před 2 lety +8

      Thank god trains with level boarding are becoming more and more common, even for intercity and high speed trains. Like all the new trains in Denmark, including the 200km/h high speed trains that'll be delivered in a few years, will all have step free level boarding.

    • @swedneck
      @swedneck Před 2 lety

      @@drdewott9154 It's something i'm very proud of my regional transit for, everything has a minimum level of accessibility now.

    • @aileenmarzanna
      @aileenmarzanna Před 2 lety

      No shit. I "just" have Aspergers, and unfortunately, unlike Greta Thunberg, I do not have filthy rich parents (or any at all), and for me, often, it's the choice between air travel to get quick from point A to point B, or staying at home. I love traveling by train, and in Poland it's relatively affordable to take a night train across the country and have a cabin for myself, but not so much in other countries. Unless I can put at least an "extra" train in between connections and arrive to my destination before trains stop running, it's air travel for me. Otherwise, the anxiety is just too much. Which kind of limits my train travel to like Poland, Germany, Czechia and just into Benelux.
      Same with veganism. I have celiakia and some food intolerances, and I will never be able to be vegan, unless some major things change (like corn flour becoming the main staple additive rather than wheat flour) - which are unlikely to happen. I'd love to eat vegan, I just can't. Can't afford it, don't have the time to prepare it myself.
      Despite the fact that I'm economically quite on the left and have rather progressive views, I often feel that my needs are more accepted by the right-wing conservatives than the left-wing progressives. And being a transgender woman from Poland, that says a lot.

  • @berlineczka
    @berlineczka Před 2 lety +117

    Fun fact WRT traditional meatless food: one of the European countries that has plenty of vegetarian and some vegan (and some more that can be relatively easy "veganised") traditional food is Poland. The peasants were often too poor to eat meat, and many in the the nobility were devout Catholics who fasted for a third of the year. In result a big part of traditional Polish cuisine is meatless. If you are pescetarian, then your choice is even better (as e.g. the Christmas dinner is traditionally pescetarian and fasting is also a big part of the Good Week, so plenty of Eastern veggie options too).
    So, if you are interested, you may like a visit (after Ukraine wins and the people can come back home safely, and there are hotel rooms in Poland available again).

  • @plainlake
    @plainlake Před 2 lety +39

    Kind of sad that you only travelled at night Oslo-Trondheim, some stunning views to be had.

    • @ncard00
      @ncard00 Před 7 měsíci

      Who cares, people don’t care about beautiful views, the experience, or climate change, or they would also ditch flying tomorrow. Low cost, on time departures, and speed makes the train a better option.

  • @SimonDonkers
    @SimonDonkers Před 2 lety +82

    I’ve had several 700 km business trips recently where I convinced the company to get train rather then car/plane and it’s a great way to travel. Your much more productive in a train too.
    For most trips it’s difficult to justify the extra traveling time though. Having better and faster connections in the EU would help greatly.

    • @rfldss89
      @rfldss89 Před 2 lety +6

      an absolute shame there isnt a pan european high speed rail network. spanning from glasgow to athens and lisbon to helsinki, what a dream.👀

  • @skittlesryan7862
    @skittlesryan7862 Před 2 lety +110

    When I was stationed in Schweinfurt Garmany, the other soldiers used to take a train every weekend to go to Italy or Amsterdam. Trains are awesome in Europe. I just wish they would improve our train experience here in the states.

    • @1224chrisng
      @1224chrisng Před 2 lety +6

      Yes, I reckon trains should play a bigger part of travel in the US, but we also have to acknowledge the differences. Europe is tiny and dense, whereas the US is mostly empty/farmland. I think trains should take over shorter flights so that people can fly more sparingly (eg. next state over vs. NY to LA)

    • @TAP7a
      @TAP7a Před 2 lety +12

      @@1224chrisng the US is already full of railway tracks, and ran for a century on the back of them. The infrastructure exists. It's just owned by freight operators rather than passenger lines or the public or a regulatory body or otherwise. Just like with the world class and exemplary public transport systems that US cities used to have before becoming some of the least well provisioned in the developed world, this favourable situation for the public was dug up and replaced by car-centrism and car-centric development

    • @yeetyeet7070
      @yeetyeet7070 Před 2 lety +1

      I too just wish they would improve our train experience here in the Germanies :(

    • @rleitros9378
      @rleitros9378 Před 2 lety +1

      @@1224chrisng There is surely an excellent case for high speed rail ( c. 200mph ) in the NY / Boston / Washington / Chicago area and LA to SF. Possibly LA / Vegas / Dallas / Denver area. Any thoughts anyone?

    • @MrCrackheadst
      @MrCrackheadst Před 2 lety

      @@TAP7a
      Europe has been developing its high speed rail since the 80's. We talk about 100's of billions of investment Spain,france,germany, italy...
      Big buisnesses and the price of construction drops since the actual industry of high speed technology actually hss existed for decades.
      In USA this kinds of developments have to be imported from japan or europe, plus the distances are huge . In my opinion high speed in USA only makes sense on the east coast.

  • @edouard1580
    @edouard1580 Před 2 lety +97

    I can only (cynically) laugh at the train delays in Germany.
    I'm from there so I unfortunately know how often trains are delayed, this came as no surprise.
    Not funny indeed, but it's either laugh or cry.

    • @jameskilgour387
      @jameskilgour387 Před 2 lety +5

      It's no different from the West of England so don't feel to bad - we're used to it

    • @manoncramer8603
      @manoncramer8603 Před 2 lety +5

      I had the same reaction 😅 Deutsche bahn really is always late

    • @matearabar5821
      @matearabar5821 Před 2 lety +5

      Being late is so on brand for DB 😂

    • @Friek555
      @Friek555 Před 2 lety +5

      German always seem to think they have a monopoly on delayed trains... Guess what: Trais get delayed everywhere. It's just what happens when you run a system at capacity.

    • @connecticutmultimodaltrans8226
      @connecticutmultimodaltrans8226 Před 2 lety +2

      Oh y'all ain't got anything to say compared to the US. Long-distance trains are delayed by hours every day.

  • @maartenw4827
    @maartenw4827 Před 2 lety +41

    I'll be doing an Erasmus exchange to NTNU next year, but I figured I'd have to fly given the distance. You may have changed my mind :)

    • @maartenw4827
      @maartenw4827 Před 3 měsíci

      Coming back to this after the fact. I did it! I travelled all the way by train. :D

  • @iacobnedreaas3360
    @iacobnedreaas3360 Před 2 lety +17

    We loved having you, and its a bonus to have a small feature in your video aswell. truer word have never been spoken "if its good weather"

  • @thegerda9030
    @thegerda9030 Před 2 lety +16

    Cant wait for RailBaltica, which will connect the Baltic countries to the rest of Europe through train, and I hope I get to properly travel with train from that moment onwards

    • @benas_st
      @benas_st Před 2 lety

      me too! It'll be so cool to finally be able to travel all across!

  • @aronwidforss
    @aronwidforss Před 2 lety +22

    As a Swede living in Norway, I must say:
    1) Welcome to Norway!
    2) I'm glad you didn't take the Swedish night train to Trondheim (or rather Duved with connection to Trondheim). Our railroad cars have seen better days. But they'll get you from Stockholm to Narvik, which is an impressive distance, even for someone who rides that train routinely.

    • @barvdw
      @barvdw Před rokem +1

      I agree they have seen better days, but honestly, I quite like the woodwork interior of the trains, and prices are generally a bit lower than on the Norwegian network. And especially to return, it's a little more time-efficient, as you can combine night trains both from Duved to Stockholm and Stockholm to Hamburg. Travelling via Oslo is a bit of a detour.

  • @TheSmil1001
    @TheSmil1001 Před 2 lety +29

    I was lucky enough to see the talk, and it was great as expected! Both educational and fun. Great video as well!

  • @Zelmel
    @Zelmel Před 2 lety +27

    I wish that the US would implement more actually usable train lines. I love trains, but considering that there's no high speed lines worth mention and anything beyond short regional trips become quickly expensive, it just isn't feasible. I would happily even take the time it currently takes to do cross-country just for fun, but the cost is just obscene.

    • @jameskilgour387
      @jameskilgour387 Před 2 lety +3

      Yeah, it's tough when you can book a flight to Latvia for like 10 quid, but Bristol to London is like 50. Absolutely insane - but I do prefer to travel by rail when possible

    • @johntousseau9380
      @johntousseau9380 Před 2 lety +1

      The US has one high speed line. It's from DC to Boston. I heard the NY to Boston part the speed is limited because the track is in poor condition. I can confirm that DC to NY is higher speeds. 100mph/160kph. Still Europe and Asia high speed rail blows that out of the water.

    • @Zelmel
      @Zelmel Před 2 lety +1

      @@johntousseau9380 Yeah, it's "high speed" compared to other places in the US, but it's still pretty pathetic. It's also pretty expensive.

  • @jamesarthur67
    @jamesarthur67 Před 2 lety +13

    ‘Train twitcher’, I love that way of putting it 🤣

  • @megs2000
    @megs2000 Před 2 lety +7

    aww what a nice video about trai... IS THAT GRETA THUNBERG???

  • @bork9231
    @bork9231 Před 2 lety +23

    I have been doing Exeter - Abisko in Sweden every September for a few years now, and I can do nothing else than fully agree with you. Seeing the landscape change, meeting people along the way. Train is a part of the trip, and really makes you enjoy the journey instead of teleporting you directly to your arrival location.
    Cheers mate, see you for Pint of Science

  • @u1zha
    @u1zha Před 2 lety +3

    Night train in Norway has its drawbacks - you probably missed beautiful waterfall views and fjord cliff faces in huge numbers... (Or well, maybe not so many on Trondheim - Oslo route, but Bergen line is super enjoyable in RailCowGirl and other channels)

  • @pauledwards9493
    @pauledwards9493 Před 2 lety +10

    5:11 Upside down mask game for the win 🤣 We've all done it.

  • @DystopiaJunkie
    @DystopiaJunkie Před 2 lety +10

    As someone who lives in Birmingham... yeah, totally fair.
    (Amazing video as ever, Simon!)

  • @MothsAreTheBest
    @MothsAreTheBest Před 2 lety +8

    At 15:23 its so weird to see you chilling where my mom does her daily walk xD

  • @eliaspohl5741
    @eliaspohl5741 Před 2 lety +5

    Amazing, i love that youre not just saying what we have to do to be the best possible people for the environment, but we also have to enjoy things like you did. Youre amazing i love your vids

  • @henryginn7490
    @henryginn7490 Před 2 lety +11

    This is amazing! This looks far far better than taking a plane, and it's nice to see someone else who takes the climate seriously and avoids unnecessary plane journeys

  • @stevieinselby
    @stevieinselby Před 2 lety +16

    That looks like an amazing journey 😍 - I definitely need to get myself over the Scandinavia.

  • @dyver123
    @dyver123 Před 2 lety +10

    As a Dane and a longtime viewer, seeing you briefly being in Copenhagen and sitting in the train that I've taken God knows how many times filled me with joy! Hopefully you will get to come back and explore the city properly ^^

  • @aron5377
    @aron5377 Před 2 lety +1

    Wow, love the message, and awesome to see these vlog-type videos again. Kinda makes me sad we don't have any trains in my country.

  • @supermanifolds
    @supermanifolds Před 2 lety +5

    Glad to see you enjoyed your time in Norway! Some day you should take the train over from Oslo to Bergen in the day time, it's really beautiful!

  • @mrfuzz987
    @mrfuzz987 Před 2 lety +1

    I really enjoyed this video! It had all of my favorite things: trains, travel, climate, and Simon!

  • @GrassEnjoyer75
    @GrassEnjoyer75 Před 2 lety +2

    Thank you for taking us along. This was a great vlog!

  • @bracco23
    @bracco23 Před 2 lety +101

    I do appreciate slow travel and the wonderful experiences that it brings, but the truth is that unless you are REALLY into reducing your carbon footprint and have great autonomy in travel decisions, it is not something that the majority of people can afford to do. Above about 1000km/600miles, it just doesn't really makes sense, and that distance really stands only with an efficient rail network.

    • @wolfgangpreier9160
      @wolfgangpreier9160 Před 2 lety +5

      Yes. Up to about 900 - 1200 km it’s actually cheaper and sometimes even faster when I drive my Tesla.

    • @noeljonsson3578
      @noeljonsson3578 Před 2 lety +9

      @@wolfgangpreier9160 do you include the car’s initial cost along with that? and the tax amount it costs to maintain the roads?

    • @wolfgangpreier9160
      @wolfgangpreier9160 Před 2 lety +1

      @@noeljonsson3578 Tax amount to maintain roads??? Whats that? Every user of the roads has to pay. Even trolleys, bicycles and trekker. Either via local community taxes for local roads or yearly toll for passenger cars or kilometer-toll for lorries and above.
      Of course i do include all costs. VW Golf TSI costs me 33.73,-- Euros and 32 Eurocents/km.
      Tesla Model Y costs me 59.645,-- and 21 cents/km
      Both with 15000km per year.
      My use case is 50.000km a year.
      Skoda Enyaq iV 60: 9,7 cents/km
      Model 3: 14,5 cents/km
      Model Y: 12 cents/km
      Golf TSI: 15,69 cents/km
      Model S Plaid: 46 cents/km
      Model X Plaid: 47 cents/km
      Porsche Taycan Grand Tourismo: 55 cents/km
      Rivian R1S: 42 cents/km
      Cybertruck QM: 27 cents/km
      Rivian R1T: 33 cents/km
      VW Crafter electric: 26 cents/km
      VW Crafter Diesel: 41 cents/km

    • @noeljonsson3578
      @noeljonsson3578 Před 2 lety +6

      @@wolfgangpreier9160 yes taxes do pay for road maintenance cost so it’s not something a person would think about for any specific trip of course, as it’s divided up amongst most taxpayers instead. i was mostly curious about wether you did include the initial cost of the car, which it’s great that you did. have had quite a few not do that before which obviously does make it a bad comparison.

    • @Sam-gf6ue
      @Sam-gf6ue Před 2 lety

      That's why flying itself isn't an issue. But we should aim to offset the necessary carbon emissions through other means

  • @jakoblien5907
    @jakoblien5907 Před 2 lety +17

    Hi Simon, just wanted to say I really appreciated meeting you after your talk at Realfagsdagene, and I’m glad you liked visiting Trondheim. I do hope you’ve checked out Snowpiercer by now:)

  • @brennanpui8755
    @brennanpui8755 Před 2 lety

    Thank you for sharing your trip with us. Trondheim looks breathtaking!

  • @VirtualTurtleGames
    @VirtualTurtleGames Před 2 lety +4

    Awesome! And I totally agree with you, traveling slow is a much better way of experiencing the landscapes and the true distance you're traveling. The only problem I've experienced so far is trains being late, causing me to miss the next one, and then having to pay for a new ticket because my old one isn't valid for any other train than I originally booked it for. There are some big improvements that can be made to the system, but overall it's still my go-to for traveling!

  • @gwinnsontheloose
    @gwinnsontheloose Před 2 lety +1

    This was such a feast of a viewing experience! Liked and subscribed!

  • @sarahb.m.5730
    @sarahb.m.5730 Před 2 lety +1

    Love this Simon! So great to see more people choosing trains over planes 🚅 Thank you for sharing your experience with others and highlighting the benefits of travelling slowly 🙌🏼 I’m also hoping to do this journey in the next year or so v useful to get a preview 👀

  • @jnliewmichael4235
    @jnliewmichael4235 Před 2 lety +17

    Dunno why but I immediately thought of this XD
    Next time, "I'll be hosting a talk in Singapore. This is my 2-3 month journey on train."
    I do kinda wonder how many people actually take that route.

    • @ylw
      @ylw Před 2 lety +1

      Probably not now with what's going on in Russia

    • @jnliewmichael4235
      @jnliewmichael4235 Před 2 lety

      @@ylw Unintentional optimism that the Russians retreat from Ukraine after Putin gets overthrown.

    • @jameskilgour387
      @jameskilgour387 Před 2 lety +3

      @@ylw you can definitely avoid Russia - Xinjiang / Tibet and Afghanistan is more of the issue tbh

    • @amanohashidate3298
      @amanohashidate3298 Před 2 lety +3

      @@ylw Another route would be Europe >Turkey >Georgia >Aserbaidschan >Caspian Sea (by Ferry) >Kasachstan >Xinjiang >Southern China >Vietnam >Cambodia(by bus) >Thailand >Malaysia >Singapore.
      Definetly recommending (when the pandemic is finally over everywhere) and an adventure in its own, but still comparable safe all the time. with the excepition of a ferry ride, some short hikings at transfers and buses through Cambodia, all is manageable by trains.

    • @MichaelGGarry
      @MichaelGGarry Před 2 lety +5

      As a Brit living in Singapore, I've looked at this journey before. Technically you can do it in about 4 weeks, but you may have gone mad by the end!

  • @spectator4096
    @spectator4096 Před 2 lety

    So many moments and snippets of why I love travelling by train, and why I try do it when I can. That looked like such a fun journey to take, and so many cool places you got to go to! Awesome video , I loved it! Got some good b-roll 👍
    (side note: I have experienced that feeling of difference between travel time and duration of reason for travel so many times)

  • @StianOke
    @StianOke Před 2 lety +3

    So glad you liked Trondheim and Norway! I was sad to not be able to go watch the lecture but i got ill with the cove :/ Maybe you could do a lecture at the university of Oslo some day, that would be really amazing! Would gladely show you around! Thnx for the good content as allways!

  • @angelo7743
    @angelo7743 Před 2 lety

    I love you, Simon. Thanks for your diligence and dedication :)

  • @natox78
    @natox78 Před 2 lety +3

    I went to a conference in Rome by train. I had an afternoon in Paris then a morning in Milan. It was such a good journey.

  • @herpetiderp
    @herpetiderp Před 2 lety +5

    I was literally 100 meters away from this talk and I seemed to miss it …

  • @esbenstenwig4864
    @esbenstenwig4864 Před 2 lety +1

    i love this video. I live on Norway, my birthday is the 25th of march (the day you posted the vid) and i love trains!

  • @michaelbothwell9026
    @michaelbothwell9026 Před 2 lety +2

    This is lowkey one of my favourite videos of yours Simon!

  • @ninaliljan235
    @ninaliljan235 Před 2 lety +6

    Oh my goodness, you really should have gotten a day train at least one of the trips to/from Trondheim! The view for so much of this journey is just baffling.

  • @tadhgtwo
    @tadhgtwo Před 2 lety +11

    Simon, great video. I loved seeing how travel across Europe can be done by train.
    Having been in Brussels train station, I can confirm the surrounding area is not that great. But I am hoping when you compared it to Birmingham, you didn't have my experience of walking out the wrong door and finding yourself in the red light district.

    • @engineeringvision9507
      @engineeringvision9507 Před 2 lety +2

      The other door isn't much better.

    • @esquilax5563
      @esquilax5563 Před 2 lety +1

      Sounds like you were in Brussels North. The Eurostar comes into Brussels South, which also isn't in a great area, but doesn't have a red light district.
      At least, I'm pretty sure it doesn't. There are several in the city, but I've been to that station a lot and never noticed one

  • @Mugtree
    @Mugtree Před 2 lety +1

    Absolutely love this. This is how I travel. In 1996 I went by train from Bristol to københaven, Stockholm, Narvik, Oslo and home. Amazing. Bought tickets as I went and the internet wasn’t really a thing then and know what you mean about Norway. It’s my happy place. This winter I went skiing in Italy and traveled by train with my skis. Bristol to London to Brussels to Frankfurt to Munich night train to Venice then bus and taxi to the hotel. Absolutely bloody love traveling by train. So so so relaxing. As I said. Brilliant video 👍

  • @JKVisFX
    @JKVisFX Před rokem +1

    I fell in love with Norway (Norge) 22 years ago when I went there on my honeymoon. We visited Oslo, Bergen, Trondheim, Leganger, and Steinkjer. It was the best trip I ever went on. That marriage didn't last but my love for Norway has never faded. If I could return permanently, I would move to Trondheim for sure. I found the same thing you did, just the peace and calm and the amazing, abundant, surrounding natural beauty. Damn, I miss that country.

  • @Timmie1995
    @Timmie1995 Před 2 lety

    I was already planning on visiting Prague by train in August, staying 2 weeks, and interrailing through Eastern Europe, but you've made me so much more excited with this video. And now I want to visit Trondheim as well.

  • @GreatKnightJ
    @GreatKnightJ Před 2 lety +1

    -Enters Norway
    -Civ 6 Norway Atomic theme plays
    As a Norway main, I appreciate that reference!

  • @caratseungcheoll8966
    @caratseungcheoll8966 Před 2 lety +1

    Interesting and fun vlog!!

  • @Kievlar
    @Kievlar Před 2 lety +1

    This is awesome! Take care, Si!

  • @tripexperiences7628
    @tripexperiences7628 Před 2 lety

    This video cleared my mind so much. Very interesting journey

  • @Ysmeril
    @Ysmeril Před 2 lety +7

    Great video, I love those train travel journeys. But why on earth did you pick night trains between Oslo and Trondheim ? I would have added another day just to be able to see that route by daylight.

  • @xtieburn
    @xtieburn Před 2 lety +8

    It was a few years ago now, but going across just England (Which is probably the biggest waste of CO2 an individual can produce.) flights were considerably cheaper than the train, and only 20 quid more than National Express.
    Its also pretty much done in 2 hours vs 8+ hours by the other forms. You expect things to be slower, but wiping out an entire day for a comparatively tiny trip is daft.
    This is to say nothing about the fact that different services on the train trip had entirely different carrying allowances, some of which they simply wouldnt tell you about. The ticket site would literally warn you that half way through your trip, depending on how much use they were seeing you might simply not be able to take your luggage with you...
    So, yeah, trains could be a great help with CO2 emissions, if... you know... the service wasnt utterly and embarrassingly rubbish in almost every conceivable way.
    (In case people were wondering. I almost always just take the National Express regardless, which thanks to the seating and environment is an experience that can best be described as: Someone who smells faintly of urine trying to slowly break your back for 9 hours.)

    • @drdewott9154
      @drdewott9154 Před 2 lety +1

      Thank god budget train operators are becoming a thing though. Recently a new train got launched on the route between London and Edinburgh under the name "Lumo" for which tickets all the way between London and Scotland usually only sit at around 20-30 pounds.

  • @ConsciousAtoms
    @ConsciousAtoms Před rokem

    Awesome journey! I feel inspired to do a train holiday like this someday.

  • @bisschops99
    @bisschops99 Před 2 lety +1

    Haha, it is funny to find out you did the (almost) exact same thing as I was currently doing. Noticed the video while on the train to København. Although I'm taking a few more days to see all the big cities and the whole trip in general. It is a lot of fun!

  • @brainpowerzz6763
    @brainpowerzz6763 Před rokem

    i absolutely LOVE your vlogs! :)

  • @Ashwin_V
    @Ashwin_V Před 2 lety

    Love the vlog!

  • @Fabienne1998
    @Fabienne1998 Před 2 lety

    Simon! I love your journey! I live in Edinburgh but am originally from close to Cologne and always take the same train journey to Cologne you took! I am so glad you went on a walk around Brussels, the train station really isn't it

  • @candytoo3729
    @candytoo3729 Před 2 lety +2

    Hi Simon. Great video and yes Trondheim is beautiful. My grandfather was from there and immigrated to Newfoundland. I love Bristol and had a thought that hopefully you will get a chance to speak at Memorial University of Newfoundland, since Newfoundland and Bristol are connected through history. Happy thoughts from the "Rock", which we Newfoundlanders call our island home. BTW lived in England for 10 years and Bristol was one of my fav cities.

  • @manuelcampagna7781
    @manuelcampagna7781 Před rokem

    Train spotting, Simon, and riding.

  • @ScratchMonkeys
    @ScratchMonkeys Před 2 lety +5

    Some great documentation of this trip. As a Brit living in Norway, the method of travel for visiting the UK is always a difficult decision. I would rather not fly and I am a big fan of trains but setting aside 2-3 days either end for train travel is also not practical for shorter visits. As other comments have mentioned, another issue is the price difference: It is still possible to get plane tickets for £10!! I am guessing your interrail pass was over £200. Many of us long for the return of a ferry service between Scandinavia and the UK, although be careful what you wish for as some ferries can match flights for passenger emissions. For now I am just not traveling to see relatives as much and wishing for one or more of the following: more high speed rail, more night trains, hydrogen planes, low emission ferries or teleportation.

  • @lyra9767
    @lyra9767 Před 2 lety +8

    I got selected for PhD in NTNU now my goal is to travel to UK by train😌🤞

    • @wallysonthomas
      @wallysonthomas Před 2 lety +1

      I would love being a PhD student in mechanical engineering at NTNU university. How can I find a supervisor in mechanical vibrations in NTNU? I also would like to visit the city. Could you help me visit the city around?

  • @phoebecaulfield3989
    @phoebecaulfield3989 Před 2 lety +1

    very glad you survived that journey!

  • @millezenith
    @millezenith Před 2 lety +2

    Happy to say I've been to all these train stations except Bath and Cologne (and Trondheim, I just realized)

  • @Jockster109
    @Jockster109 Před 2 lety

    That was an absolutely brilliant video. God I love trains.

  • @richardbloemenkamp8532
    @richardbloemenkamp8532 Před 2 lety +1

    As a Dutch I have travel to most of the cities you showed us by rail or other. It is nice that you made a video about it and I agree that if you have time and you travel alone then the train is a really nice option. With a family it is still quite expensive and it can be quite annoying when you miss a late connection and have to find a hotel during the school vacation weeks.

  • @flaggnerd
    @flaggnerd Před 2 lety

    Thank you for making such a great train travel video.
    It was surreal seeing the city here on CZcams. The walkway above the railway is called "Sjøgangen", directly translates to "the Seaway"
    Taking the train is slower, but i hope more people set an example, like you did here. Safe travels 🇬🇧🇧🇻

  • @macjonte
    @macjonte Před 11 měsíci

    Took the sleeper train Stockholm - Berlin last month. It was great! About 5-6 hours of beers in the bar, sleep and wake up next to the hotel. Better than plane and actually cheaper.
    I also took sleeper to the ski mountains in the north of Sweden from Stockholm. It was nice. Need more sleeper connections, none Oslo - Hamburg/Berlin yet.

  • @erikconfirmed1865
    @erikconfirmed1865 Před 2 lety +3

    9:28 when I was in Oslo one summer I also went on the opera house around noon but forgot to bring sunglasses. I still recall how much my eyes hurt by just standing on that white shining building for half an hour 😅

  • @MasalaMan
    @MasalaMan Před 2 lety +1

    19:55 That IS her! You can't fool me.

  • @MiciaSger117
    @MiciaSger117 Před 2 lety

    Absolutely love the adventure you went on. Wish universities in the UK would embrace alternative travel like this but it's often "must take the cheapest option".

  • @hananas2
    @hananas2 Před rokem

    Oo I love those low/high pod rooms, stayed in one twice and had a great time, so efficient as well!

  • @mikevale3620
    @mikevale3620 Před 2 lety

    Just stumbled upon your trip report Simon which is almost the same as a trip myself and two other Aussie friends did in July/August 2019...phew, the last year before COVID!
    Except we travelled by train from Penzance UK to Bodo, Norway, as far north as you can travel in Norway...thence the daily ferry service to Kirkenes at the top of Norway, way past the Arctic Circle. Yes, I too fell in love with Norway and in particular, Trondheim, Bergen and of course Oslo. I want to experience the same journey again when the war is over.

  • @LKNL13
    @LKNL13 Před 2 lety +1

    I travelled from Austria to Florence by train going through Germany and Switzerland. One of the best things I done

  • @BandidoDescalzo
    @BandidoDescalzo Před 2 lety +3

    I wish we had trains like this where I live.

  • @mrtnsnp
    @mrtnsnp Před 2 lety +3

    I made the same pledge some time ago, although flying just gets a hard 'no' from me (haven't had to argue yet). I notice that I make fewer journeys, but those that I make are far more enjoyable and memorable. Starting from The Netherlands, I've been to Vienna (To Duisburg and then a night train), to Rome (a train to Munich, then a night train to Rome), Milan (train to Basel, Bellinzona, then Milan, back was even easier), several times to Munich, Darmstadt, Mainz. En this fall to Sicily. Really looking forward to that one, I only need to change trains twice for that. Contemplating to go via Chur on the way back. I think you should be able to figure out what I do from those destinations.

  • @pflaumen-august2833
    @pflaumen-august2833 Před 2 lety +1

    I did almost the same trip like you. But from my hometown Karlsruhe in Germany up to Jörn in Lappland (Sweden). I had a layover in Göteborg as the night train departed 30min prior to my arrival in Göteborg. So I slept in Göteborg had a day there and got on the night train to Northern Sweden. The way back I took the night train to Stockholm as I could use a connection directly to Copenhagen and i could catch the last direct ICE of the day from Hamburg to my hometown. It was just an amazing experience with the big bridges in Denmark, the amazing swedish night train and overall the landscape in Winter . The advantage of this trip except the enviromental point was that it was way cheaper than flying and i saw 2600km amazing landscapes and Had an amazing Journey for 28h... A month earlier i went to Vienna and Budapest via train also an amazing experience :)
    I would defintly recommend doing such train trips through Europe when you got the time and sometimes the Money to do it. Sometimes you have to expect some compromises like having a break in your journey. But its definetly worth it.
    I'm also planning my next trips to Edinburgh and Valencia visiting friends of mine. It's just amazing where you can go in Europe via train. I just like it :)

  • @Nighthunter006
    @Nighthunter006 Před 2 lety +3

    You missed out on the best views on the trip! Dovrebanen (Oslo-Trondheim) is absolutely stunning in day time (though I'm sure you had more than enough considerations when planning).

    • @barvdw
      @barvdw Před rokem

      Absolutely. I was just a little more impressed with Bergensbana, but Dovrebana is definitely up there. I hope I get the opportunity to visit Nordlandsbanen as well...

  • @GeniusLad32
    @GeniusLad32 Před 2 lety +1

    That looks like a hell of a trip and an excellent pair of tour guides for Stockholm. Norway has definitely been on my bucket list. Maybe when I have a bit more expendable cash, trains will be the way (mind you, zoology degrees don't seem to be paying off too well these days...)

  • @Felix-nz7lq
    @Felix-nz7lq Před 2 lety

    Aaah I literally arrived at Oslo from Trondheim by train yesterday. Had no idea you were giving a talk at the university, sad to have missed it

  • @bademba2606
    @bademba2606 Před 2 lety +1

    Pity that you took the night train to and from Trondheim. I took the same route by train from Amsterdam a few years back and trust me when I say the view between Trondheim and Oslo is stunning!

  • @caromurray6152
    @caromurray6152 Před 2 lety

    In 2019 I travelled from London to Paris, Turin,Genoa, Marseille, Toulouse & Bordeaux. The train journeys were as enjoyable as the time spent in each of these locations & having enough time to travel this way was such a joy.

  • @peterdollins3610
    @peterdollins3610 Před rokem

    Very good. More need to travel by train.

  • @EirikHFD
    @EirikHFD Před 2 lety +9

    19: 57 Wow, she looks just like Greta, how quaint 😆

  • @julikaiba
    @julikaiba Před 2 lety +3

    to be honest, only beeing 10 minutes late in a german ICE is also really early, when the delay is less than 1 hour its still officially considered to be on time (if i recall correctly, maybe its less than one hour, but definitely sumething rediculous like that)

  • @emiliefolkmann3436
    @emiliefolkmann3436 Před rokem

    Role model walking the walk, thanks!

  • @Mermaidkilla
    @Mermaidkilla Před 2 lety

    Nice, I've been to every single of the cities from your trip

    • @Mermaidkilla
      @Mermaidkilla Před 2 lety

      London: ✅
      Brussels: ✅
      Cologne: ✅
      Hamburg: ✅
      Konpenhagen: ✅
      Oslo: ✅
      Trondheim: ✅

    • @Mermaidkilla
      @Mermaidkilla Před 2 lety

      Only have been at Gothenburg airport though...

  • @cauchyschwarz9759
    @cauchyschwarz9759 Před 2 lety +1

    Train travel is one of the great joys of travelling and life. Some times its just worth to take a short ride to.. well anywhere. Literally get to a train station and board the next train :)

  • @kinder7
    @kinder7 Před 2 lety +1

    A friend of mine did something similar... took a train from the UK to Shanghai to give a seminar 😮

  • @N0rwegianGreenDayFan
    @N0rwegianGreenDayFan Před 2 lety

    Oh damn. I'm a student at NTNU in Trondheim but had no idea you were here. Otherwise I would have attended the lecture hehe. Awesome to see you enjoyed the city and country though!

  • @TheM0JEC
    @TheM0JEC Před 2 lety

    I went interrailing when I was a student, also loved Norway, we got as far as Bergen it is a fab way to travel

  • @einsteinisbae27
    @einsteinisbae27 Před 2 lety +12

    Love how you had the KN95 mask upside down for an entire day 😂

  • @MirkoC407
    @MirkoC407 Před rokem

    That pretzel in Cologne was anything else than traditional. It is today eaten all over Germany but has its roots in the south, with Bavaria and Swabia fighting over the honour of its invention. Typically in Cologne you would have a "Halver Hahn", which literally translates to "half a chicken" but despite its name is a rye breadroll with dutch cheese.

  • @Shilly
    @Shilly Před 2 lety +1

    From someone who is experiencing debilitating chronic illness, I can only dream of doing something like this one day. I hope that day comes for me. Such a beautiful journey, thanks for bringing me on it virtually.

  • @Benhutchie22386
    @Benhutchie22386 Před 2 lety

    Great video !

  • @m-a-l-3000
    @m-a-l-3000 Před rokem

    22:13 love the fact, that you watched DS9 on the trip. This is probably the best TV-series I have ever watched...

  • @theoneandonlysoupemporium
    @theoneandonlysoupemporium Před 2 lety +10

    Birmingham is great! I challenge anyone to name another city where Tom Cruise could eat 2 chicken curries while his car got stolen