While travelling by train, I often think about typical elements of landscape and architecture one can see through the train window. Are there any elements you can associate with a particular country or area?
Of course, some regions are famous for something. E.g. there are valleys in Graubünden (Switzerland) or South Tyrol (Italy) where you can see a castle on every hilltop.
Or train routes are leading along a wild river or taking you in the deep of a gorge. I don’t mean these peculiarities of an area.
I am thinking more about elements that express a particular style of building or living in a region. Let me explain some examples.
Let’s speak about water towers. The water towers in Hungary often look like spheres. The Italian water towers remind me of mushrooms. And those in Germany have a similarity with castle towers.
Another type of buildings to look at are churches. Of course, there are differences between Catholic churches and those built by the Protestants. But there are regional peculiarities, too. In some areas, you find spires like needles. In other regions, the tower roofs are shaped like bulbs.
As railroads often run through rural areas, it is fascinating how farmhouses change their style. E.g. in Upper Austria, you see a lot of square farmsteads whereas, in Slovenia, I am always fascinated by the clever construction of those drying racks called Toplar.
Well, these are only a few examples of peculiarities I came across while my train rides. What about you? Which buildings along a railway line do you associate with a particular country?
I wrote this post on a train ride through the castle spotted area of South Tyrol using an InterRail pass.