In Manchán's Europe By Train, Manchán Mangan embraces the ethos of slow travel, taking the time to get to know people and places, and experiencing local customs and traditions.
Manchán left Dublin port via ferry for Holyhead, before crossing the Isle of Anglesey to Bangor. From there he travelled to London to catch the Eurostar to Brussels, then meandered his way through the Netherlands, with stops at Breda and Kinderdijk on his way to Rotterdam, before finishing this leg of his journey in Amsterdam.
In episode one, he went from Dublin to Holyhead to London to Brussels to Rotterdam to Amsterdam.
Travel Emissions
If Manchán had completed the route from Dublin to Amsterdam by air and car, he would have emitted 229 kg of CO2. Going by train and sea, he only emitted 27 kg.
Activities in Wales
Ziplining
Located a few miles outside of Bangor, visitors can soar over Penrhyn Quarry on the Velocity zipline. Adrenaline seekers will thrill in taking a whiteknuckled adrenaline rush, reaching speeds up to 100mph, over the turquoise Penrhyn Quarry lake, while savouring views of nearby Snowdonia.
Nature enthusiasts can discover a dizzying array of wildlife on this seafaring activity, as seasoned skipper Scott Waterman takes visitors on a fascinating trip along the Anglesey coastline to Puffin Island. Eagle-eyed punters can spot everything from seasonal puffin visitors to cormorants, guillemots, razorbills and kittiwakes.
Better still, the whole enterprise has exemplary ecocredentials, as Scott's larger boats run on advanced
renewable diesel fuel that reduces CO2 emissions by up to 90%.
Activities in Brussels
Comic Strip History
With more than 650 comics authors calling Belgium home, the country holds the record for the largest concentration of comic strip authors in the world. A Brussels must-do is the Comic Strip Centre, located in a majestic Art Nouveau building and housing wonderful comic exhibitions. Keep your eyes peeled for more comic wonders in the city itself, as since 1991, the walls of the city have been regularly adorned with new comic art, and today Brussels boasts over 80 murals.
Cycle Through The Trees
Helmets at the ready! The Cycle Through the Trees experience in Lommel, near Brussels, is not to be missed. This unique cycling experience allows visitors to cycle up to ten metres high between the trees, taking them into higher realms – quite literally, because you can cycle around a double circle all the way up to the treetops.
Matongé Neighbourhood & Kuumba Cultural Centre
The Congolese diaspora is one of the biggest minority communities in Brussels, and it is these arrivals who established the colourful Congolese community in the Matongé neighbourhood. It’s a little taste of Africa right in the heart of Europe, boasting some of the best African tailoring and barber shops on the European continent. A visit to the Kuumba Cultural Centre offers a true taste of this heritage, as African and Flemish cultures come together for exchange, dialogue, cultural classes and entertainment.
Activities in Rotterdam
Visit Kinderdijk
Accessible by water bus and just a stone’s throw from Rotterdam, the Kinderdijk Windmills are probably the most famous and most photographed windmills in the world. Built around 1740, these 19 windmills stand as part of a larger water management system to prevent flooding – and they’re still operational today! Lucky visitors might just get to meet one of the mills’ highly qualified residents, as all the mills are inhabited by at least one person in possession of a miller’s degree.
The Floating Farm
Minke and Peter van Wingerden operate the world’s first floating dairy farm – right in the metropolitan area of Rotterdam city! It might be the last thing you’d expect to find in the heart of an industrial port, but Minke’s herd of cows yields delicious dairy products, which can be sampled and bought onsite. This is a farm with a feel-good factor and green credentials, with the cows being partially fed using waste products from local food and beer suppliers.
Activities in Amsterdam
Lost & Found Scuba Divers
Combining his long-held passion for scuba diving with his love for helping others, Martin Van Hees, helped by the team at Gevonden-Verloren, regularly searches the canals of Amsterdam for lost items with emotional significance to reunite them with their owners. He's found keys, phones, watches, engagement rings… you name it! And as if that wasn’t enough, Martin also partners with local cafés and restaurants to dispose of any waste he finds in the waters.
Manchán's Europe by Train airs Sundays at 6.30pm on RTÉ One. Catch up on RTÉ Player.
