Weekend Photo Theme is a weekly photography article where Dale or Franca choose a theme, select 5 pictures to sum that theme up & tie them together with their interests of Architecture, Art, Design & Travel.
It is almost 2 full years since we left the UK to go travelling and started a nomadic life and during this time we have been in various places, we’ve seen a lot, met many people and used various transportation. We still prefer travel by land if we can help not taking a plane, we especially like taking trains; get our books out and enjoy the view from the window.
According to my notes, so far we took something like 90 train rides all over the globe and it is the way of transport we used the most. We experienced a bit of everything, from the super fast bullet trains in Japan to the super slow local 3rd class train in Thailand.
We also like to look at some cool or simply different train stations perhaps with interesting architecture, a fascinating history or simply a unique character. Train stations can be great places especially for people watching and considering we spent quite a bit of time in many stations we collected so many pictures of them. Here is a selection of some cool train station shots that we particularly liked for one reason or another.
Kyoto main train station, Japan
Florence’s Santa Maria Novella Train Station, Italy
Ban Pawai Train Station, Thailand
Berlin Hauptbahnhof Train Staion, Germany
One of many Tokyo’s stations, Japan
Wow! Those Japanese trains look like from the future.
They really do. It’s incredible how punctual they are, a great efficient service indeed.
Always wanted to visit Europe and ride on those great fast trains! London to Paris, of course. But i’m not an affluent man, just average. If y’all are still doing this blog around 2020 or thereabouts, please remember to visit Texas and ride on the first U.S. bullet trains running between Dallas and Houston! Construction is set to begin soon. if I’m still around when service starts, I hope to be one of the first (or second) passengers. I’m not from Texas, by the way….
Europe has some pretty good train connections as you said, but Japanese bullet trains really blew us away. They are so punctual, offer a perfect service, they are super clean and incredibly fast, the only down side is that they are quite pricey at least for us. 🙂
I love train stations! I wrote about my favorite stations in Europe. In your post, I’ve only been to one, to Florence. Japan’s looks wonderful!
Aleah | SolitaryWanderer.com recently posted…Of Angels and Other Stories of Kindness on the Road
Japanese trains and train stations can be really something special depending on what you like. The high speed bullet trains are a dream, such an impeccable service! 🙂
Wow, I also love that last photo. I wish trains would go anywhere, across all borders – I’d take it over the plane any day.
Hey, you guys made a few changes to the theme on the site. Looks sharp!
Frank (bbqboy)
We prefer trains over plains too Frank. We did make some changes to the site, thanks for noticing and we are glad you like the new look 🙂
I love Hua Lamphong train station in Bangkok … touches of modernity combined with the intangible Thai culture that defines the place … miss it so much!
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Hua Lamphong train station is a crazy place James and you described it perfectly 🙂 I don’t personally miss it but I can understand why you do.
can not wait to see the bullet train in Tokoyo. The Berlin one give me such good memories
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If you liked the one in Berlin you absolutely love the Japanese bullet trains, we’ve never seen anything quite like them, such an incredible service and design too.
We LOVE trains!! We haven’t traveled a lot by them in Asia, but we have some great memories from our trip in Ukraine 🙂
Oh, and one less funny, when we were robbed in a night train from Rome to Lecce. We got off with 200 euros lighter, but a guy next door left without his camera and some cash, too… Still, train rides give you one of the most scenic experiences, me thinks 🙂
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Wow, 200 euros! That’s not nice at all, sorry to hear that Ivana! Good job you also have some nice memories when it comes to train trips 🙂
90 train rides! That’s impressive! I love how you kept track – I wish I’d done the same. I love traveling by train, especially the high-speed ones in Japan and China! Now that we’re in Europe, I’ll have to start keeping track of the interesting stations and countryside we travel through. Thanks for the idea!
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Thanks Heather! Train stations can be very interesting places at times, no matter if they are spanking new with cutting hedge architecture or old and full of history.
Love the shots! I have a bit of a love/hate relationship with trains and train stations to be honest – I can get impatient so quickly and hate waiting for the train to arrive and the journey to be over, but then sometimes I do really appreciate being able to sit back and enjoy the views, listen to some music or read a book!
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We do the same when we travel by train, it’s a good time to read a book, listen to music or simply looking out the window. We prefer trains to planes, even if the journey can be longer.
Oh I definitely prefer trains to places – when you compare the too there’s no competition! But I think what I really want at times is an instant teleportation device!
Catherine recently posted…In Photos: Killybegs, An Irish Fishing Port
You’re right Catherine, even if we enjoy slow travel, sometimes we wish we had that instant transportation devise too 🙂
Thank you, Franca! For 4.5 days and than heading to explore more of Spain for the next few weeks. Yep, I’ve got quite a lengthy list of places I’d like to check out and local yums to try 🙂
Nice one! You look well prepared Elena, I’m sure you’ll have great time 🙂
I’m a huge fan of trains too! A while ago been to Kyiv Train Museum with 19th-20th century trains and carriages on display. The best thing is that you can get inside and walk all around the place!
Tokyo trains looks similar to TGV trains in France 🙂
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We have never been or seen a TGV train in France so we take your words for it. We have recently been to a railway museum too in Madrid and it was quite cool considering there also was a flea market held in the same place 🙂
I’ll be in Madrid the whole next week, so gonna definitely check out the train museum. Shame that I gonna miss the flea market as it’s being held this weekend 🙁
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Enjoy Madrid Elena, we loved it a lot! Shame you’ll miss the “Mercado de Motores” but don’t worry, there is so much to do and see in Madrid that you won’t get bored 🙂 How long will you be staying there for?
Yea it’s incredible, isn’t it? We’ve been on the Eurostar and that was the most amazing train ride I’ve had. Can’t wait to go to Japan and experience the train station there. Hubby has been to Tokyo, but I have yet to visit any of the Asian countries.
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We went to many Eurostar trains in Europe too and they are pretty good but nothing compared to the Japanese bullet trains, we were so very impressed! I hope you can experience Japan soon, it will blow your mind 😉
Wow, Kyoto looks amazing and the Japanese bullet train looks like something from the future!! Great shots!!
Sandra (@SandalsDownUnda) recently posted…Winter is coming: Game of Thrones Exhibit in Sydney
The main train station in Kyoto was a great find, we liked its architecture a lot. The bullet trains in Japan were incredibly fast and never late, they were so good that if I didn’t experience them by myself I wouldn’t believe they exist 🙂
Whoa! The last shot from Japan looks quite futuristic. I wonder what the speeds are like on one of those?
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It depends on the kind of bullet train Audrey, they are all pretty fast but apparently the maximum operating speed is 320 km/h for one of the Shinkansen, very impressive isn’t it?