A Train Journey Around an Integrated Europe

I write this sitting on a train that takes me closer to the current frontier of the European Union on Good Friday. It has been a wonderful 7 days travelling by train around 5 current EU countries (UK, Netherlands, Germany, Austria, & Poland) via 3 more where I didn’t stop in (France, Belgium, & Czech Republic). I would not say that this journey has opened my eyes to the extent of globalisation in the 21st century but simply reiterated the benefits of this socio-politico-economic phenomenon and the opportunities it creates. Therefore, I write this with a sense of satisfaction and joy from the journey that has been undertaken but also with a sense of apprehension on what the near future may bring.

This journey started with a short train ride from my current place of residence, Cambridge, UK to London Kings Cross to catch the Eurostar directly to Rotterdam (TRAVEL TIP: When buying a Eurostar ticket on the Eurostar platform, try buying it from the train station closest to your origin instead of from London to get a special discount on the first train journey within the UK). The target city was Lviv in Ukraine but the objective of this trip was not just to get there by rail the entire way, but was to stop by different cities along the way for some sightseeing but also to catch up with friends from all over the world. So, it was where my friends were that decided for me where to stop and which cities to go via. It could have been a less convoluted route from Cambridge to Lviv but less would have been achieved (TRAVEL TIP: Do not take this route if you are planning to get from London to Lviv as fast as possible by train). Therefore, the route that was taken was:

Cambridge, UK – London Kings Cross / St. Pancras, UK – Rotterdam, NL – Breda, NL - (Eindhoven, NL) – Maastricht, NL – Aachen, DE – Cologne, DE – (Mannheim, DE) – Munich, DE – (Hergatz, DE) - (Lindau, DE) – (Bregenz, AT) – Dornbirn, AT – Vienna, AT – Krakow, PL – Przemysl, PL – Lviv, Ukraine.

(Destinations in Brackets were merely transits)

It was a close call at St. Pancras as in addition to airport style security checks to board the Eurostar, passengers on Eurostar trains from London have to go through two border checks – the first to exit the UK and the second to enter France. This is because the UK is still not part of the Schengen zone but I’m still not sure why there are UK border checks at the St. Pancras Eurostar terminals while there aren’t any at airports, even when one is leaving the UK border (neither to EU countries nor non-EU countries). When one enters Schengen countries, the border agency of the host country does check non-Schengen arrivals but the UK doesn’t check those exiting the UK. However, since then, travelling through the other 7 Schengen Zone countries did not require me to pull out my passport at all.

Once in the Eurostar train towards Amsterdam, the ride was a smooth ride in a well equipped train (the criteria for this is to have personal power sockets of course! Even WiFi is not that important as EU legislation meant that there are no roaming charges across EU countries) that passed through, amongst others, the agricultural rural areas of Europe, the fences of Calais, and also the modern architectural gems of the 21st century seen when passing Antwerp.

The first stop was Rotterdam as this was the closest stop on the Eurostar to a Czech friend who I’ve known since my days in the London School of Economics who currently lives in Breda, half an hour away from Rotterdam. The last time we saw each other was probably in Leipzig for a reunion at least 4 years ago and therefore, we made a point to meet up this time around. Before meeting up, I had the local speciality of Battered Trout and Chips for lunch and then went on a walking tour of the city with “Free Walking Tour Rotterdam”. The sun shone for the tour and we were taken around the city that was flattened from Nazi bombings during World War II but rejuvenated post war with systematic town planning and also experimental modern architecture. The highlight of the walk for me were the cube houses (yes the pic below shows houses) and also a steel cube church.

After the tour, I headed to the city library (yes, yes, I’m a big nerd) to check out an interactive exhibition on the man Erasmus himself and his writings and thoughts. Erasmus is famous today as he is the namesake of the European Union student mobility programme that allows university students to study a term or a year in a different university within the EU. But, more importantly, the reason this programme was named after him was his controversial idea during his time about tolerance to other people and other religions. We could probably take this as one of the first few steps towards further integration and globalisation – to be able to first understand each other, where he stressed the importance of communication amongst different peoples. He was also a controversial character as he dared to speak up against the great spiritual and financial prowess that was amassed by the church during his time. I was the kicked out of the library as it fast approached the closing time but it was unfortunately raining outside (it was a quick turn of the weather but apparently it’s a Rotterdam weather feature!). So, I ran into the Market Hall which plays host to the largest artwork in the world, sometimes nicknamed the Sistine Chapel of the modern world, in addition to many food stalls, cafes, restaurants, and surprisingly private apartments. It was indeed an incredible sight to see such a large artwork (printed albeit), in such a large open spaced area, in a large unconventionally shaped building.

I then met the friend of mine for a few drinks before dinner, had dinner, and continued with a couple of drinks after dinner. Catching up over food and drinks around the old harbours, docks, and riverside of Rotterdam was indeed a great start to this European adventure. We then headed back to Breda by a half hour train ride. The next day, we walked around Breda which had its fashion week going on with the city pedestrian walkways turned into a catwalk venue. But, I have to say, the Dutch people do know how to dress well – was it supply or demand that came first that led to the abundance of clothing stores around just a small-sized city? An interesting fact about Breda is that it was actually liberated by Polish troops at the end of World War II, not American or British ones. We then did the Dutch thing and rode a bike around town, checking out the various community and residential areas of Breda, and through the local forest, just before the Belgian border, stopping at a rural restaurant / café / beer garden mid way.

The next day was another early start, on the onward journey towards Cologne. However, me, again a nerd, decided to call at Maastricht, where the all important Maastricht Treaty that led to the founding of the EU as an institution was signed and laid the foundations of the EU pillars (the Single Market, a Common Foreign and Security Policy, and Cooperation on Criminal Matters) and the Euro. It’s pre modern history was equally interesting with well preserved buildings, that could be traced back to Roman times and consequently its function as a garrison town in the 16th century. There were some remnants of the wall that protected the city that along the river Meuse. Having spotted an Indonesian restaurant on the way into the city, I was hoping to get lunch from their ex-colony but since it was Monday, it was closed and I settled for some Japanese food from the supermarket instead.

Since there was no direct train from Maastricht to Cologne, I had to stop at Aachen, and why not take the opportunity to get out of the train station and explore one more city, especially after having read that it is the last resting place for Charlemagne, the Holy Roman Emperor, who united a vast area of western and central Europe in the 8th and 9th Century. It is the home of a gothic city hall which became the inspiration for a few other city halls around the region, most famous being the city hall in Brussels (picture below). The same city hall in Aachen is also the home of the Charlemagne Prize for European Unification, with the latest recipient of the prize awarded to Emanuel Macron, and past recipients amongst others, being Angela Merkel, the Euro, and Tony Blair.

Two additional cities explored, I finally arrived in Cologne-Ehrenfeld, where I met a friend from the Cambridge Wulfhaus days, in her hometown and also where she works as a doctor. With the weather on our side, I was shown around this lesser known area of Cologne with its local shops / cafes, street art, a sizeable mosque built by the Turkish community in the area, and also a lighthouse that was meant for the once-German colony of Zanzibar (picture below). Having transferred possession of Zanzibar with Heiligoland? with the British, the purpose-built lighthouse made its home in the landlocked region of Cologne, used instead to promote the work of the manufacturing company that built it. We then had dinner with my friend’s parents and over dinner we had enjoyable conversations which included some frustrating topics such as Brexit which we tried to avoid but it came out after all. Ending this very pleasant and enjoyable evening, we watched Little Finger get killed after trying to manipulate the Stark sisters to in fight. Apt? One may only think so?

Another early start, I caught a train from Cologne to Munich via Mannheim, passing through many significantly sized cities, making me wonder whether it is the relatively equal city sizes supported by well connectivity that is keeping German economic growth sustainable over the years (hoping to write a specific post and research more about this soon!) What was inconvenient, however, was that the Deutstch Bahn trains were 30 minutes late! I was planning to meet another friend in Munich for lunch in a 1 hour window – but this had to be cut short to a quick coffee at his office at Bayern Munich. 9 years after we first met in inaugural Summer Youth Olympic Games in Singapore, I am glad that we can still keep in touch – we will have to meet for longer than 30 minutes next time! In addition to getting a few souvenirs from the official shop, it was pretty cool to see the grounds where the teams train on (despite my lack of enthusiasm for football).

The next leg from Munich to Dornbirn was slightly less straight forward, partly because of some construction works along the train line to Lindau which was replaced by a bus service. But, 3 transfers later, I finally arrived in this commercial hub in the Austrian part of the Alpine Rhine Valley where I was picked up by my friend who lives and work in an adjacent valley who was my roommate when we were both in Marquette University, Milwaukee. A short drive and we were out of the Rhine Valley, into another valley where he and his family lives. Having been to this area quite a few times, the most recent 2 years ago for his wedding, I still can’t get enough of the beauty of this area with the green valleys, and snow capped Alpine mountains. It was great to catch up on old times (over Mohrenbrau of course) and spend time with his family and his really well behaved baby! And, the Austrians are definitely very proud of their handywork with well designed, practical, and reliable construction methods and outcomes. For example, blinds that automatically pulls up if the wind gets too strong to avoid structural damage. British developers desperately need to learn more from the Austrians!

Leaving the area two days later, driving back to Dornbirn, also made me realise that this area is actually thriving with a growing population, unlike many other small towns and rural villages. Having enquired why this was the case, I was made aware of the strategic location of the area, right in the centre of Europe, undoubtedly helped by open borders to other EU countries. (Again, I’m hoping to research more about this!)

The marathon train journeys thus begin. The first was a 7 ½ hour train journey from Dornbirn to Vienna. Taking the train up north to Vienna reminded me of the first journey that I took when I first went to Vienna to start my Masters there in 2008, passing familiar cities such as Innsbruck, Salzburg, and Linz. This was a long but relaxing journey with a modern and comfortable train with an onboard restaurant which I had lunch at. The major difference this time, however, was arriving in Wien Hauptbahnhof (which was previously the Sudbanhhof) not Westbahnhof which most trains got into before the completion of the main station a few years ago. I then headed to Stephansplatz to stroll around for a bit (Stephansdom pictured below) before meeting up with friends from the year I was in Vienna, an American-Austrian and a Bosnian-Serb resident of Vienna which we have met quite a few times since then but as usual, it was great to catch up and just hang out again like old times (not to forget the dog too!). A few weisswein gespritz, beers, and wurstels after, I was back on train, this time heading out to Krakow on an 8 hour overnight train which was packed and therefore, quite uncomfortable. Only managed a couple of hours of sleep but it did go by quite quickly at 6AM this morning, I was in Krakow, ready to explore the cultural capital of Poland.

Krakow is indeed a beautiful city as many have told me. With what they claim to be the largest city square being at the heart of the old town, and the castle and cathedral bordering the river (pictured below), the city is indeed a well-preserved and well-planned UNESCO sites with many tourist offerings and well kept cobbled streets and old buildings. They are also very proud of Pope John Paul II, who is a native Poland and Archbishop of Krakow with his face/statue adorned at most religious sites and plaques marking the various places he was at. It is from walking around this city that I also learnt about Jozef Hieronim Retinger who was born in Krakow and founded the European Movement and the Bilderberg Group, both intending at fostering more dialogue and understanding amongst nations after World War II. The European Movement became the precursors to the European Union. Hungry after the walk, I had a perfect breakfast at Fiorentina, with a selection of Polish ham and cheese, and a really delicious Goats Cheese, Almond, and Honey Omelette.

Ready for my the next train, I headed back to the train station and boarded my second last train journey for this adventure, a 3 hour journey from Krakow to Przemysl. The train was packed with people lining the corridors but fortunately I had a reserved seat (which I didn’t know about and had to get a very helpful old Polish lady to translate for me and point me to the right direction) which was literally next door to where I was. Having rebooked this this journey to an earlier journey to make sure I have enough time to catch the transfer, I arrived at Przemysl 2 hours before the next journey and therefore took a quick stroll up to the old town, castle, and cathedral of Przemysl. Back at the train station of Przemysl, I waited at Platform 5, which has a different track configuration than the other platforms as the last train is a train out of Poland into Ukraine, which is currently outside the European Union. Next on the agenda: border checks – I have my Ukrainian e-visa ready and hopefully I will be granted entry into Ukraine.

Reflecting on the past 7 days, what has been achieved on this trip simply shows how useful free movement is and what open borders could do. As Erasmus would say, more communication is needed and we should all be speaking the same methaphroical language of openness and inclusivity. There are undoubtedly people that will misuse such a system but the disruptive actions of a negligible minority should not lead the discussion on socio-economic integration as the benefits are too vast to ignore. As a person from outside the current union, I have been able to experience first-hand these benefits but if the uncertainty surrounding the status of the UK in EU was not there, I would have already jumped on the opportunity to be directly part of this liberal dream.