Overview

An epic journey from New Zealand to Spain, celebrating the enduring romance of travel by train. The journey of The Antipodean Express takes in 89 days of travel, on 33 trains, through 19 countries. It begins in New Zealand's North Island, weaves past the volcanoes of Java, through East Asia and on into Europe. From hilarious miscommunications in China to cultural immersion at the Bolshoi Ballet, there are stop-offs with half a world’s worth of impressions, people, history, food, music and culture. Hill also describes most of the great trains of the Eurasian hemisphere, from New Zealand’s Northern Explorer to the Eurostar, and everything in between. The culmination is a day spent in the obscure Spanish village of Alaejos, locating the exact antipode of the author’s living room. The perfect end to a vast adventure.

Full Product Details

Author:   Gregory Hill
Publisher:   Exisle Publishing
Imprint:   Exisle Publishing
ISBN:  

9781921497155

ISBN 10:   1921497157
Pages:   296
Publication Date:   01 May 2024
Audience:   General/trade ,  General
Format:   Paperback
Publisher's Status:   Active
Availability:   In Print  
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Table of Contents

Contents Dramatis personae 1 Introduction 4 Sunday, 31 March Wellington to Auckland 6 Monday, 1 April Auckland to Sydney 11 Tuesday, 2 April Sydney and the Blue Mountains 13 Wednesday, 3 April Sydney to Bogan Gate 15 Thursday, 4 April Broken Hill to Adelaide 18 Friday, 5 April Adelaide and Hahndorf 20 Saturday, 6 April Adelaide and Kangaroo Island 22 Sunday, 7 April Adelaide to Mabel Creek 24 Monday, 8 April Marla and Alice Springs 26 Tuesday, 9 April Tennant Creek to Katherine and Darwin 28 Wednesday, 10 April Darwin 30 Thursday, 11 April Darwin to Denpasar 32 Friday,12 April Denpasar to Banyuwangi 34 Saturday, 13 April Banyuwangi and Kawah Ijen 38 Sunday, 14 April Banyuwangi to Surabaya 41 Monday, 15 April Surabaya to Borobudur 44 Tuesday, 16 April Borobudur and Yogyakarta 46 Wednesday, 17 April Yogyakarta 50 Thursday, 18 April Yogyakarta to Jakarta 53 Good Friday, 19 April Jakarta 55 Saturday, 20 April At sea 59 Easter Sunday, 21 April Bintan, Singapore and Malacca 61 Monday, 22 April Malacca 65 Tuesday, 23 April Malacca to Kuala Lumpur 68 Wednesday, 24 April Kuala Lumpur to George Town 72 Thursday, 25 April George Town 75 Friday, 26 April George Town to Hat Yai and beyond 78 Saturday, 27 April Bangkok 83 Sunday, 28 April Bangkok to Siem Reap 86 Monday, 29 April Siem Reap to Phnom Penh 90 Tuesday, 30 April Phnom Penh to Ho Chi Minh City 93 May Day, Wednesday, 1 May Ho Chi Minh City 97 Thursday, 2 May The Unification Express, Vietnam 101 Friday, 3 May Hanoi 104 Saturday, 4 May Hanoi and Ninh Bình 107 Sunday, 5 May Đông Đăng to Hong Kong 110 Monday, 6 May Hong Kong 115 Tuesday, 7 May Hong Kong to Hangzhou 119 Wednesday, 8 May West Lake 122 Thursday, 9 May Hangzhou to Xi’an 125 Friday, 10 May Xi’an 128 Saturday, 11 May Xi’an to Xining 131 Sunday, 12 May Xining to Lhasa 136 Monday, 13 May Lhasa 139 Tuesday, 14 May Lhasa 142 Wednesday, 15 May Lhasa to Shigatse 145 Thursday, 16 May Shigatse to Rongbuk 149 Friday, 17 May Rongbuk to Shigatse 153 Saturday, 18 May Shigatse to Lhasa 155 Sunday, 19 May Lhasa to Tongtianheyan 158 Monday, 20 May Tongtianheyan to Liangzhen 161 Tuesday, 21 May Beijing 163 Wednesday, 22 May Beijing to Erenhot 166 Thursday, 23 May Erenhot to Sukhbaatar 171 Friday, 24 May Naushki to Irkutsk 174 Saturday, 25 May Irkutsk to Listvyanka 181 Sunday, 26 May Listvyanka 187 Monday, 27 May Listvyanka to Nizhneudinsk 190 Tuesday, 28 May Nizhneudinsk to Tatarsk 193 Wednesday, 29 May Omsk to Kirov 197 Thursday, 30 May Kirov to Suzdal 200 Friday, 31 May Suzdal 205 Saturday, 1 June Suzdal to Moscow 210 Sunday, 2 June Moscow 214 Monday, 3 June Moscow 220 Tuesday, 4 June Moscow to Smolensk 225 Wednesday, 5 June Orsha to Gotha 228 Thursday, 6 June Eisenach to Paris 233 Friday, 7 June Paris 237 Saturday, 8 June Anne’s birthday in Paris 240 Sunday, 9 June Paris to Figueres 243 Monday, 10 June Figueres to Cadaqués 246 Tuesday, 11 June Cadaqués and Far de Cala Nans 250 Wednesday, 12 June Cadaqués and Cap de Creus 253 Thursday, 13 June Cadaqués to Barcelona 256 Friday, 14 June Barcelona 259 Saturday, 15 June Barcelona to Salamanca 263 Sunday, 16 June Alaejos 267 Monday, 17 to Salamanca to Wellington 275 Friday, 28 June MAPS Route of the Antipodean Express viii New Zealand North Island 9 Eastern Australia 16 Central Indonesia 35 Singapore 62 Peninsular Malaysia 69 Thailand 79 Cambodia 91 Vietnam 100 China and Mongolia 111 Hong Kong 116 Central Russia 177 Primorsky Slyudyanka 179 Western Russia and Belarus 196 Poland 230 Germany 232 France 234 Spain 247 Index 279

Reviews

Inspiring and unexpected, The Antipodean Express is a delightful account of a New Zealand couple’s extraordinary adventures to reach the other side of the globe. -- Kristen Rabe * Foreword Review * “Enjoy travelling vicariously with some quirky companions? How about a journey from New Zealand to Spain undertaken almost entirely by train? Meet amusingly eccentric French horn player Gregory Hill and his German violinist wife Anne. Well-illustrated with maps and photos, this is a fun armchair journey with Gregory and Anne with musical interludes including the Bolshoi Ballet and the Paris Opera. * Gourmet On The Road * “The trip was not about getting to the destination. It was about the journey itself,” * author Greg Hill. * “The Indian Pacific and the Ghan are like luxurious cruise ships on rails * ABC Melbourne Afternoons with Trevor Chapel (Broadcast Statewide in Victoria) * “A railway adventure tracing a journey from the author’s home in New Zealand to its exact antipodes in rural Spain. The narrative recounts 89 consecutive days of travel with 33 trains through 19 countries. It describes most of the great trains of the Eurasian hemisphere, from New Zealand’s Northern Explorer to the Eurostar and everything in between. Full of people, memories, history, and places – anyone interested in travel, trains, food, music, and cultures will love taking this armchair journey.” * Our Generation Magazine * “For lovers of train travel it’s all about the journey. And what a journey Gregory Hill and his wife Anne Loeser took – 89 days of travel, on 33 trains through 19 countries. The journey is chronicled rather beautifully in Gregory’s book The Antipodean Express which is subtitled A Journey by Train from New Zealand to Spain. To my mind this trip is right up there with some of the great rail journeys I have followed involving Michael Portillo, Paul Theroux, Joanna Lumley, and, among others, Michael Palin.” * InReview * “Well written and a thoroughly enjoyable story. Gregory Hill has a most wonderful sense of humour as he describes situations and people's foibles that they met on this epic journey. There were many times that I laughed, smiled or was sitting on the edge of my seat. It certainly is an enjoyable page turner.” * School Days Magazine * “Hill’s book is well illustrated, and he writes in a highly engaging and descriptive style with a wonderful irreverence for which the word flippant might be generously mild, of the numerous towns and villages one would never see any other way” * The Otago Daily Times * “Hill displays an infectious enthusiasm and engaging wide-eyed innocence. The Antipodean Express provides an amiable dollop of armchair travel with a genial companion who ends his long expedition with... what else but a refreshing sangria and victory dinner in Salamanca.” * NZ Listener * “The most interesting book I have read for a long time.” * Flax Roots *

Author Information

Gregory Hill is a former principal player in the New Zealand Symphony Orchestra. Following his career in music, he indulged his secret passion for long-distance train travel, resulting in this epic journey.

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