I really wanted to take one of these home. Breclav station, Czech Republic, 24-Jun 2007
The way my mother tells the story, I was smuggled into France as a six-month old, wrapped in swaddling clothes and hidden among a small pile of blankets in a crowded sleeper car. Whether the tale is an embellishment I can’t say, but I do know that that episode instilled in me an early love for train travel. Nothing remotely resembling passenger trains existed in the US midwest while I was there, so my fetish for trains didn’t finally and fully blossom until I moved back to Europe 38 years later.
When I need to go somewhere, for business or pleasure or both, I insist on going by train whenever practical. Even when a 13-hour train trip could be covered in about five by car (going to Sarajevo from Ljubljana, for instance). I also take lots of pictures from and of those trains and stations.
I spent a bit of time further organizing my flickr stream tonight and rediscovered most of these 15 train-related pics, many of which I haven’t looked at in years, and decided to breathe a bit of life into them here. They’re not necessarily my 15 favorites, but were selected instead to represent a variety. And I do like them all. If you’re interested in checking out more, there are 134 in my flickr Trains and Stations set at the moment. Most of them are Creative Commons non-commercial licensed, so feel free to use them if you’d like as indicated in the descriptions. Enjoy!
Wien Südbahnhof. 14-June-2008
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Lyon Part-Dieu station, Lyon, France, 03-Sep-2008
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Monaco-Monte Carlo station, at center of the photo. Entirely underground. Monte Carlo, 24-Nov 2007
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Piraeus Station, Piraeus, Greece, 13-Nov-2008
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Sarajevo, 1 July 2011
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Ataturk at the Istanbul Gar, or train station, the final stop on the now defunct Orient Express. Istanbul, 13-Mar-2012
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Zidani Most train station, Zidani Most, Slovenia, 17-Apr-2009
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Milano Centrale station, Milan, 03-July-08
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Cute stranger’s napping feet, on the EC 102 from Wien Sudbahnhof. Somewhere in Moravia, Czech Republic, 24-June-2007
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Central station, Thessaloniki, Greece, 14-Sep-2009
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Camera Shy bootleg CD vendor, Central Station, Valencia, Spain, 10-Mar-2008
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On the RER from Charles de Gaulle towards the Gare de Nord, Paris, 07-Jul-2007
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Kitzbuhel, Austria, 10-Feb-2009
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Milano Centrale, 11-Dec-2006
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These snaps are this week’s contribution for Travel Photo Thursday (#TPThursday on twitter) hosted by Nancie on her website, Budget Travelers Sandbox. When you have few minutes to browse, check out Nancie’s photos and those of others who take part. You’ll see some great photos and visit some wonderful places.
Great selection of shots! I always prefer the train here in Korea, particularly the fast train.
I hope you will join the Travel Bloggers Weekly Photo Choice, and add some of your photos. http://www.flickr.com/groups/budgettravelerssandbox/
Thanks, Nancie. I will check out your weekly contest – just extremely busy these days and can’t seem to find the time for much of anything..
These are really wonderful shots, and I love the ones depicting people (or their absence, i.e. with the feet in the frame) because they tell such wonderful stories. I myself would love to do more train travel, but in the countries I’ve travelled so far, train travel is just too expensive, a classic example being Switzerland, which has some of the most beuatiful train journeys in the world, but at a price.
Yes, it can be quite pricey in many, if not most European countries. You’ve just got to really plan ahead and jump on the deals that are available.
Wonderful…I love trains too…in fact this just reminded me of a train track photo that I think I will post soon…
These are such wonderful representation of train stations and train travel. You certainly have quite a collection here. I really love the Monaco-Monte Carlo station and the Austria pictures. I’ve always love train travel especially in Europe. Yes, sadly the US has yet to catch up. Although, one of my favorite rides is along the Pacific coast with some stunning view.
Rail lines seem to be well established in the US northeast and the Pacific northwest – which of course leaves MUCH to be desired. There doesn’t seem to be any real political will to improve the situation in the US. Rail lines take time and politicians only think in terms of the election cycle. A real shame.
Wonderful collection of photos! I particularly like the one in Milano and passengers running for their train. The accordion player made me smile – we just returned from Paris and the two times that we took the train out of the city there were accordion players which was surprising to us as we never see buskers on the trains in Canada. It’s been years since I have travelled any great distance by train but, coincidentally, my younger daughter and I are planning to travel from Toronto to Ottawa tomorrow by train. Our train service is continually under threat by short-sighted governments that want to make budget cuts – hopefully they don’t succeed because North America really needs the kind of train service that exists in Europe.
These are stunning, Bob! I love them all, will definitely have to check out the others.
And I love train travel, especially in Europe.
Thanks!
What a wonderful selection of shots. I can relate to the woman running in Milan – my feeling as I passed through there last summer. I wish there was more train travel in western Canada. Last year I took a day trip from Vancouver to Whistler on the Rocky Mountaineer – very lovely and scenic – but not really a train that you’d use to go from point A to Point B.
What a great selection! They are all so different! The fact that the tongue-kiss-close-up seems kind of provocative to me shows how long I’ve been in Texas now
I’m going to lobby WordPress to add a ‘like’ button on comments. Because that did make me LOL
These photos brought back many memories of train stations! Train travel seems so exotic to this girl from California and I love it. Was especially fond of your black and white photo of Milano Centrale stations. Captured the essence of a busy station.
Awesome photos! We don’t ride trains that often since we live in LA, but anytime we are in Europe we do and love it.
I’m a big fan of trains and stations, too, and love to take pics. You’re right – there’s nothing like European train travel here in the States. Quite an interesting story about you, too!
We also are hooked on European trains and their stations. Ours are sadly lacking in the U.S. My goal – should I win the Lotto – is to book us on the Orient Express!
love the milano central station b&w
Very interesting. And inspiring. I have heaps of trains and train-related shots, too – time to look through them. Train travel is so much more interesting than flying, isn’t it? Last year, I took the train from Munich to Oslo. It took two days, while flying would have taken 2 hours – so sadly, it’s not always a realistic option.
You definitely should look through them! Very fun exercise. So I’m VERY curious: What is the Munich-Oslo route?
I like the idea of this post and the photos a lot!
Great photos! I love train stations too. I took so many train and station shots on a recent trip to the UK – and especially of the view from some of the journeys!
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