Description
Travel journalist and writer Tom Chesshyre joins me to talk about his slow train adventure all around Spain.
As research for his latest book Slow Trains around Spain: A 3,000-Mile Adventure on 52 Rides, Tom spent 35 days on the tracks and clocked-up 95 hours and 20 minutes onboard all manner of different types of trains, from funiculars, cog trains, narrow gauge, metros and even an aluminium mine train.
Tom shares his experience of going unprepared and traveling in an ad-hoc way with a rucksack and an armful of books. We look at the history of Spain's railways, train stations, train museums, George Orwell and the trenches near Huesca where he fought in the Spanish Civil War. Tom shares some anecdotes about his fellow train passengers, hostel owners and station managers and talks the politics of the Spanish train network.
Join me for a rainy day stroll along what is probably Madrid's most iconic street. We start off at the bottom end of Gran Vía where it joins Calle Alcalá and follow its 1.3 kilometres all the way to Plaza de España.
Forget chain stores, hotels, and touristy restaurants! Along the way we'll...
Published 02/16/24
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Published 09/20/23