# Die Schönsten Bahnstrecken



## Grandma (Nov 18, 2014)

I was searching for something on Youtube a few years ago and I stumbled across some videos with this title. They were completely unrelated to my search, but I looked anyway, and was hooked by my 3rd one. 
In the early 2000s Germany's national rail system, Deustche Bahn, made "train driver's view" videos, mainly in Germany, but in other countries as well. The videos eventually wound up on Youtube. DB subsequently yanked most of them for copyright violations even though they are not commercially available.
So the train drivers made their own videos. Great stuff. Nearly all of it is in Europe and Japan. There are almost no US train rides, what's there is pretty lame, sadly.

I found the better rides to be very beautiful and relaxing, most excellent for relieving stress. Please join me on some beautiful train rides.


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## Grandma (Nov 18, 2014)

We'll start with a very old one, Edison-era, filmed somewhere in Europe. The song "Dance of the Wind Fairies" is not by Jethro Tull or Ritchie Blackmore, but by a guy named Greg Joy.

Enjoy.


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## Gracie (Nov 18, 2014)

Got a link to a few of your favs?
I have heard of this before and watched a few but its been awhile.


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## Gracie (Nov 18, 2014)

I want some in glorious color!


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## Mr. H. (Nov 18, 2014)

Yeah where's the newer shit?


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## Grandma (Nov 18, 2014)

Gracie said:


> Got a link to a few of your favs?
> I have heard of this before and watched a few but its been awhile.



I'm going to post all he best ones here in this thread.


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## Grandma (Nov 18, 2014)

Now it's time for Norway to blow your mind:


(I turned the sound down for this one.)


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## Mr. H. (Nov 18, 2014)

Yeah pretty cool.


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## Gracie (Nov 18, 2014)

Their choice of music sucks. I put some Enya on, instead, lol.


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## Gracie (Nov 18, 2014)

I wanna take a train ride in Norway!


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## Gracie (Nov 18, 2014)

Having it on full screen with Enya playing is so soothing!


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## Grandma (Nov 18, 2014)

The United Arab Emirates (UAE) is running out of oil. To keep the money flowing in they've decided to create the resort town to end all resort towns, Dubai. Once nothing but miles of sand by the sea, it's now a booming and very modern metropolis with some very very cool architecture.
There are 2 tramlines serving the city, the red line and the green line. Both are 100% automated - there's no one driving the trains.

This is a ride on the red line:


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## Grandma (Nov 18, 2014)

More tomorrow.


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## Gracie (Nov 18, 2014)

I like the train rides that show beautiful countryside. Like the Norway one. 
Looking forward to tomorrow!


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## Luddly Neddite (Nov 19, 2014)

Trains are wonderful for traveling. We took the train from Paris to the south of France to Carcassonne and then again, all the way to Brussels. Probably the best trip I've ever taken.

If you want to see a magical place, google images of Carcassonne. Just incredible. Its Camelot made real.

Thanks for a really nice thread, Grandma


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## Grandma (Nov 19, 2014)

One of my favorites, from Domodossola in northern Italy to Locarno in southern Switzerland. Best viewed in full screen.

The stops last a while, so pause the video and move ahead a little at a time until the "I do not like waiting" box disappears from the upper left corner.


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## Grandma (Nov 19, 2014)

Beautiful Carcassonne:


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## Grandma (Nov 20, 2014)

A nice tram ride in Gera, Germany:


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## Statistikhengst (Nov 20, 2014)

Grandma said:


> A nice tram ride in Gera, Germany:




*I have ridden precisely that tram! * Gera is the home of Zeiss optics and also a wonderful, older planetarium. My then-wife and I spent Silvester (New Year's Eve) there in 2001 going into 2002. That was also the night for the paper currency changeover from the Deutsche Mark to the EURO (the electronic changeover was 1999 going into 2000), so the next morning, ATMs had lines of people in front of them, wanting to pull out the new currency. I will never forget feeling that first 50 EURO bill in my hand. I also sang a number of run-out concerts with the Brandenburger Philharmonie and the Anhaltisches Orchestra Dessau in Gera from 1998-2003.

Gera is one of the more beautiful small cities in the former East Germany. And although the trams are great, you can get to almost everywhere on foot. It's also cold as hell there in winter, one of the coldest spots in all of Germany.

If anyone ever goes to visit Germany and wants to see some of the former E. Germany, then Gera, Leipzig, Dresden, Berlin and Usedom Island would be 5 places I would recommend immediately.

Grandma - thanks for making this cool thread. Awesome.


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## Grandma (Nov 20, 2014)

There are lots more vids to come.


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## Statistikhengst (Nov 20, 2014)

Good! !

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## Grandma (Nov 20, 2014)

A late winter ride from Kaiserlautern to Bad Kreuznach (over Eselsfurth.)


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## Grandma (Nov 20, 2014)

This is so beautiful - Arlberg, Austria:


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## Grandma (Nov 20, 2014)

Brocken, in central Germany, is the country's highest peak. Long ago it was used by the local pagans for rituals, more recently it was a spy radio hub for the Soviets.
Now it's a mega tourist attraction, served exclusively by steam trains.


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## Grandma (Nov 20, 2014)

Another beautiful ride, this time in Switzerland:


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## Grandma (Nov 20, 2014)

There's a fab little ski resort on the Czech Republic/ Poland border where all the locals go. So what if there's a little bit of snow on the tracks, we'll plow it off as we go along!


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## Grandma (Nov 21, 2014)

The Berlin Strassenbahn uses the historic 3rd rail subway trains from the East/West days. 
This is the Stadtbahn Weskreus - Ostbanhof.


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## Grandma (Nov 21, 2014)

30 years ago this ride was in East Germany. It goes from east Berlin to Frankfurt Oder.

When the Soviets took over East Germany, they changed the names of some towns to copy existing cities. So Frankfurt Oder (Other) is _not_ the _real_ Frankfurt. The real Frankfurt is in the southwest corner of Germany.


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## Grandma (Nov 22, 2014)

Real Frankfurt is much more modern and urban.
(Sorry about the focus, this guy always posts low-quality vids.)


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## Grandma (Nov 22, 2014)

Here's a much nicer ride, in 2 parts. Part 1 takes a bit, but after 20 minutes or so you'll find yourself next to the Rhine, passing through a series of Olde Townes with castles all over the place.


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## Grandma (Nov 22, 2014)

And here's Part 2:


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## Mertex (Nov 22, 2014)

Grandma said:


> Beautiful Carcassonne:



So neat.....reminds me of some of the places I see on The Amazing Race.


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## Mertex (Nov 22, 2014)

Don't know if this one has been posted....thought it was appropriate for this time of the year


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## Derideo_Te (Nov 22, 2014)

Awesome thread Grandma


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## Mertex (Nov 22, 2014)




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## Dot Com (Nov 22, 2014)

Grandma said:


> The United Arab Emirates (UAE) is running out of oil. To keep the money flowing in they've decided to create the resort town to end all resort towns, Dubai. Once nothing but miles of sand by the sea, it's now a booming and very modern metropolis with some very very cool architecture.
> There are 2 tramlines serving the city, the red line and the green line. Both are 100% automated - there's no one driving the trains.
> 
> This is a ride on the red line:


air conditioned platforms from the look of it.


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## Grandma (Nov 22, 2014)

Grandma said:


> The United Arab Emirates (UAE) is running out of oil. To keep the money flowing in they've decided to create the resort town to end all resort towns, Dubai. Once nothing but miles of sand by the sea, it's now a booming and very modern metropolis with some very very cool architecture.
> There are 2 tramlines serving the city, the red line and the green line. Both are 100% automated - there's no one driving the trains.
> 
> This is a ride on the red line:





Dot Com said:


> air conditioned platforms from the look of it.



Oh yes. Everything indoors is air conditioned there.


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## Grandma (Nov 22, 2014)

Not so much scenic as it is really cool, this is the overhung monorail at Dortmunder Universitat, Germany. I want one.


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## Grandma (Nov 23, 2014)

Mertex said:


>



It's so sad that so many of our scenic railroads and shortlines are disappearing.


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## Grandma (Nov 23, 2014)

Ever wonder what Bulgaria looks like?


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## ChrisL (Nov 23, 2014)

Grandma said:


> Here's a much nicer ride, in 2 parts. Part 1 takes a bit, but after 20 minutes or so you'll find yourself next to the Rhine, passing through a series of Olde Townes with castles all over the place.



I've only watched this one so far because I love castles!  I just wish I could go there myself to see them with my own eyes!


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## Grandma (Nov 23, 2014)

The Royal Gorge Railroad, Colorado. Still operating.


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## Grandma (Nov 23, 2014)

ChrisL said:


> I've only watched this one so far because I love castles!  I just wish I could go there myself to see them with my own eyes!



Me too. I doubt that I'll ever make it there during this incarnation, so I watch these videos as the next best thing.


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## Grandma (Nov 23, 2014)

From France, the Mont Blanc Express runs from the border zone of Italy/Switzerland/France to near Mont Blanc, the highest mountain in the Alps. Very lovely ride in 2 parts:


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## Grandma (Nov 23, 2014)

Some good ol' Russian boys having some fun. Use headphones.


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## Bleipriester (Nov 23, 2014)

The thread has some provocation potential but that´s nothing for me.
I show you the Müngstener Brücke instead, that connects Remscheid, where I live, with Solingen, where ISIS recruits. Once its name was Kaiser Wilhelm Brücke, but the name was later "political corrected".



"Dronie" of the bridge:


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## longknife (Nov 23, 2014)

Grandma said:


> Beautiful Carcassonne:



When I was stationed in Souther France from '58 ti '60, this was one of my favorite places to visit on my motorscooter.


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## Grandma (Nov 24, 2014)

The popular Diakofto - Kalavrita Railway in Greece follows, crosses, and runs parallel to the very trail Xerxes himself marched with his troops.


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## Grandma (Nov 24, 2014)

From Wikipdia:
The Gyermekvasút (English: Children's Railway) or Line 7 is a narrow gauge railway line in Budapest, Hungary, which connects Széchényi-hegy and Hűvösvölgy and is 11.2 km long. The former name of the line was Uttörővasút (Pioneer Railway, in reference to the communist scouts), and now the official designation is MÁV Zrt. Széchenyi-hegyi Gyermekvasút. Except the train driver, all of the posts are operated by children, beside adult supervision.


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## Grandma (Nov 24, 2014)

The Rittnerbahn runs near Bolzano, Italy. It's a very pretty and historical ride.


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## Grandma (Nov 24, 2014)

San Remo to Genoa, Italy:


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## Grandma (Nov 25, 2014)

Q: When is a city bus not a city bus?

A: When someone in Adelaide, Australia turns it into a train.


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## Grandma (Nov 25, 2014)

The Katoomba Scenic Railroad in New South Wales, Australia:


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## Grandma (Nov 25, 2014)

New Zealand, Wellington to Waekanae, in 3 parts.

part 1:


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## Grandma (Nov 25, 2014)

Part 2:


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## Grandma (Nov 25, 2014)

Oh, wait, it has only 2 parts.


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## R.D. (Nov 25, 2014)

Morning Grandma.    Really neat stuff, thanks!


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## Statistikhengst (Nov 25, 2014)

Grandma said:


> A late winter ride from Kaiserlautern to Bad Kreuznach (over Eselsfurth.)


I was in Kaiserslautern in early July.  They call it Ami-lautern,  because lots of Americans live there.  

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## Statistikhengst (Nov 25, 2014)

Grandma said:


> 30 years ago this ride was in East Germany. It goes from east Berlin to Frankfurt Oder.
> 
> When the Soviets took over East Germany, they changed the names of some towns to copy existing cities. So Frankfurt Oder (Other) is _not_ the _real_ Frankfurt. The real Frankfurt is in the southwest corner of Germany.


It's called Frankfurt an der Oder because of the Oder river.  The other Frankfurt,  the Wall Street of Germany,  the much larger city,  is located on the Main river,  hence,  Frankfurt am Main (FFaM). 

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## Mertex (Nov 25, 2014)

This was interesting....


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## Mertex (Nov 25, 2014)




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## Grandma (Nov 25, 2014)

Mertex said:


> This was interesting....



Wow. 
A very sad history.
No way would I walk across a trestle on that little skinny plank.


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## Grandma (Nov 25, 2014)

Mertex said:


>



Cool - thanks for that! Rural Japan is beautiful.

All my Japan videos are in the city or through flat farmlands. They're not very scenic.


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## Grandma (Nov 26, 2014)

I get in these dark, creepy moods a lot, getting my Goth on, you could say. The next series of videos fits that mood perfectly. I wonder why goth metal bands don't shoot videos in these places, they'd be perfect.

First, from beautiful downtown Transylvania in Romania, part 1 of 4:


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## Grandma (Nov 26, 2014)

Parts 2 and 3:

This features the most awesome retaing walls on the planet:


(at about 5:45 you might as well go to part 4, the trains sit still here for the rest of this segment:


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## Grandma (Nov 26, 2014)

And part 4:


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## Grandma (Nov 26, 2014)

And this one, from Slovenia, it makes me want to go to a Cure concert.

Why don't goth metal bands shoot videos here?


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## Statistikhengst (Nov 26, 2014)

Outstanding vids. Cool.


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## Grandma (Nov 26, 2014)

Statistikhengst said:


> It's called Frankfurt an der Oder because of the Oder river.  The other Frankfurt,  the Wall Street of Germany,  the much larger city,  is located on the Main river,  hence,  Frankfurt am Main (FFaM).



Thank you for the correction. I should have known, I know about the Main River. My brain must have been unplugged. I'll check with better sources next time!


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## Grandma (Nov 26, 2014)

Belgium's government collapsed, and the country took a hit from the global economic collapse in '08. The result is that there are places in Belgium that look much like the US's Rust Belt. Other than the fact that public transportation in the Upper Ohio Valley is virtually nonexistent this town could be dropped right next to Weirton, West Virginia, Steubenville, Ohio, or Midland, Pennsylvania.


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## Grandma (Nov 26, 2014)

Fortunately Belgium's commercial seaports and seaside resorts seem to be doing pretty well:


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## Grandma (Nov 30, 2014)

Pining for the fjords?

Norway's Bergensbahn runs from Oslo to Bergen and the trip lasts over seven hours. This segment gets you up close and personal with some of the lakes along the way.

(Check out the guy skiing at 37:43, and again in the distance at 40:05.)


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## Grandma (Nov 30, 2014)

I bet you thought all the cable car rides were in the Alps.

From the description: "Double speed footage of views from a cable car as it ascends Monte Calamorro and into the clouds from the town of Benalmadena on Spain's Costa Del Sol."

The ride starts in an amusement park, goes through town, crosses a 6-lane highway, goes up a mountain, dips over a little valley, then goes the rest of the way up the mountain. It is badass.


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## Grandma (Nov 30, 2014)

This one's in the Port of Barcelona.

The yacht that's docked at 4:35 - it's just my size. I'd look real pretty in it.


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## Grandma (Dec 1, 2014)

The historic Soller Railway runs between Soller and Palma de Mallorca on the Spanish island of Mallorca.


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## Statistikhengst (Dec 1, 2014)

Grandma said:


> The historic Soller Railway runs between Soller and Palma de Mallorca on the Spanish island of Mallorca.




Mallorca is the spanish version of Miami Beach for college students and spring break.


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## Grandma (Dec 2, 2014)

In England, the driverless train from Beckton to Stratford International:


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## Statistikhengst (Dec 2, 2014)

Train ride going by the "Lorelei" (great sirene legend) and Ehrenfels castle:



I've given concerts within that castle.


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## Statistikhengst (Dec 2, 2014)

Similar film, from the 90s, with sweet music:


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## Grandma (Dec 2, 2014)

Thanks, Stat! The castle gig had to be awesome - do they often have concerts in them?

The grape fields - they're in a lot of the videos in my playlists, they're all over that part of Germany (y'know, Rhine wines... ) but the way those vines are perched on the sides of some steep hills, I don't know if I'd want to be a grape-picker.


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## Grandma (Dec 2, 2014)

Switzerland, Thusis to Tiefencastel:


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## Grandma (Dec 2, 2014)

This is a very nice ride through central Switzerland, Interlaken to Luzern:

(Notice the brooms at 45:45? They're to remind passengers to keep their hands inside the car.)


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## Grandma (Dec 2, 2014)

This is a hike on Galenstock Mountain in south-central Switzerland:


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## Grandma (Dec 2, 2014)

A train ride up the Matterhorn:


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## Grandma (Dec 2, 2014)

Every time I see the beginning of this video I can hear SNL's Dieter saying, "Now is the time on Sprockets when we go off the edge of the world!"

At 24 minutes we get stuck behind a work train. You may want to skip ahead to 26 minutes.


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## Grandma (Dec 2, 2014)

A little off-topic here... There's a reason why tank cars have to be properly vented...


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## Grandma (Dec 2, 2014)

Now on to the Netherlands (Holland.) No tulips in this video, we're out of season, and no oldschool windmills, either, they're nearly all gone. There is a lot of neat architecture, though.

This ride goes from Gouda to the Haag.

It's filmed from inside what's arguably the ugliest locomotive in the world, (you can see one at 8:43) but the view up there is great.


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