Travel by train with HOURRAIL! : 45 adventures in France and Europe
For those who do not know HOURRAIL!, it is a media founded by YouTuber Benjamin Martinie whose mission is to “facilitate low-carbon travel and promote new imaginations compatible with planetary limits, in order to restore the journey on the right track”. The book does not only present unforgettable trains (even if some extraordinary trains like the Bernina Express in Switzerland are examined), but rather concentrates practical advice on how to reduce your carbon footprint as much as possible. We will thus learn how to reach essential tourist destinations by train (Berlin, Vienna, Venice, etc.), how to take the night train in France (Nice, Bayonne, etc.) or even how to reach Africa. To get to Tunisia, we are a little surprised to go through Milan then through Palermo to take the ferry rather than taking the Marseille – Tunis ferry.
Each journey is well explained, with details of the itinerary, the duration, the most interesting time to leave and some practical advice (insurance, local currency, etc.). The book even suggests two-three restaurants and accommodations per trip. We particularly like the “Train and bike” and “Snow within reach of the train” files which allow us to do a little sport.
By train in Japan: Become a “denshu otaku”!
Of course, there is the Shinkansen, the equivalent of our national TGV. But the Japanese archipelago is actually full of a large number of other railway routes to discover Japan. With 30,000 kilometers of rails crisscrossing the archipelago and more than 200 railway companies, the choice is vast. The system is well-established: the average delay for a standard train is… one minute! Aimie Eliot, independent journalist and correspondent in Tokyo, offers twenty-seven train routes to take your time in Japan.
The book has the good idea of offering different types of itineraries for different desires. For city lovers, “Tokyo, green and concrete” will allow you to discover the Japanese capital in two to four days while Kyoto, which can be reached from Tokyo in a little over two hours, can be discovered in bike. There will also be coastal trains (“Izu Peninsula, seaside Japan”) or trains that will take you to the mountains (“Japanese Alps: peaks and stars”). The book, embellished with numerous photos and advice (restaurants, hotels, lines to take) makes you want to travel. Very important, in her last pages, Aimie Eliot lists the JR Passes (from the JR company) which allow you to take the train with unlimited access, and while limiting expenses. Enough to become a real “denshu otaku”, those enthusiasts who seek to obtain at all costs the best shot of their favorite train.
