Great Continental Railway Journeys - Series 5

[gavin]

Michael Portillo is back with a new 6 part series travelling through Europe this week he travels from Transylvania to the Black Sea

Great Continental Railway Journeys airs tonight at 9pm on BBC 2 and at 8pm tomorrow on BBC 2 Scotland

Next week is Zermatt to Geneva

 

[Greenback]

I'm looking forward to this programme immensely. I've very much enjoyed the other seasons.

 

[Bletchleyite]

Will be nice to see him on the Lavaux line. One of the most beautiful in the world in my view.

 

[Greenback]

I don't know much about the area covered in the first show, so that will be very interesting to me.

 

[northwichcat]

How many more routes which Bradshaw wrote about will there be that Portillo hasn't covered after this series? (Obviously not including routes which aren't still open.)

 

[Mikey C]

I enjoyed last night's show (I've been to many of those places many years ago!) though when compared to many episodes, it was relatively train light.

 

[Greenback]

Mrs Greenback remarked on the lack of trains, and said she was disappointed by that, even though she enjoyed the show!

Maybe we'll see a few more next week!

 

[Gordon]

Just watched the new Swiss episode.

Superb fun for me as it covered some of my most frequented Swiss territory, especially Zermatt in the spring snow which I have done countless times for skiing with railways thrown in.

Biggest blunder was at the end with Portillo standing with 'Mont Blanc' in the background, except it wasn't Mont Blanc but a mountain closer to Geneva called Le Mole - the first Alpine mountain I ever climbed aged about 4 in the 1960s!




.

 

[Bletchleyite]

Surprised the continuity was still as bad as usual given that SBB don't operate more than about 8 different types of train in the entire country, with any given line only really getting 2 or 3 different types...

I did enjoy it though - I've spent lots of time around where he went, and some of the local history was interesting. Shame he didn't make it any further along the Lavaux line than Montreux, and that there was no reference to the Simplon-Orient-Express.

 

[eastwestdivide]

Was quite surprised by the fondue train. Who thought putting burners with pans of molten cheese on the tables of a moving train was a good idea!

 

[Greenback]

All I can say is fondue - yuk!

 

[Bletchleyite]

Was quite surprised by the fondue train. Who thought putting burners with pans of molten cheese on the tables of a moving train was a good idea!

Perhaps surprisingly, my experience is that Switzerland does not "do" health and safety.

 

[eastwestdivide]

Perhaps surprisingly, my experience is that Switzerland does not "do" health and safety.

Or perhaps their approach is rather more "don't be stupid", with more emphasis on personal responsibility.
Like the open observation coaches on the RhB (https://www.rhb.ch/en/leisure-trave...hools/charter-carriages/open-scenic-carriages)

The open-air carriages have neither glazing nor heating. But they give you the feeling that you could reach out and touch the landscape of Graubünden, like no other train.

 

[Bletchleyite]

Or perhaps their approach is rather more "don't be stupid", with more emphasis on personal responsibility.

Yes, very much so.

 

[Mikey C]

Was quite surprised by the fondue train. Who thought putting burners with pans of molten cheese on the tables of a moving train was a good idea!

Presumably their track quality is better than ours!

 

[Bletchleyite]

Presumably their track quality is better than ours!

Generally pretty good, yes. Though the pointwork can be very rough.

 

[LNW-GW Joint]

Biggest blunder was at the end with Portillo standing with 'Mont Blanc' in the background, except it wasn't Mont Blanc but a mountain closer to Geneva called Le Mole - the first Alpine mountain I ever climbed aged about 4 in the 1960s!

I think this picture shows what he missed. From Quai Wilson I think (local ferry stop).
Le Mole is in the left foreground, and Mont Blanc is off to the right, way in the distance, above the block of flats.
While I was there for an hour, Mont Blanc kept being blotted out by drifting cloud, so it's not always easy to see.
I worked out it was at a range of 70km.
Earlier in the day I had spotted Mont Blanc from a TGV south of Lyon at a range of 150km (2nd pic).
We'll forgive him this once.
Actually the weather he had was pretty poor in places.
The intercut helicopter shots were in much better weather.

 

[Gordon]

IMont Blanc kept being blotted out by drifting cloud, so it's not always easy to see.
...
Earlier in the day I had spotted Mont Blanc from a TGV south of Lyon at a range of 150km (2nd pic).
We'll forgive him this once.

The intercut helicopter shots were in much better weather.

Despite what the postcards would have you believe, it has to be good clear weather with fresh airstream for Mont Blanc to be easily visible from central Geneva. I've not seen it clear all that often in maybe 1000 visits to central Geneva over 56 years...

I have seen Mont Blanc many times over the years from the Beaujolais hills, and even from the centre of Lyon itself!

Of course its not 'he' we might forgive but the TV production company...and I'm afraid I don't. The two mountains are completely different (Mont Blanc is permanently snow covered for a start)

and the chopper shots at Zermatt were almost certainly filmed when Portillo was nowhere near the place!




.

 

[bnm]

All I can say is fondue - yuk!

It's only melted cheese, a little wine and seasoning.

 

[Greenback]

It's only melted cheese, a little wine and seasoning.

I know what it is and I don't like it. I hate the texture of melted cheese, I'd much rather eat it unmelted, and without the additions!

 

[ed c]

Fantastic , love this show.

 

[Groningen]

I know what it is and I don't like it. I hate the texture of melted cheese, I'd much rather eat it unmelted, and without the additions!

That is personal; it is more the cleaning that is the problem.

 

[Greenback]

Of course it's personal, I never said it wasn't. I know lots of people who like it, but I don't

 

[eastwestdivide]

[gravelly voice] Coming soon to a screen near you, "Fondue 2 - The Emmental Strikes Back". This time it's personal. [/gravelly voice]

 

[Greenback]

Urgh, I'm starting to feel sick

 

[bnm]

That is personal; it is more the cleaning that is the problem.

Done right the last of the cheese should have crusted and be easy to lift off the fondue pan. The best bit!

 

[tranzitjim]

Here in Australia, we are getting the start of his USA adventure.

A new travel guide, so far he has started from New York, went up to those Falls, done Long Island, and is now heading south.

I have learned so much about the USA, so many things I have never known. Words and terms I hear in US based movies and shows, now make a lot of sense.

 

[Mikey C]

Plenty of trains tonight!

The Moroccan rail network is quite impressive, great to see a high speed line being built there

 

[Gordon]

Plenty of trains tonight!

Again, all over the place - a random collection of lineside filming, about two scenes of which were actually the train he travelled on.

Amusing that for the second time in three episodes many of the sequences included some ex-SNCF vehicles



.

 

[Requeststop]

Again, all over the place - a random collection of lineside filming, about two scenes of which were actually the train he travelled on.

Amusing that for the second time in three episodes many of the sequences included some ex-SNCF vehicles



.

Yet another who doesn't get........................... oh why bother!

I love his programmes, in spite of the wrong trains, incorrect direction that the train go and or why that train never goes to that station or will stop at that platform and the other technical train-ey things that he doesn't do when explaining the social history of the places he visits.

I learned so much from the Moroccan journey that I had never considered looking at before. A trip to Morocco is on the cards some day.