Episode list

After a long railway history, Guatemala has gradually lost its trains. Philippe Gougler discovers that new lines are under construction, and finds in working order, machines made from bricks and mortar transporting drinking water by rail, or new trains to the capital Guatemala City. Guatemala also abounds in grandiose landscapes: active volcanoes on which amazing pizzas cook, the magnificent Lake Atitlán, and of course the site of Tikal, its ancient Mayan city and fascinating temples nestling in the heart of a mysterious forest.

A nice journey of Philippe Gougler from Rome (so many monuments, the famous Trevi Fountain, the walk near the aqueduct and the meeting with the mayoral candidate dressed as the emperor Nero and the arrival at the Roma Termini Station) to Norcia-province of Perugia- ( most of the buildings have been destroyed by the earthquake of 2016, the priest Davide living in a prefabricated housing, his use of "YouTube and Innstagram, the record of videos with the people of the town about the life and the happiness) passing by Sansepolcro-province of Arezzo-( the travel by the Italo high speed train, the talk with the train conductor about this Ferrarri train, the crossbow competition between two neighborhood of the town) by Brisighella -province of Ravenna- (the regional train, the talk with a Tuscan lady about the beauty of Tuscany, of the landscapes and of the people, the Renaissace with Michelangelo and Leonardo da Vinci, the arrival at Brisghella, Beatrice-the queen of the fresh home made pastas-) by the "Dante" train to Ravenna (the talk with guide about the poet Dante ) by Florence (the visit of the Duomo of Fñlorence, the Carrara marble) and by Carrara -province of Massa and Carrara-(the white mountain, the marble quarry, the heavy weight of the marble blocks, the workshop of the sculptor Diego).

Philippe Gougler sets off for the Dominican Republic, Haiti's Caribbean neighbor. Although the island is not renowned for its rail network, he nevertheless finds small trains hidden in salt flats or sugar cane fields, away from the beaches. Off the beaten track and far from the postcard, he discovers the soul of the Dominicans. On the program: the beaches of Punta Cana, Santo Domingo and its voodoo festivals, dancing subways, unexpected trains and a wedding like no other.

Philippe Gougler is about to make one of his dreams come true: to discover the depths of Siberia, in the middle of winter, aboard the Trans-Siberian Railway. But this trip doesn't offer the luxury you'd expect, as the globetrotter has chosen the everyday Trans-Siberian, the one Russians use to cross Siberia for the price of a Paris-Lyon ticket. On the agenda: Yakutsk, the coldest city in the world, the mythical Lake Baikal and Vladivostok, Russia's easternmost city.

Philippe Gougler discovers a little-known Greece, often forgotten by tourists. His journey begins in Larissa, a small provincial station where a priest blesses trains. In Thessalonica, Philippe meets leech fishermen. In the Mount Pelion region, he takes a train that climbs the mountain and offers superb views of the sea. Next, the globetrotter heads for Athens, for a slightly different approach to the ancient city, before taking the train to visit the Corinth Canal. After a detour to the Cyclades, Philippe concludes his journey by meeting an old lady, the guardian of an isolated island.

In Mexico, Philippe Gougler travels on a very special kind of train: the truck, a horse-drawn wooden wagon that takes passengers through the forests of Yucatan. After discovering the capital, Mexico City, he travels aboard two mythical trains. The first, a luxury train called El Chepe, departs from Chihuahua station and passes through breathtaking scenery. Further south, the Tequila train takes passengers through Agave fields to the village of Tequila. Finally, Philippe couldn't leave Mexico without attending the traditional festival of the dead: Dia de los Muertos, in Patzcuaro.

A nice journey of Philippe from the island of Spitzberg in the Svalbard archipelago (the visit of the coal mine with the little train, Longyearbyen, the meeting with the Lutheran female priest in the church-the rifle for the protection against the bears-the chalet, the mass in the open air-the moment of friendliness with the Norwegian people and the eating of sausages) to the railway track in the forest-the rail bicycle- and the Namsen Salmon and Train Experience (the fishermen eating and sleeping in the train on the bridge-the best salmon river of Norway) passing by the ghost town of Pyramiden (the treaty of Svalbard of 1920, the Soviet coal mine settlement with its theater, swimming pool, schools and houses, the showcase, the closing of the mine in 1998, the visit of the mine with Johan), by the railway station of Lonsdal-Luonosvagge (the station master giving a cup of coffee to Philippe, the daily life of the station master), by the travel by train (the talk with the knitting women-the tradition to knit warm sweaters for the winter-) and by the Lofoten Islands (the beautiful landscapes of mountains and of the sea, the cod fishing).

Beginning of the journey in Vatnahalsen: Philippe takes the train to Flam going down to a fjord.There Philippe goes to a village: nobody in the streets, all the villagers are near the fjord celebrating the summer solstice or St-John's Day: interesting talk: in the village all people know and help each other and they have pleasure to be together in this large summer evening.Then Philippe goes to the Geiranger fjord: in 1905 and 1936 big parts of the mountains have fallen into the fjord: there is an important geological fault and the risk of a tsunami with a 84 meters high wave.At Andalsnej Philippe takes the train for a long distance (500 kilometers within 8 hours): comfort and simplicity (cozy atmosphere): in the dining-car Philippe speaks with the barman who recommends him the burger with moose meat.At Bergen Philippe enjoys the landscape: the wooden houses and the nice weather (Bergen is usually a very rainy town).In the countryside Philippe visits wooden houses with green roofs: the owner of one of these houses explains that a lot of Norwegian families have a secondary residence.Then Philippe goes to an island where Sven Magnus shows him fermented fish in salted water (the fish is called saithe in English and lieu noir en French) and they taste a 6 years old fermented fish.Then Philippe arrives at Ustaoset: in a little supermarket he meets Olaf the Viking.On the way to the Viking village Olaf shows Philippe nettles that he will use for a soup.About 70 persons are living in this Viking village.Olaf is the holding (village chief): they meet the smith who produces axes, knives; then Olaf invites Philippe for the supper: nettle soup and pork meat cooked with apples an honey, and as beverage mead.Philippe enjoys a pleasant talk about the Vikings who have been described as terrible warriors by the people who have been invaded by them.