And now for something completely different...
It’s Friday, it’s the start of the Summer Holidays and - much more importantly - it’s six months to the start of A History of Europe in 75 Train Journeys!
So let’s have just one day off leadership advice. But don’t worry - normal service will resume on Monday!
A History of Europe in 75 Train Journeys is my side project that will run from 25th January 2026 to 25th March 2032. If you're counting, that's 75 months - with the final post on the 75th anniversary of the Treaty of Rome.
How's that for forward planning!
The idea of this stupidly ambitious project is that if you read in the order I'm to publish them, it's an autobiographical travelogue but if you then reshuffle them into chapter order, it becomes a history of Europe from Charlemagne to the present day.
(Everyone needs a hobby, right?).
Despite the fact that the project will cover train rides from Istanbul to Oslo and Seville to Serbia, I've done many more than 75 train rides across Europe.
So to mark the 'six months to go' moment, here's a ride to Rome that did NOT make the cut...
It describes a journey in a smoking carriage (remember them?). And not just any smoking carriage, but an ITALIAN smoking carriage!
If you like it, make sure you hit the "subscribe" button so you can get each monthly post when I start next year.
I’ll be back on Monday with your next Freewheeling Bitesize!