Monthly Report, April 2026

Mostly Trains. Mostly Italy.

Reporting Days: 30

Location: Italy (and a wee bit of Oxford)

Distance Walked: 275 km

Distance Driven: 810 km

Distance Trained: 2640 km

Driving South

The car saw limited use during April. I reset the trip counter on the first of April as I drove off the MV Hjaltland, by the time I got to Oxford on the second I'd clocked up 503 miles. And that was it for driving for the month.

Stranger in Town.  Cal Mac boats don't often wind up in Aberdeen.

Tebay. Mid-journey break.

In Oxford

Still early spring in Oxford, but definite signs of fresh green shoots in the trees. 

River Cherwell in the Oxford Botanic Garden 

Lye Valley boardwalk

On the Trains

After a quick turnaround we headed to London for the usual 'commute' to the Parkinson's Therapy Centre in northern Italy. We've caught a morning Eurostar to Paris on lots of occasions over the last few years, and we've never had a problem making the onward connection onto the TGV to Turin.

This time it was different.   The Eurostar started a bit late but then ground to a halt in northern France as a result  (we gathered) of a fatality on the line on the approach to Gare du Nord in Paris.  Once it became clear that we weren't going to get to Paris by the time of our train, never mind getting across to Gare de Lyon, we started re-planning.

So, what's Plan B?  A later train? There isn't one!  

Plan C? Train tomorrow? They're all booked! Bugger! 

We're now on to Plan D. Is there a Plan D? Turns out there is.  

Plan D involved the night train from Gare d'Austerlitz to Nice. No cabins or couchettes available, but there were at least seats for the 12 hour haul down to the French Riviera.  Followed by a slightly convoluted series of trains along the French and Italian coasts, changing trains at Ventimiglia, before heading north to Turin. Only 18 hours later than planned, but it did confirm my view that it's good to build an occasional 'buffer' day into the schedules. 

Walking beside the Seine in Paris (while waiting for the night train)

Walking beside the Po in Turin (better late than never)

Back in Boario

After a decent nights sleep and a proper breakfast, it was good to have a smooth travel day, from Turin, to Milan, to Brescia and finally back to Boario Terme in the Val Camonica. 

This was visit seven to the Therapy Centre in Boario. 

Spending time working with the therapists at Boario has, over the last few years, just become part of my annual routine, and I always feel better after spending time there.   Experience has told me that I get more benefit from two-week stays in Boario, there's more time to get into 'swing' of things (and there's a bit of time off at the weekend too).

Taking the waters in Boario Terme

The Big Alarm Clock / Chiesa Madonna Degli Alpini

Across the River Oglio / Railway Bridge

Boario Zootecnica / Agricultural Show

Old Montecchio Bridge / A regular morning or evening walk

Instruments of Torture / C21 version

In Bergamo

After the exercise it's always good to have a spot of tourist time.  

This visit we opted for a few days in Bergamo - a lovely city of two parts.  We stayed in the old Citta Alta which is separated from the (much) newer Citta Bassa by a ring of vertiginous walls.  

Bergamo is highly recommended for the excellent food including awesome stracciatella (a local chocolate-laced gelato) and dangerously potent Aperol Spritz.

I'm pleased to be able report that the return journey to Oxford via Milan, Turin, Paris and London didn't present the same challenges that the outward journey did and we made it back to Oxford by the end of the month.

Piazza Vecchia, Bergamo

City Walls, Bergamo

And next month

Plan A involves a bit of time in Oxford, and then heading north to spend some quality time with the puffins and razorbills at the south end of Shetland.  But my track record with Plan A's hasn't been great recently.