2021 definitely lifted Flyctory.com to another level. The community is steadily increasing – days with less than 2,000 page hits her day became extremely rare. The more frequent postings also lead to a huge increase of album and EP reviews. My selection of favorite releases is finally supported by roughly 475 music reviews I did this year. Here are my best ones 2021 – you might like to compare them to my 2020 selection. And if you are rather into singles, there are also my Favorite Songs of the Year 2021.
My Favorite EPs in 2021
Like in 2020, I do not separate between country and non-country when it comes to selecting my five favorite EPs of the year.
5. Honky-Tonk Hippes by LANCO
LANCO did an amazing party music EP in July 2021. Just five tracks, but filled with a lot of fun – Cheers!
LANCO – Honky-Tonk Hippies EP
4. 29 by Carly Pearce
29 by Carly Pearce had a lot of potential to be at the very top of my “Best of EPs” list this year. Unfortunately, she spoiled it by “upgrading” the amazing EP to an album – I could also say cheating her fans. Nonetheless, an amazing release..
Carly Pearce – 29 EP
3. Love, Kylie by Kylie Morgan
Love, Kylie has been my first contact with Kylie Morgan music – and the June 2021 EP is just an amazing collection of very versatile songs.
Kylie Morgan – Love, Kylie EP
2. Die Songs, die ich nie schreiben wollte by Alexy Diehl
Finally, Alex Diehl is the only non-country music artist in my list. This rather reflects that country music is still the key genre of Flyctory.com – and EPs feel to become more and more popular in Nashville. Alex Diehl recorded an amazingly straight set of songs in his November 2021 release – I absolutely loved it.
Alex Diehl – Die Songs, die ich nie schreiben wollte EP
My Favorite EP in 2021:
Behind The Bar by Riley Green
There were two EPs this year, which received the full 5.0 rating. One of them is Carly Pearce’s 29 – and the other one is the amazing Behind The Bar by Riley Green. Seven amazing songs, which simply lead to my most favorite EP of the year. Thanks, Riley!
Riley Green – Behind The Bar EP
My Favorite Non-Country Albums in 2021
Even though country stays the main genre of Flyctory.com, I feel that I had a really nice and wide range of genres this year. This also leads to a very high quality in my favorite non-country albums in 2021, which this year all have been reviewed on my blog. From Hawaiian instrumental sounds to hard rock – enjoy my suggestions.
7. Ka Honua Maluhia by Jim “Kimo” West
Jim “Kimo” West has so much emancipated from “just” being the guitar player of Weird Al Yankovic. His releases have amazing quality. Just having won a Grammy, Ka Honua Maluhia is another wonderful instrumental album. Absolutely worth a listen.
Jim “Kimo” West – Ka Honua Maluhia (Peaceful World)
6. The Weight of Man by Ray Wilson
Ray Wilson is an amazing performer on stage – and with The Weight Of Man, he proofed (again) that he is great in the studio as well. Absolutely loved his 2021 album.
Ray Wilson – The Weight Of Man
5. Labyrinth by Stefanie Heinzmann
The Swiss Stefanie Heinzmann is in the music business for so long now – but I still feel she is underrated and not just “the talent show girl”. Labyrinth shows great pop songs. I loved to listen to her 2021 release and spent quite a while with it.
Stefanie Heinzmann – Labyrinth
4. Chez Kane by Chez Kane
This ten song release (by the way, one of the albums which received the full 5.0 scorings this year) is maybe the one I feel most gifted about that I ran into it at all. What an amazing collection of rock tracks with a retro style – and it is even her debut album! Love it!
Chez Kane – Chez Kane
3. 80 plus by Dieter Hallervorden
I was really skeptical when I read that German actor and comedian Dieter Hallervorden will release an album. Bad luck that it felt to be promoted as German schlager, as his very personal 80 plus is so much deeper and comes with great stories. One of the best hidden gems of the German music scene this year.
Dieter Hallervorden – 80 plus
2. Wenn die Kälte Kommt by Santiano
Santiano are not at all a “hidden gem” in the German music scene any more. They are established and they deliver great music. So they did in 2021 with their Wenn die Kälte kommt again. Fantastic and unique shanty-folk-rock style.
Santiano – Wenn die Kälte Kommt
My Favorite Non-Country Album in 2021:
The Lockdown Sessions by Elton John
To me, the 2021 release by Elton John was the best album of the year, also regardless of the genre. Elton is a musical genius – and the way he is working with his own songs and sounds but finally also allowing his guest musicians to give their touch of music to the tracks is simply amazing. Great listen!
Elton John – The Lockdown Sessions
My Favorite Country Albums in 2021:
Last, but not least, here are by top long-play listens in country music.
7. Travelin’ Kind by Ashland Craft
If I look to the album side, it did not feel to be a really good year for the ladies to me. Finally, Ashland Craft is the only artist who made it into my Top 7. Great September 2021 album by the South Carolina artist.
Ashland Craft – Travelin’ Kind
6. What Is Life? by Brett Kissel
Great country music from Canada: Brett Kissel did this lovely album with a beautiful atmosphere in April 2021. Very good one.
Brett Kissel – What Is Life?
5. High Country Sound by Canaan Smith
One of the best lyrics in an album in 2021 to me. Canaan Smith’s High Country Sound has also been released in April 2021 and I really loved to listen to his stories.
Canaan Smith – High Country Sound
4. Pelagio by Ryan Hurd
Ryan Hurd did an amazing job with Pelagio – and I just cannot stop emphasizing that the album is his debut release. Definitely look forward to his future releases.
Ryan Hurd – Pelago
3. Country Again: Side A by Thomas Rhett
With his Country Again: Side A, Thomas Rhett again illustrates his vast musical talent. That’s superb country music.
Thomas Rhett – Country Again: Side A
2. Room To Dream by Ryan Kinder
Maybe the most beautiful atmosphere in all country albums I reviewed in 2021: Indeed, Ryan Kinder’s Room To Dream is a musical room to dream in. Lovely production, which just has been an easy choice for this list.
Ryan Kinder – Room To Dream
My Favorite Country Album in 2021:
Heart by Eric Church
Eric Church released the amazing triple album Heart & Soul in April 2021. While I slightly struggled with & (and) and absolutely enjoyed Soul, Heart has been the outstanding part of this release to me. Fantastic album, which finally made it to my album of the year.
Eric Church – Heart
Most Special Music Release in 2021:
Lordiversity by Lordi
I just could not close this posting without giving a very special award and praise to my favorite band Lordi: the seven album box Lordiversity comes with ups and downs – but just being able to release seven albums in one and thereby also doing music far away from their comfort zone (like in the amazing album Superflytrap) is just fantastic. To me, the most remarkable release of the year.
Lordi – Lordiversity (Full Box Review)
Media Reviews – 2021 Debut EPs/Albums
Here are all my 2021-released Media Reviews about Debut EPs and Albums:
The time right before Christmas is typically not featuring too many new releases. In my point of view, it is ...
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When the press kit of a music release uses the wording superband, there are typically two options: either the combo ...
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There are multiple ways how I get to listening new albums and EPs for my blog. Most of them are ...
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What are you doing when you are making new friends at the party celebrating your recent Bachelor graduation in contemporary ...
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In early November 2021, I received a promo EP from a folk music duo from Berlin, Flora Falls. A bit ...
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Honestly, when I ran into his debut album Achtung Leben, I did not know anything about Michael Heppes. However, the album ...
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The press kit said that Thabile's music is having "a wide bandwidth, which is merging elements of jazz, soul, gospel, ...
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Four Christmas song on a small EP: I just liked the sound of Tom Aquinas when his XMas Greetings became available ...
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Interesting pop sound from Hamburg in Northern Germany: Winter 2 are just active for some one year. Nonetheless, the are ...
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From TV talent show to her debut album - some one and a half year she became well-known to the ...
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Hail to promotion platforms - just after I was really angry that I had listed some interesting publication with an ...
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When I started to write the review of the debut EP If Only The World Didn't Spin So Much by ...
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Especially in the curse of the Black Lives Matter protests, Mickey Guyton felt to be very present in media. She ...
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Another emerging artist with his debut album: I received Black Powder Soul by Taylor McCall from a promotion company. I ...
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The first set of the press kit I received about Power Plush are (translated to English) "Emancipatoric power meets empahtic ...
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Debut album by Riddy Arman: the young female country music artists gets into the virtual record stores with a nine ...
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Debut album by Ashland craft: after the female country singer grew quite a fan base by a strong TV talent ...
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A tribute band growing to an album with seven very own songs and two covers: Freakstorm from Gummersbach near Cologne ...
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Like quite likely many of you, I ran into the Austrian metal / metalcore band CueStack due to a Crowdfunding ...
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One album out of the 6th August 2021 releases I was looking forward listening to especially was the self-titled one ...
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Leah Blevins is doing country music with a touch of folk. On 6th August 2021, the Kentucky-origin artist is releasing ...
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There are very different things which fascinate me about an artist. I definitely enjoyed listening to the very first tunes ...
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One of these things I really still don't get: checking the new releases of the week, I ran into Callie ...
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I did not know Tigirlily (who want to pronounced as Tie-Girl-Lilly) before I ran into their music for this review ...
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A debut EP by a home town artist - of course I have been curious when I ran into Luna ...
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I am a bit of jealous of Alexis Taylor. Not (just) because her Facebook and other social media accounts are ...
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Even though she is an active musician since a bunch of years, Kat Eaton releases her album debut on 2nd ...
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How could I refuse to enjoy an artist who is naming his debut EP Airplanes? ferdinant. (with small letters and the ...
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Modern country from Bavaria? No, this is not about Nik Wallner, but about pez, who is singing in English and ...
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I enjoyed Kylie Morgan's single I Only Date Cowboys that much that I added it to the Country Music Playlists on ...
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Hard rock from Canada: with Bummer, the band Cleopatrick is releasing their first-ever album on 4th June 2021. The album ...
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A very interesting release with a talent show background: Brynn Cartelli won The Voice in 2018 - now she released her ...
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A debut release on 28th May 2021: the country duo gathered seven songs and released their debut EP Boot Up ...
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Covid-19 felt to be a good opportunity for Esa Holopainen to go solo. Instead of releasing new stuff with Amorphis, ...
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I unfortunately do not know too much about Lori Rayne, but due to some country release listings, I ran into ...
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A Viking doing modern country? Sounds like a weird Scandinavian story - but in fact the artist is a Canadian actor, ...
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Allison Russell's album Outside Child is in fact a debut. But the singer songwriter is already quite established in the ...
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Due to a promotion platform, I ran into the debut EP of a German pop artist, Nikola. There was just ...
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Country to The Core with Rock'n'Roll's rebellious reputation or Jesse Keith Whitley is a modern day outlaw. The first words ...
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After two successful singles, which both had several million streams on Spotify only, Dillon Carmichael is back his first ever ...
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It can't be too bad to have a smile in these times, can it? When I ran into the German ...
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If two of your first three singles already made about a quarter million streams each on Spotify, you are likely ...
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A new artist with a quite powerful touch of country music - Elvie Shane with his EP County Roads made ...
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You debut album at the age of 65? The story behind Company's Comin', the album released on 2nd April 2021, ...
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This release is for the guitar lovers. As Everything Unfolds is a band from Southern England, which has developed very ...
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Indeed, Hanna Batka is Mitten in Berlin - "In The Middle of Berlin". She is not only indeed living in the ...
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I always enjoy to listen into the music of new artists. One debut album I received out of the 19th ...
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I am not even sure if it was about the cheeky lyrics and the fresh sound or simply the album ...
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A young female British rock artist, born in the 1990's, who states that she loves 1980's rock? Feels like a ...
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Joey Hendricks came from the West Coast to Nashville to become a songwriter - but already his first song as ...
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Some things take some time to get really good. If you think about Scotland and about something already having a ...
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Spotify is a bit of a strange thing sometimes. The scanner I use every Friday to check out for new ...
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Bones Owens already worked with really big names of the business and has released two EPs so far. Nonetheless, seven ...
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When I ran into the debut album by Ben Rice, Future Pretend, I initially thought he is a blues musician ...
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Carly Pearce is one of my absolute favorite country music artists. No doubt that the Kentucky lady was on the ...
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I already felt that I had closed my Flyctory.com media review work and all the playlist stuff on 12th February ...
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A brief debut album from Ontario: Canadian Dustin Bird is releasing Unscripted on 5th February 2021. The eight track debut ...
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When I scanned the country music new releases as of 5th February 2021, I got stuck at the music of ...
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Tenille Townes, John Osborne, Vince Gill and Brad Paisley on one record? Oh, and I forgot Kassi Ashton and Brad ...
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Gehst Du mit mir unter - "Are you drowning with me" is the album title of a new German music project ...
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While many talent show candidates rather have a tough time in the "real world" in Germany, the US show winners ...
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Another debut EP on Flyctory.com: while I was checking the new releases as at 22nd January 2021, I ran into ...
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It is almost nine years ago, since Willie Jones stood in front of the The X Factor jury to persuade them ...
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Bow Anderson is an interesting Scottish artist. Even though the young lady did her first single releases previous years, her ...
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Just a week before Petric released their album Flashbacks on 15th January 2021, I ran into their single Kids and really ...
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Old Fashioned Country Music - that's how Tanner Sparks declares his style of music on his website. On the very ...
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“Rides on Rail” Postings
Here is everything about trains, trams and other rail vehicles:
During my trip to Canada right after the borders have been opened again in September 2021, I visited a very ...
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Adding a rail connection for Heathrow Airport, improving the travel options between the West and the East of London - ...
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For my trip to Ambri-Piotta watching local HC Ambri-Piotta at their home ice, Gotthard Arena, I took a seven hour ...
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After I got some quite nice feedback about my first Food I Had Onboard posting, I felt to continue this ...
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What has started as Stuttgart 21 - the refurbishing of Stuttgart Main Station including changing the main travel direction and putting ...
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I have been a bit of puzzled when I arrived in Munich in late January 2022, learning that the Stammstrecke, the ...
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Due to its rather hilly geography, the German city of Stuttgart has some quite iconic public transport systems. During a ...
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The Lokwelt Freilassing is one of the most famous train museums in Germany. During a trip through Bavaria, I had ...
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Yes, I do like flying - but I am also a fan of rail travels. Just to find out how ...
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It is time for the final posting of the years, simply named The Best Ones 2021. After looking into my ...
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The Tränenpalast ("Palace of Tears") in Berlin is the former border crossing point between East and West Berlin. It is located at ...
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Milan-Malpensa Airport (MXP) is the major of the two airports serving the North Italian city. However, there is one issue ...
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Sometimes, iconic attractions don't need to be overwhelmingly large to become really worth a visit. The Grazer Schoßbergbahn / Graz Castle Rail, ...
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After flying with Porter Airlines from Toronto Billy Bishop Airport (YTZ) to Ottawa, my return trip was on rails. For ...
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While I did the "traditional Flyctory.com way" on the outbound trip from Dusseldorf to Krakow and flew LOT Business Class, ...
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Yeah, I give in: in amusement parks, I love to do what I call atmospheric rides. Not too quick, but colorful, ...
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For years, if I would have wanted to deeply bash the Deutsche Bahn (German Rails), there would have been a simple way ...
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Fancying a trip to Venice? If there is no pandemic and the lagoon city is empty, hotel prices in central ...
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If you want to travel to The Palm in Dubai, you typically go there by rental car, taxi... Or by ...
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I have always been wondering how people from cities like Lockerbie or Lakehurst deal with the faith that their hometown ...
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It is one of the the classic trips on Mallorca and something like a must-do for many tourists: taking the ...
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After praising my favorite songs of 2020 and the favorite albums and EPs in 2020, the final posting to do ...
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Apart from Trenitalia and their Frecciarossa network, there is also NRT (Nuovo Transporto Viaggiatori - "New Travellers Transport"), who are ...
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I am not too much in Harry Potter - but therefor, my wife is compensating my lack of knowledge. After ...
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After visiting so many German Rail lounges in my life, I was really looking forward how the more exclusive waiting ...
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On my Four Contries, Four Trains trip in summer 2020, my rail trip on Day 2 was an absolute highlight of ...
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One thousand kilometres to the sea - or vice versa One thousand kilometres to the Alps - was the slogan a new private ...
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Also due to the current situation in aviation, I could follow my idea to invest more time in rail travel ...
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While - especially for business reasons - trans-European rail connections may still take too much time for daytime transfers, night ...
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Heading back home. As said in the Day 3 coverage, I did not expect too much going on on that ...
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Being in Milan until the early afternoon, checking out an Italian rail lounge for the first time - and then ...
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So excited to travel again and do a proper. I did my first day of the rail rides through Germany, ...
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Coming back from London from the (finally cancelled) Country To Country Festival 2020 was the last trip I took before ...
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While I so far made an semi-annual look back in time, the "Very Important Postings", I decided something with my ...
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The climate discussions during the last months again boosted discussions whether local traffic could not be for free to reduce ...
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Pittsburgh is not only the city of the three rivers and countless bridges - on the southern bank of Monongahela ...
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If you want to travel from Stockholm's major airport Arlanda to city center, you have multiple options. Undoubtedly, the strongest ...
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Not just due to my favorite flight with LATAM from Frankfurt to the Spanish capital, I love being in Madrid ...
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Just after I left Chattanooga Airport on Day 3 of my CMA Fest Trip, I went to the Lookout Mountain ...
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If you use the Madrid Metro Line 1 between Bilbao and Iglesia, you will likely notice that you pass another ...
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Wuppertal in the Bergisches Land region Northeast of Cologne hosts a very special attraction for train and rail enthusiasts: the ...
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The 15km long Tenerife tram track system between the harbour area of Santa Cruz and the old capital, San Cristobal ...
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The "Jacobite" connecting the Scottish villages of Fort William and Mallaig has always been regarded to be one of the ...
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