Today the Irish National Archives has made available the records from the first census conducted by the Irish Free State in 1926, now that it is its 100th anniversary.
I've already spent several hours down this fascinating rabbit hole.
nationalarchives.ie
The Europe Explored website now has an index with links to posts, sorted by country and year. The index can reached from the from a link at the top of every page.
europeexplored.travel.blog/index/
Concluding my time in Switzerland with mountains and snow. Also, a controversial mountaineering accident still being argued about a century and a half later, following in the footsteps of J.R.R. Tolkien a century later, and being disappointed by a museum being revisited nearly half a century later.
Concluding my time in Switzerland with mountains and snow. Also, a controversial mountaineering accident still being argued about a century and a half later, following in the footsteps of J.R.R. Tolkien a century later, and being disappointed by a museum being revisited nearly half a century later.
They didn't even have them back in communist times, when I went that way - but it was one country then. Thanks for the warning, I am planning to take that route myself next month.
CERN, Red Cross, UN, Jet d'Eau, Impressionism, raclette, Olympics, Roman remains, Albert Einstein, funicular railway, federal parliament, decorated water fountains, The Goldfish, an octagonal church tower, a murder on a castle staircase.
And that's before I even get to the Swiss Alps!
CERN, Red Cross, UN, Jet d'Eau, Impressionism, raclette, Olympics, Roman remains, Albert Einstein, funicular railway, federal parliament, decorated water fountains, The Goldfish, an octagonal church tower, a murder on a castle staircase.
And that's before I even get to the Swiss Alps!
Missed you by a day! I left Basel when the Lyria was running yesterday, although previously I have arrived in Basel on the TER from Mulhouse.
Now through the Channel Tunnel (but six minutes late) and speeding across the Kent countryside towards London. So it's time to post a visualisation of where I've been.
Sadly, it is time to go home on a Eurostar with filthy windows that look like haven't been washed for a while.
It was a good job that they let me in earlier than stated on my timed ticket, as nearly fours later, feeling slightly overwhelmed, and still not everything seen, I needed to leave.
(Hopefully, the selection below meets the Bluesky rules of not having a hint of naked flesh!)
I have come to the Musée d'Orsay, in the former Quai d'Orsay railway station, that contains probably the largest collection of Impressionist art in the world.
I have arrived in Paris, where it is rather cloudier and cooler than when I was here ten days ago.
Without stopping, the train has passed through Dijon, where I spent some time on my way to Basel four years ago. The charming historic capital of Burgundy is well worth a visit.
Day 10. Time to leave Basel (& Switzerland) from Basel SBB station, with its lovely murals.
Basel is such an interesting city that, in retrospect even though I had been before, I wish that had scheduled more time here this time.
Basel Münster sits besides the Rhine. Built of red sandstone, the current church dates back to the 12th century. Among others who are buried there are the philosopher Erasmus and the mathematician Jacob Bernoulli.
I have arrived in Basel. As I was here four years ago, I'm just using it as a staging post today.
Last time I was here, the Town Hall (Rathaus) was unndergoing renovation and was covered in scaffolding. I'm pleased that it can now be seen in its splendour.
Time to leave Luzern. Catching a Südostbahn train that has come from Locarno on Lake Maggiore.
Luzern station burned down in 1971 and the replacement opened in 1991, with just the original entrance arch remaining.
In 1983, I arrived overnight from Florence & departed on a night train to Calais.
Luzern city museum is slightly odd. Housed in two separate buildings that were once the city's arsenal, one has displays on the region's geology & fauna. The other is the historical section, but is just the archives, a bit higgledy-piggledy, with each item labelled with a barcode you can scan.
Day 9. It was snowing when I awoke in Luzen, but by the time I set off it was just light sleet. Before anything opened, I walked through the historic centre of Luzern, criss-crossing the Reuss River using the ancient Kapellbrücke and Spruerbrücke.
My planned explore of the centre of Luzern was postponed due to the weather.
Instead, I viewed the Bourbaki Panorama, a massive cylindrical painting depicting the defeated French army in the Franco-Prussian war, led by General Bourbaki, seeking sanctuary in Switzerland.
While I was in the transport museum, the weather suddenly took a turn for the worse - windy and torrential rain. I got rather wet before I could retrieve my umbrella from the lockers.
Just made it through the rain in time to catch the hourly ferry back to centre of Luzern.
Being a creature of habit, I went first to where I went last time - the Swiss Transport Museum. Back then it also had a postal section. Also, it used to be free for Interrail passholders, which it isn't anymore. I didn't think it was as good - less railway history, more cars, & more gimmicks.
After skipping Zürich because I had been there before, I have come to somwhere else I have been to previously: Luzern (or Lucerne, as the English like to call it). However, in the case of Luzern, I was last here in 1983, 43 years ago.
Let's see what's changed!
After coming along the shores of the Walensee & the Zürichsee, I have arrived in Zürich. As I visted Zürich in 2022, I'm not stopping off, just changing trains. However, as it's right next to the station, I had a look at the outside of the Swiss National Museum, where I spent an afternoon last time.
Thanks for the tip, but sadly won't have time on this trip.
Unlike Zermatt, there are a number of railway lines emanating from St Moritz, so I have left by a different route. Changing trains at Landquart, reached by the 19km long Vereina tunnel.
It is noticeable how the snow is now disappearing from the south-facing slopes.
Day 8. As the Cresta Run has now closed for the season and I won't be able to hurtle down it on a tin tray, I guess that I had better leave St Moritz.
I have been blessed with lovely weather in the mountains, as only few days ago the forecast was for rain and snow.
St Moritz is in Grisons canton, which is the only canton in Switzerland to have three official languages (German/Italian/Romansch) - ironic, therefore, that it is known in English by its French name. It is the only canton to have Romansch as an official language. In St Moritz over 20% use Italian.
The terminus of the Glacier Express is St Moritz. The station is by the same-named lake, which is largely frozen at the moment. However, the main town is higher up. Like Siena, in Italy, there are a series of escalators to take you from the station to the level of the town.
