Wed, Jul 17, 2019
Philippe begins his winter journey in Gruyères: a little medieval town with a castle in the canton de Fribourg.The region is famous because its cheese: the Gruyère.Philippe takes now a train in which the passengers are eating fondue: instead of eating the fondue at home or in a restaurant, they sit in this train, enjoy the landscape and eat fondue in train with theirs parents or friends.Later near Montbovon Philippe goes to a forest ad meets there a group of men and women who are walking and doing exercises in the snow, they wear only bath suits.The leader of the group explains that this way they improve their physical and mental resistance.Then Philippe travels to Saint-Moritz, a very famous resort: there he can see skiers pulled by horses in the snow.He goes to a bobsleigh track and lives the experience of going down the bobsleigh track.Then Philippe goes to the Vallée de Joux, a place in the Swiss Jura mountains and meets there a master watchmaker, Philippe Dufour, a man who produces automatic and fine watches.Later Philippe is in Grindelwald where he takes the rack train to the Jungfraujoch station (3.454 meters above sea level) with a beautiful panorama on the Aletsch glacier.Finally Philippe goes to Lausanne and in the night he goes to the cathedral and meets the "guet": since 600 years there is a man in the tower of the cathedral who tells the hour and wishes to the people a good night.
Wed, Jul 24, 2019
Beginning of the journey at Urbina (3.610 meters above sea level): Philippe takes then the touristic train to Quito.Very pleasant talk with the barman of the dining-car about altitude sickness: for the people who feel weak coca leaves beverage and a breath of oxygen.In the suburbs of Quito , a place of pilgrimage El Quinche : the Virgin of El Quinche is the patron of the drivers: a young priest explains Philippe the devotion of the Ecuatorian people and is blessing on Saturday and on Sunday about 1.000 vehicles.In Quito Philippe visits la Compania, a church whose inside is covered with gold and Philippes explains also a painting about the capital sins.Philippe goes now to the Nariz del Diablo; a place where the train is climbing a mountain (800 meters of difference) making zig-zag.Then a salt to the Ecuatorian Amazonia: where Philippe discovers how Indians live in harmony with the nature: they offer him beetle larvae.Return to the Andes: between Urbina and Ambato: a bus ha been adapted with wheels of train to circulate on the railway tracks.Two bikers follow the train and protect the train at the levels crossings.Finally Philippe meets Carolina, a famous female healer who receive a lot of people and treat them with medicinal herbs.
Wed, Jul 31, 2019
The journey of Philippe begins in Sihanoukville where he takes his first train (the railway net has been restored in 2016).In the train Cambodian women invite Philippe to eat rice with dried fish.A young Cambodian man, travelling with his fiancee explains Philippe the nature of Cambodian people: kind people who look for the peace.At Kampot Philippe sees a lot of different animals in the market and decides to visit a family who lives in a small village: there all family is looking for tarantulas, Philippe sees how they catch the tarantulas and how later they prepare and eat them (these tarantula are also considered as a medicine).Then Philippe arrives at Phnom Penh and goes to the market where the women can receive facial care and manicure.Philippe leaves Phnom Penh in train and meets an old lady who speaks with him about the Khmer Rouge era (the forgiveness is necessary for living in peace).Near Battambang Philippe visits a small village among the rice fields: there he meets a man with a breeding boar who invites him to see his work.On the return he sees the Bamboo train, a small touristic train and goes later to Angkor: among the monuments he meets a Buddhist monk who has come to find here the quietness and the silence to pray.Last stop of Philippe: the Tonle Sap Lake, the greatest sweet water lake of Southeast Asia: there thousands of families live on floating houses that they move depending on the level of the sea.Philippe is invited to dinner and the man speaks with him about the solidarity and the kindness between all the families which live there.
Wed, Aug 7, 2019
A travel with a lot of surprises.Beginning of the travel in Tirana.Philippe asks for the train station, but the this train doesn't exist anymore, he must travel to a suburb called Shakar.Then it's seems that he will be alone in the train, but finally he meets a woman was controller in the train, they speak about trains in Albania (less people are now taking the trains) and she prepares for Philippe a Turkish coffee.Near Elbasan Philippe meets a farmer who is harvesting potatoes.The farmer has a cow and on the next he will try to sell in the local market.Then Philippe returns to Tirana: in the train he speak with a old man about the communist period in Albania.At Tirna Philippe wants to eat something, a pleasant couple propose him to eat the grilled head of a sheep.Then again in the train, to see the town of Berat and then towards the lake of Koman.Philippe will cross the lake on bus-ship, a ship with the bodywork of a bus (so in the winter the passengers doesn't feel the cold weather).Finally Philippe takes to the train going to Durrës and he meets Laly : when Laly's brother died she followed the tradition of Albanian families that a young woman becomes head of the family and will behave as a man: So Laly has always feel herself as man, she is dressed as a man and goes to a barber for her hair cut.
Wed, Aug 14, 2019
Beginning of the travel in Tozeur in the south of Tunisia.Philippe Meets a stone seller who explains him how the sand rose (or desert rose) is growing.Then on the next they go to the desert to look for meteorite stones.They stay looking at the landscape. Then we go to Tunis and take a train to Sidi Bou Saïd, where the "Café des Délices" is famous .Return to Tunis Philippe meets a music teacher and a group of muezzins: the men speak about their vocation.Later a little travel in the presidential train of the former president Habib Bourguiga:In this train women are singing and dancing.And then the last stop en Douz: Philippe goes to the local market of animals and is invited to sheep-shearing: all the family meet together, they shear the sheep with scissors and then they eat couscous.An important family meeting.
Wed, Aug 21, 2019
Philippe arrives at London by the Eurostar train.Philipp takes a taxi and the driver Tommy begins to speak with Philippe about the taxi system in London (the best cars and the best drivers).Then Philip and Tommy goes to taxi shelter, a little green cabin with a restaurant where the licensed taxi drivers take a coffee or eat a meal.Two women prepare every day 150 meals.To get their license the taxi drivers must study very hard: once they get the license they are their own bosses.Then Philippe makes a short travel on the northern Bell, a luxury train where English people to take their Sunday roast beef: a first class service.Then Philippe travels to the north of England where he meets a special gardener who is making chairs, tables with living trees.Then a stop at Canterburg where Philippe meets a juvenile choir of the cathedral (very nice voices).Then a escape to the south of England: there he meets two men recollecting several excrement of animals and want to create a museum dedicated to the excrement.Philippe has met a lot of interesting people who enjoy their jobs or their hobbies.
Wed, Aug 28, 2019
Beginning of the journey in the region of Matina (north of Costa Rica): a railway line used only by freight trains.But the villagers have boards with wheels to move them goods.Philippe meets a family carrying a sick cow on their board with wheels.Suddenly a freight train arrives and they take off the cow and the board with wheels.Then Philippe is in San José, the capital (1.200 meters above sea level,about 2 millions of inhabitants).He goes to a suburb of the capital; there is an arena where Philippe meets Lynsy a young woman who practices bull rodeo (there are now 4-4 women practicing this sport in Costa Rica).Then Philippe goes the railway station for Cartago: a statue of the Sacred Heart of Jessus where some passengers pray before their travel.In the train to Cartago; interesting talk about "pura vida" (an optimist sentence: everything goes well,have a positive mind).At Cartago Philippe visits the Cathedralof Our Lady of the Angels , then travels to Puerto Viejo de Talamanca: near this town Philippe meets Sebastian, an Cabécar Indian who invites him to visit the jungle and to catch poisonous snakes: Sebastian learns to the people how to behave with serpents.Later Philippe is in an banana plantation, no trains, but cable car pulled by mule: a mule can pull 75 bunches of bananas on this cable system.Philippes makes a salt at the Pacific Coast and takes a little touristic train in Caldera.Then in the province of Nicoya Philippe meets Don Pacito ,an 104 years old man riding on a horse and who goes to the birthday of his girlfriend , Dora , who is 100 years old; there is a birthday celebration with music (marimba), cakes and pleasant talks about this place where about 5 % of the population are 100 years old (strong family ties, good local food and the pleasure to be together).