@timrichards@aus.social
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timrichards

@timrichards@aus.social

Travel writer living and working on Wurundjeri land in Melbourne, Australia. Rail travel expert, current books on sale include Heading South and Ultimate Train Journeys: World. See my published writing at iwriter.com.au.

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timrichards, to Switzerland
@timrichards@aus.social avatar

Good morning from Switzerland. A bit damp and moody in interlaken today, though picturesque.

Later today I'll be boarding the GoldenPass Express to Montreux, then joining an international media tour that's exploring the country's lesser-known scenic rail routes.

I'll be writing about the highlights for my patrons at my Patreon, so feel free to join the gang and enjoy: https://www.patreon.com/timrichards

#Switzerland #Train #Trains

stufromoz, to random
@stufromoz@aus.social avatar

They won’t allow people to board in other zones? Karens will go absolutely nuts …

https://www.theguardian.com/business/article/2024/jun/03/qantas-boarding-changes-departure-times-lines-brisbane-airport

timrichards,
@timrichards@aus.social avatar

@stufromoz Hmmm good luck with that. I've never liked that boarding "class system" at US airports in which all the loyalty membership grades go first. And that mucks up the neatness of boarding by area anyway.

timrichards, to Switzerland
@timrichards@aus.social avatar

OK I have finally arrived at my hotel in Interlaken, Switzerland, just in 35 hours since I walked out of my front door in Melbourne, via:

tram
bus
plane
airport shuttle train
plane
airport shuttle train
train
train
on foot

No wonder I'm exhausted! But I approve of the resultant view. :)

#Switzerland

timrichards,
@timrichards@aus.social avatar

@simonvarwell Indeed it is! See attached map. My train came in along the shoreline of the Thunersee yesterday, lovely view.

timrichards,
@timrichards@aus.social avatar

@rcr Already enjoying the late sunsets :)

timrichards, to random
@timrichards@aus.social avatar

Guten tag from Zürich! I zoomed off the plane from Dubai, zipped through passport control, leapt onto a train to the main station and now I'm on a train to Interlaken. Phew. This has been a very long start to my trip.

Good to be back in Switzerland again though, and today's supplementary train trip after the flights from Australia will set me up neatly to board the GoldenPass Express to Montreux tomorrow.

And I'm travelling first class on the Swiss trains, of course. ;)

timrichards, to Travel
@timrichards@aus.social avatar

Off to Switzerland tonight. The problem with a late evening flight is that I get a bit edgy, always watching the clock.

But it's a good set of flights with Emirates, both in Airbus A380s (great planes) and with three hours layover in Dubai. I prefer having three hours there rather than, say, two hours, as it takes a while to get through the airport.

One day I will decide I've had enough of these long flights to Europe and draw a line under them. But not quite yet.

#Travel

timrichards, to melbourne
@timrichards@aus.social avatar

Typical car-brained local business people. The parklet is no doubt bringing them more trade, but oh no, "TEH PARKING!"

Locals love Balwyn cafe parklet Bin 3. Businesses want the three car spaces back

(maybe paywalled) https://www.theage.com.au/national/victoria/locals-love-this-cafe-parklet-businesses-want-the-three-car-spaces-back-20240531-p5ji8u.html

timrichards, to Travel
@timrichards@aus.social avatar

In print today in Traveller (The Age & Sydney Morning Herald) - I write about the joys of visiting laundrettes on your travels. Especially if they're near pubs!

(My words are accompanied by an excellent illustration by Jamie Brown.)

Pick up a print copy today; I'll share if/when it also goes online.

#Travel

davidtoddmccarty, to random
@davidtoddmccarty@me.dm avatar

I really can’t listen to Trump talk. Not even a little. I have a visceral reaction. I’ll read what he had to say but I won’t listen to him. I don’t want that voice anywhere near my head.

timrichards,
@timrichards@aus.social avatar

@davidtoddmccarty Same. What a horrible whiny voice. God knows how his supporters put up with it.

timrichards,
@timrichards@aus.social avatar

@davidtoddmccarty this is where extreme capitalism has got us - people just want someone to tear down the system. Doesn't matter that that's the last thing he'll do. Sigh

Emmacox, to history
@Emmacox@writing.exchange avatar

What other hashtags inspire you on Mastodon or similar?

I recommend you check out

, and inspires me and my creative outlets.

and other creative tags are useful once you filter out those who are only using Mastodon for promotion and never engage with other people. I have no trouble muting words and people to make my feed interesting and inspiring.

I’m sad CWs are rarely used here anymore.

timrichards,
@timrichards@aus.social avatar

@Emmacox is fun - sharing interesting images of windows

timrichards, (edited ) to movies
@timrichards@aus.social avatar

Just saw Wicked Little Letters at Cinema Nova. More a drama than a comedy really, though with plenty of comic touches. Set in 1920, beneath the plot about poison pen letters it has a thing or two to say about the influence of the patriarchy. Entertaining.

#Movies #Film #Britain cc @NarrelleMHarris

timrichards,
@timrichards@aus.social avatar

@treleanor I recognised every single actor in that film! Lots of talent.

si_fuller, to random
@si_fuller@aus.social avatar

At least the walls here are well decorated.

timrichards,
@timrichards@aus.social avatar

@si_fuller That seems very FNQ

timrichards, to random
@timrichards@aus.social avatar

I took this photo of one of the gates of Dubrovnik's old town on this date in 2023. Beautiful place.

#Dubrovnik

timrichards, to art
@timrichards@aus.social avatar

Banished to an underground chamber! Poor Mona.

The plan to save Leonardo da Vinci’s Mona Lisa from crass crowds and Instagrammers at the Louvre in Paris

(maybe paywalled) #Art https://www.smh.com.au/world/europe/the-plan-to-save-the-mona-lisa-from-crass-crowds-and-instagrammers-20240530-p5jhtx.html

graffekta, to random
@graffekta@mastodon.social avatar

In a moment of weakness I signed up for Threads and literally everyone I checked in on who requested to follow me does not post or has not posted since launch. lol.

timrichards,
@timrichards@aus.social avatar

@graffekta That's reassuring. It feels like people here have been posting less lately, but I can't deal with anything with an algorithm so here I stay.

timrichards, to random
@timrichards@aus.social avatar

Nice. About time South Korea got more attention, it's a great place to visit.

The next Japan: The hot new destination Aussies are flocking to
https://www.smh.com.au/traveller/inspiration/the-next-japan-the-other-exciting-asian-country-aussies-are-flocking-to-20240524-p5jgfk.html

timrichards, to random
@timrichards@aus.social avatar

Sounds like a good idea. Too many building owners are happy to let them sit empty for ages.

City of Port Phillip to increase rates for empty shops in bid to fill them
https://www.theage.com.au/national/victoria/empty-shops-face-tripled-council-rates-in-a-bid-to-fill-them-20240529-p5jhny.html

timrichards, to random
@timrichards@aus.social avatar

Ugh I was just a bit rude to a charity cold caller and I feel slightly ashamed. But I really wish they wouldn't call. How can you trust them not to be scammers anyway?

timrichards,
@timrichards@aus.social avatar

@augustusbrown Unfortunately charities are exempt from the register

timrichards, to auspol
@timrichards@aus.social avatar

Who privatises their national postal service? Even the neoliberals here never tried that on with Australia Post. https://mastodon.social/@DaveWhittle/112525629963030503

timrichards,
@timrichards@aus.social avatar

@Salvo @DaveWhittle Most of the couriers are bloody awful, especially Aramex.

andreaswiedenhoff, to sydney
@andreaswiedenhoff@rail.chat avatar

Boarding the #IndianPacific 🇦🇺 at #Sydney Central. The train is almost 30 cars long. The 4,352 km long journey to #Perth, on the other end of #Australia, will last 65 hours they say. Plenty of mileage ahead then. And what a beautiful train!

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timrichards,
@timrichards@aus.social avatar

@tml @andreaswiedenhoff The Ghan from Adelaide to Darwin sometimes gets longer, up to 37 carriages - almost 1km long.

austern, to Eugene
@austern@sfba.social avatar

Seen this morning at the University of Oregon on-campus convenience store. Our long national nightmare is over.

#sriracha #UniversityOfOregon #Eugene

timrichards,
@timrichards@aus.social avatar

@austern @Adam_Cadmon1 Was it running low?

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