Great Continental Railway Journeys

Armed with his 1913 Continental Railway Guide, Michael Portillo embarks on a Greek odyssey from Athens’ port of Piraeus north to the city of Thessaloniki, captured the year before from the Ottoman Turks, who had ruled much of Greece for 400 years. Exploring the Acropolis and delighting in the tastes of moussaka and baklava, Michael discovers the many influences at play in the creation of modern Greece – from its classical past to the oriental Ottomans and the Great European Powers of Britain, France and Russia. Along the way, Michael discovers the parlous state of Greek finances at the time of his guidebook. He learns how an aristocratic English poet became a Greek national hero and relives Greek athletic victory at the first modern Olympic games. Travelling through the Corinth Canal, Michael finds out about the surprisingly ancient origins of the modern railway. In Delphi, he discovers how at the turn of the 20th century an entire village was removed in order to excavate the site of the oracle. Boarding one of the narrowest gauge railways in the world, the Little Train of Pelion, Michael travels to the village of Milies, where he learns about the place of the Orthodox church in Greek national life. Michael ends his journey in Thessaloniki, where in 1913, Greece’s King George I was assassinated.

With his 1913 Bradshaw’s in hand, Michael Portillo ventures deep into The Black Forest on a quest to discover the essence of Germany and discovers how Hansel and Gretel helped to unify the nation. A humbling master class in carving cuckoo clocks shows him how the nation’s reputation for quality and reliability in manufacturing was established from the early 18th century. A romantic stop at the ruined Schloss in Heidelberg follows before Michael gets an insider’s guide to share-dealing on the Frankfurt Stock Exchange. At Goettingen University, Michael discovers two sides of student life at the turn of the 20th century – the duelling fraternities and the ground-breaking scientists, who laid the foundation for Germany’s world class transport technology today. Braving the force of the Goettingen wind tunnel, Michael investigates the track where model trains are fired at up to 360km per hour.

Steered by his 1913 Bradshaw’s Guide, Michael Portillo returns to Spain to trace the early 20th century roots of the Spanish Civil War, which divided his Spanish family and sent his father into exile. He discovers a nation fractured at the time by social tensions and regional loyalties, which today offer a rich diversity of cultures to delight the tourist. Special dispensation to fly to the Balearic island of Mallorca allows Michael to spoil himself rotten with spectacularly scenic rides aboard a sublime 1912 vintage railway and a 1913 tram. On his travels, he is trampled underfoot at the bottom of a Catalan “people steeple” and learns to make the perfect paella. He pays homage to the genius of Barcelona’s most famous architect, and meets the man responsible for finishing off Antoni Gaudi’s life’s work. And he discovers a beautiful art nouveau Palace of Music with an emotional history.

Steered by his 1913 Continental Railway Guide, Michael Portillo travels one of the most stunning rail routes of the world, through the former Russian empire from the Black Sea to the Caspian Sea, taking in present-day Georgia and Azerbaijan. Following the historic Trans-Caucasus Railway, Michael begins in the port of Batumi on the dazzling Caucasian Riviera. He savours the soul of Georgia in its wine and discovers a surprise nineteenth century tea plantation in the West Georgian countryside. The seat of power beckons in Kutaisi, home to the wonderful glass dome built for the Parliament of Georgia when it moved here from the capital, Tbilisi, in 2012. At the medieval convent of Gelati, Michael sees how magnificent frescoes are being painstakingly restored and finds out about the most powerful king in Georgian history. The daring rail line, built in the late nineteenth century to haul oil across the Caucasus from Baku to Batumi reveals grand views from viaducts and passes through a 4 km long tunnel blasted through mountain rock. Arriving in Tbilisi Michael is struck by the warm welcome of Georgians and is invited to a wedding, where he experiences the legendary feast, known as a supra. At a private museum dedicated to the life of the most infamous Georgian, Joseph Stalin, Michael asks how Georgians today feel about the former dictator of the Soviet Union. From Tbilisi Michael takes a trip along the 120 mile Georgian Military Road, built by the colonising Russian army in the early nineteenth century. Skirting disputed Georgian territory occupied by Russians today, Michael discovers that a Briton was the first to conquer the highest mountain in the Caucasus range. To capture his own view of the mighty Mount Kazbek, Michael boards a helicopter to soar above the 5,000 metre peak first climbed in 1868. The overnight service from Tbilisi to Baku proves comfortable and delivers Michael safely to Azerbaijan, known as the ‘land of fire’ because of the natural gas which seeps from the ground and ignites the hills. In Baku, Michael is treated to a thrilling display of Chovgan, the national horseback game of Azerbaijan. He finishes his journey at the vast Sangachal oil and gas terminal, one of the world’s largest, and discovers how the oil industry began here during the nineteenth century.

Michael Portillo sports a strikingly modern edition of his Bradshaw's Continental Handbook, dated 1936. His destination lies close to his heart: the ancient kingdom of Spain and land of his father.

Beginning in historic Orleans, Michael follows his Bradshaw's guide to the magnificent stained-glass windows of the Cathedral of Sainte-Croix, which tell the story of the heroine of France, Joan of Arc. The image of the saintly teenage warrior endures as a symbol of resistance, and her life is celebrated in an annual parade. Michael meets her modern-day incarnation.