Not Cool: Europe by Train in a Heatwave

9 cities, 9 countries, 9 days
1 ridiculously hot summer
What could possibly go wrong?

A laugh-out-loud train journey across Europe with a travel writer who should know better.

In the European-wide summer heatwave of July 2019, while sensible people stayed indoors, put their heads in the fridge and watched endless re-runs of ‘Frozen’, Jules spent nine days on trains across Europe, visiting nine cities in nine countries.

Why? Good question.

It started off, as most of his ideas do, with a spark of inspiration fuelled by a glass of red wine. Another glass made him think it really was quite a good plan, and by the third glass he had a full itinerary worked up.

If only he'd checked the advance weather forecast, he would have seen that Europe in general, and central Europe in particular, was just about to be engulfed in the mother of all heatwaves. But Jules lives in England where a heatwave is what they call it when you have to take your jumper off in July, so it honestly never occurred to him that it would be so hot. That bit’s all on Jules. Definitely his fault.

Everything else that happened? Well, that’s up to you to decide.

Just roll with it. Like all the best stories, you need to suspend your disbelief.