Thread by @antonydnelson

#50ThingsFor50 a 31 day train tour round some of the wonders of Europe. 8 countries, 5 currencies, 20ish trains and more miles than I can estimate
Netherlands, Denmark, Sweden, Germany, Czechia, Austria, Switzerland and Belgium
#EuroAdventure23

D1. Wakefield to North Sea via Newcastle.
Awful train from Wakefield to Newcastle, stood or leaning against corridor walls!
Metro and a short walk to the Port of Tyne for a fabulously smooth trip across the North Sea @dfds_uk ferry to Amsterdam.
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D2. North Sea to Amsterdam.
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D2. scenes of Amsterdam
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D2. More scenes from a 7.5 mile walk round Amsterdam
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D3. A 9.9 mile walk around Amsterdam.
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D3. A few more views of Amsterdam
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D4. #EuroAdventure23 A travel day. Amsterdam Muiderpoort (06:13) to Malmö (18:48) changes at Amsterdam Centraal, Osnabrük, Hamburg & Copenhagen. Insufficient planning, Maunday Thursday the trains are rammed esp. H'burg to C'hagen-seats near but not together
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D4. #EuroAdventure23 4 countries in one 434 mile trip. 3 alerts from Vodafone as we cross borders to Germany, Denmark & Sweden. 10 min wait in Padborg whilst passport checks are conducted to cross into Denmark out of Schengen area. Crossed that 'The Bridge'!
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D4 #EuroAdventure23 long day but sunshine the whole day and on arrival giving Malmö a very pretty look. Accomodation is perfect and we took a short walk out to the supermarket although the alcohol shop is already shut.

D5 #EuroAdventure23 Malmö a quiet Good Friday. Buns for breakfast incl 1 with a lovely Cardamom sugar.
Out for a pootle, via Malmö Saluhall &the Castle; excellent & extremely good value with loads of exhibitions incl very moving stories of the White Buses en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/White_Bus…

and multiple stories of refugees welcomed to the city, with the castle used for temporary accommodation. Fabulous art & more history including a period as a prison.

D5 #EuroAdventure23 cont.
More pics from the Castle

D5 #EuroAdventure23 cont. Visit to the beach with views of The Bridge(TM) & Turning Torsen. Approx 7.8 miles In total twitter.com/i/web/status/1…

D5 #EuroAdventure23 cont. looking at rest of the weekend discover that 'The Bridge' is closed to trains for the rest of the weekend & all the buses are already booked, therefore a day trip to Copenhagen isn't happening 🤦‍♂️. Alt route to Denmark by ferry tentatively planned for D6

D6. #EuroAdventure23 The Bridge definitely closed to train traffic, so potentially no Denmark visit on our trip, other than train change in Copenhagen. Quick search shows Helsingborg 🇸🇪 connected by ferry to Helsingør 🇩🇰, trains & ferries running all day Easter Sun
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D6. #EuroAdventure23 cont.
So a pleasant train journey and breezy 30 min ferry ride sees us in delightful Helsingør. Saint Olaf's Church & Kronburg castle magnificent in glorious sunshine. Picnic area empty bar us 2 Brits eating sandwiches & takeaway teas 🫖
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D 456. #EuroAdventure23 cont.
More Kronburg Castle pics
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D6. #EuroAdventure23
A pootle along the beach, sea glass hunting with a very interested Swan friend and a 9-headed tribute to Heracles
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D6. #EuroAdventure23
Ferry back to Helsingborg and a climb up to the Karnan Tower via David with Goliath's head in front of the 'Terrace Stairs' before a train back to Malmö
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D7 #EuroAdventure23 Easter Sunday. The Bridge still closed so a 17 mile cycle tour of Malmö taking in the bathing beaches at Sibbarps Strand (no we didn't bathe, don't be ridiculous!) Called @ModernaMuseet on way back to apartment glorious sunshine all day (again!)
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D8. #EuroAdventure23 Travel Day.
Malmö (10:13) to Cologne (21:49). Via Padborg (where we experience the delight of train replacement (bendy) bus for 95 miles) and Hamburg (massive railway station 👀).
488 miles including some at 200 Kmh

D9. #EuroAdventure23.
Cologne. Not a classically 'pretty' European city however we walked 8 miles through a ring of green spaces around the city from our accommodation to The Rhine crossed a handful of roads only.
Another Heron (obviously!) more glorious sunshine.
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D8. #EuroAdventure23 cont.
A tram to the city centre for beer and cake and another tram back to the apartment, which don't make for interesting pics so didn't take any, have more from our walk instead.
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D10. #EuroAdventure23 Cologne
Rain to start and forecast all day, had to happen eventually it is April after all.
Tram to visit the Cathedral, which is spectacular.
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D10. #EuroAdventure23 Cologne cont.
More pics from Cologne Cathedral

D10. #EuroAdventure23 Cologne cont.
Picnic (stopped raining briefly) on the steps of the Dom and then a trip up, and down, the South tower. twitter.com/i/web/status/1…

D10. #EuroAdventure23 Cologne cont.
A second church with a visit to the incredible St. Gereon, before beers and a tram ride back.

D11. #EuroAdventure23. Cologne cont, overcast threat of & then rain before sun.
Breakfast out, a walk through the massive Melatenfriedhof Cemetry with very tame red squirrels & a vole, some enormous monuments above family plots & a busy trade in grave tending.
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D11. #EuroAdventure23. Cologne cont.
Walk on to the EL-DE Haus, the ex-Gestapo HQ for Cologne, now a harrowing museum, all in German (thank you Google Translate) except for the basement cells memorial. Some amazing stories of courage, bravery & complicity
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D11. #EuroAdventure23. Cologne cont.
Back out into now sunshine, lunch by the cathedral, a walk to beer & cake, more walking to make it 9 miles in total 5his day and back to apartment by tram to prep for a travel day.
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D12. #EuroAdventure23 Travel Day. Cologne to Prague via Berlin.
484 miles.
Tram & walk to catch 1st of 2 trains. Left on time then increasingly delayed. 90 mins late into Berlin wiping out what we had considered was a very generous 45 min transfer. onto Plan B...
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D12. #EuroAdventure23 Travel day cont.
Beer in Berlin HBF, before later train to Prague. Keys for Airbnb to be collected from workplace which is due to be long closed by 21:35 our new ETA. Messages to host, collect from shop staff who'll be in a bar 'near' shop.
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D12. #EuroAdventure23 Travel day cont.
Arrive Prague, big rain & dark. 20 mins wait to secure taxi. Find the bar, get keys, walk & get tram with stop for essential provisions (beer, milk, bread) & final walk to apartment on 3rd floor. Late. Welcome to Prague #50ThingsFor50

D12 #EuroAdventure23 cont.
Despite generating some anxiety that our travel plans were disrupted and worry that we would be into Prague so late, central Europe landscape is beautiful, particularly the stretch along the river Elbe heading in Czechia.
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D13. #EuroAdventure23 Prague.
Day starts catching up on washing, two loads and a third ready to go on. Down to the river for the Saturday market with a jazz band & a quick ferry commute across the river; obligatory #Heron
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D13. #EuroAdventure23 Prague cont.
Walk to the botanical gardens also close by. Free entry to extensive landscaped gardens that also included a guide to multiple local rock samples, and a red squirrel.
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D13. #EuroAdventure23 Prague cont.
More walking through imposing buildings, before a brief stop for more extensive provisions.
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D. 14 #EuroAdventure23 Prague.
A 9 mile self-guided walking tour of some of the grandest ever streets.
It being a Sunday everybody was out and about enjoying the sunshine.
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D. 14 #EuroAdventure23 Prague cont.
More pics from across Prague, so much to see & experience.
Those are Nutria also known as a Coypu, tame as you like living on Střelecký ostrov (Shooter's Island). en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nutria# twitter.com/i/web/status/1…

D. 14 #EuroAdventure23 Prague
Pics from across Prague. The man in the third picture is playing a 'hurdy gurdy'.
en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hurdy-gur…
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D. 14 #EuroAdventure23 Prague
Final tranche of pics for the day I think....
Beautiful blue skies all day and getting really warm by mid afternoon.
For the record we did stop for beer (no cake today) ran out of space for pics.
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D.15 #EuroAdventure23 Prague.
Starting the day with a walk into 'Old Town' Prague touring the many spaces dedicated to history of the Jews in the city strolling via Wenceslas Square.
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D.15 #EuroAdventure23 Prague cont.
Very moving exhibits in the Synagogues including painstakingly produced hand painted lists on the walls of the Pinkas Synagogue with names of all those Jews of Prague & surrounding areas massacred at the hands of the Nazis
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D.15 #EuroAdventure23 Prague cont.
Excellent veggie goulash and burger for lunch out at Maitrea restaurace before catching a tram south to Vysehrad park noseying around the musicians cemetery.
Spectacular views along the river & back to Prague Castle. A grey day.
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D.16 #EuroAdventure23 Prague cont.
To the castle! Who doesn't love a look round a castle 👀😍. But first St. Vitus Cathedral with a mix of ancient & modern(ish) stained glass.
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D.16 #EuroAdventure23 Prague cont.
Castle in exceptional condition for something 600 years old. Rebuilt and remodelled many, many times with hundreds of stories & interesting features.
Beer then picnic in Kampa Park opposite some massive faceless crawling babies
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D.16 #EuroAdventure23 Prague cont.
Me: so where do you fancy going for our last afternoon?
J: to see the Nutria
Me: You want to spend our final afternoon with the massive infested water rats?
J: yes I do.
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D.16 #EuroAdventure23 Prague cont.
A final walk through the streets of Prague via Kafka's rotating head and dinner out at Cantina (very tasty mexican food) and a short stroll to see Prague by night.
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D17. #EuroAdventure23 Travel Day. Prague to Vienna 188 miles one train, no connections, smooth as you like, another border crossing.
Train picnic and Deer!
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D18. #EuroAdventure23 Vienna
A walk, taking in a stretch of one branch of the Danube and some quirky arcade spaces en route to St Stephen's Cathedral.
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D18. #EuroAdventure23 Vienna cont.
Cathedral very pretty and some aspects recently cleaned, making one wonder why Cologne haven't attempted the same. 2 towers, 1 by lift 1 x 343 steps, for incredible views over Vienna.
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D.18 #EuroAdventure23 Vienna cont.
More views of/in the Cathedral.
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D.18 #EuroAdventure23 Vienna cont.
Long way round back to the apartment via the Naschmarkt, beer & cake oh lovely Knafeh! Before dinner & wine.

D.19 #EuroAdventure23 Vienna cont.
A trip out of the city by underground & bus to Kahlenberg for a walk through some hills with views over the city plain. So warm and very green, that fresh new green.
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D.19 #EuroAdventure23 Vienna cont.
Kahlenberg has a series of edifices used as viewing platforms, including a tower from 1881 alongside some more modern buildings. Some really steep climbs & descents in the route I'd plotted.
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