Lead Review
- Book: Slow Trains Around Spain
- Location: Spain
- Author: Tom Chesshyre
“Planes have a lot to answer for (even when you do not consider all those fumes). Trains, I think we can all agree, are so much nicer.”
The author hops on the Eurostar train in London, and pops up in Spain – no surprise there, given the title. The focus, for sure, is on the actual train travel and the sliding and changing vistas and it will of course inspire readers to follow in his footsteps.
He enters Spain from France and the first major stop is Figueres, just over the Border, which of course is known for all things Dalí. It is here that he first comes across the Spanish penchant for doling out maps at the drop of a hat.
It’s not possible to be in Catalonia without referencing Ernest Hemingway, and the Catalan desire for independence, capturing the smouldering issues in the narrative. It’s on to Blanes and round to Huesca which, he candidly admits, allows him to feed his obsession with George Orwell and visit some of the Spanish Civil War trenches. It was here that Orwell was fighting and was shot in the neck – had he succumbed to his wound there would have been no Nineteen Eighty-Four or Animal Farm, which is quite a sobering thought.
Then it’s on to Pamplona where the bull running takes place. Sixteen bull runners have died between 1910 and 2009 and it is huge business. He discovers the delights of trawling the local gift shops and here he discovers the dubious delights of miermerienda – in other words, snacks shaped like bull turds. He notes that Valencia station “..is a good one..” with which I can only concur and is definitely worth a visit (it’s a fine example of Valencian Art Nouveau, built in 1917). Valencia, Spain’s third city, is his gateway to the Mediterranean and clearly one of his favourite stops (with no over tourism, truly an overlooked city, which is great for anyone who is familiar with this little gem).
You will learn why, historically, the train gauges in Spain differ from those of many Western European countries (although that is changing now). You will discover a tailor’s shop on a station, the quirky nature of platform numbering and encounter a multitude of people along the way (including Philip) who add colour to his trip.
In the Afterword, written in January 2021, the author reflects on the impact of Covid 19 and how we have become “armchair travellers” born of necessity. Reading this delightful odyssey through Spain is certainly one way to travel by book and vicariously enjoy this beautiful country. Three thousand miles and 52 train rides later, he completes his trip in the South of Spain. His last night is spent in Ronda enjoying the ‘ultimate’ Spanish experience, to wit attending a flamenco performance.
The author has an engaging writing style that clacks on nicely as the wheels of the trains turn. He certainly transports the reader to the quieter life of slow train travel.
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