Interrail Planner

Interrrailing. A strange muddle of a word, but it’s one which has become very familiar to myself and I imagine countless others over the last few years. As the name suggests, Interrailing is the act of travelling between countries using the native railway networks. While it could apply to any set of countries, the word itself has become synonymous with Europe and more importantly, the Interrail Pass.

The Interrail pass is a combined rail ticket of sorts, allowing you to jump on European trains without worrying about foreign ticket offices. However, the planning that goes into it can cause nightmares, especially when sorting the route – you can end up in a whirlwind of confusion if you’re not careful. So when I was told about Interrail Planner, a new website aimed to clear up Interrail route planning, I was intrigued.

St Mark's Campanile in

Venice. I needed a nice

Europe picture.

Interrail Planner (www.interrailplanner.com) is designed by interrailers who loved their time abroad but hated the planning experience. The endless maps, the head-spinning spreadsheets and countless hours spent poring through train timetables had become too much to bare. By setting up their own website, they aimed to clear up the process and make the steps between deciding to go interrailing and getting on the train much smoother – all while being free to use.

The website aims to be an all-in-one hub for interrailing, rivalling that of the actual Interrail site, and I decided to give it a go. The bulk of the website is built around the interrail process that anybody who has been before has become familiar with. First, you’re asked to select your pass (Global or One Country), then specify the amount of travel days you require. Once you’ve done this, you’re required to fill in a few details about the nature of your trip (how many people, when are you setting off, etc). When that’s complete, the real fun begins.

You’re greeted with what initially appears to be quite a daunting page, with maps, calendars, and train itineraries all present at the same time. However, once you take a moment to have a look around, you’ll realise that this one page displays the majority of information that would have been on your awkward-to-read spreadsheet.

The planner in all its glory, with a route planned out.

The page is split into four sections: the right-hand panel, the map, the calendar and the info tabs. While there is a tutorial available, I personally found it easiest to start clicking and try to plan my route. Just from adding locations in, it became obvious that the right-hand panel will be your new best friend. It allows you to sort locations, train reservations and even search for hostels, all with the click of a button. Adding locations is a breeze and there’s even an option to look up alternative methods of travel, if a train route can’t be found.

I should say at this point that the website is in its beta stage. I say this because currently while the majority of train routes are automatically identified (e.g. those between capital cities), I found that some routes between smaller cities currently don’t come up with a train (e.g. the Balkan express between Sofia and Nis). However, they’ve accounted for this by having an option to leave feedback, so it’s likely any similar issues will be ironed out soon.

While you’re planning the locations and nights, the rest of the page keeps tabs on your progress, meaning you don’t go past the length of your pass. A calendar shows which days you’ll be in each city, the “Pass Info” tab shows how many travel days you’ve used up (if the right-hand panel identifies a train for each leg) and the map shows your route (obviously).

The website is clean and easy to use, with options to purchase passes and such being present but not intrusive. The fact that it’s free to use is a huge plus, as it means you can make routes even for journeys that might never happen. Making a route was simple to do and if you have a free account you can even save it and share it with others, making group planning that bit easier. As I mentioned earlier, the website still is in its beta stage, so once the very few bugs are sorted, I personally think this website will be the one to beat when it comes to planning your Interrail trip. 

Zero by JustTalk Theatre

Credit: JustTalk Theatre Company

I'll admit that when it comes to theatre, I may not be the first person you should come to for a review or advice on what to see. However, I enjoy theatre as much as the next bloke (unless they are a proper critic) whether it's on a grand stage for all to see, in the open (with the audience in a sea of umbrellas), or even in the back of a pub in Salford.

An original piece by JustTalk cofounder Robin Lyons, Zero is set in the aftermath of father's suicide and focuses on the lives of his two children, Eddie and Helen, and their attempts to move on. Working around the theme of suicide, the play had the dangers of becoming bogged down in depression and despair. However, while the suicide had a looming presence throughout, light-hearted humour was deftly weaved in where required.

The writing was at its best when it spent its time as a duo piece, with the interactions between the brother and sister being used to explain the nature of the family and the eccentricities of their father, along with their own opinions towards his end. Soliloquies were not just used to fill in the history since the suicide, but most importantly allowed us to learn all we needed about Eddie and Helen.

While initially Dean Gregory's Eddie led the play, it was later in the play when Rosemary Terry's Helen came to the forefront, benefiting from her more engaging emotional subplot. However, this is not to say that either became unbelievable at any point, with both captivating and holding the audiences attention (a difficult task for this easily distracted viewer) throughout their double helix of highs and lows. 

However, I personally felt the play suffered at its ending. The introduction of a third main, Tim, attempts to clear up some of the mystery of the father's end but in my opinion provides a jarring ending to the play. A quiet ending may have fit better with the rest of the production.

In summary, Zero is a strongly-written and intelligent production with a fantastic cast and setting, I'd highly recommend going to see it in the rest of its run at The Eagle Inn in Salford, on 29th-31st March 2016. It's a bit of a trek to get there, but once you're watching, it's well worth it.

HOME is where the heart is

Very recently I found myself at a loss of things to do in an afternoon. So, instead of sitting around like a lemon, I picked myself up and headed HOME.

Heading HOME?

Yes, I headed HOME. The capitalisation of the word probably gave it away, but I'm not talking about sunny ol' Bedfordshire, rather the new art/theatre/creativity stronghold which has recently opened in Manchester. The product of a merger between Cornerhouse and the Library Theatre Company, HOME aims to show the world through Mancunian eyes, or at least that's what their website says. I headed there to check out their latest art gallery, titled 'The heart is deceitful above all things'.

"Who can understand it?"

The gallery takes its name from Jeremiah 17:9, "The heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately sick, who can understand it?" Revolving around the heart and asking "Who hasn't had their heart broken?", the gallery aimed to stir up feelings of lust, envy and heartache, all while in the semi-sterile environment of an art gallery. With attention-grabbing and eye-popping exhibits all around, HOME certainly knew how to keep you interested.

The various slogans, on their bright, eye-catching platforms. Photo: HOME

One such exhibit which has stuck with me was "Slogans for the 21st Century", which devoted a wall to motto's of the new age, especially those which were internet-centric. These mantras, in block text which clashed with their bright background colours ignited curiosity in most, as they tried to see which one applied most to them and which ones they were guilty of uttering. I'll leave it for you to look at the picture and see which one is yours. Often the slogans would match up with others, I personally found myself drawn in to grouping them together. Whether this was the intended aim, or just a happy coincidence which acted to hold my attention for longer, is unknown to me.

How long is it around for?

The exhibit began with HOME's opening back in May and runs until 26th July, as part of a greater overarching theme called Transactions of Desire, which involves various plays and talks. The exhibitions, such as this one, are free to enter and there is often some entertaining theatre on. If you haven't been to HOME already, I'd definitely check it out, as it looks like it's on its way to becoming the cultural hub of Manchester.

Pint of Science 2015

As exams come to a close, I find myself able to write a piece for this sporadically updated blog. For those who are familiar with the blog, you need only scroll back one year to find a very similar piece to this. For what has most likely become an annual event in my calendar, Pint of Science was back at the English Lounge and once again it was bringing science to the huddled masses.

Obligatory logo photo, from the
first night.

Pint of Science

For those who are unaware of Pint of Science (POS), it's an annual festival which aims to bring researchers out of the lab and into the pub, where they can talk about their work over a pint. Now in it's third year overall, POS has exploded into an international event. Anybody can get involved and help with the running of the event, which is where I came in.

This year, like last year and most probably a few years to come, I helped to organise three nights. However, unlike last year, this time I was helping with the 'Our Body' team, which meant I was in somewhat unfamiliar academic surroundings. Yet, as part of an excellent team, the nights were organised with only a few hiccups on the way. You may recognise the pub in the pictures as The English Lounge, which is where we held nights last year. 

Who Gave Talks?

The aim of POS is to have anyone who is doing interesting research at the local university to give a talk. For our nights, we mainly had PhD students who were interested in public engagement, so it acted as a perfect platform for them to get their work known. With talks ranging from stem cells to cosmetics and stopping off at discovering new drugs in the battle against cancer, there was something to keep most interested. Obviously, for those not interested in the human body there were other events at other pubs running simultaneously to our nights. 

Lee chairing a Q&A session on the second night

The general format of the night was very relaxed, especially when the beer was flowing. Talks generally ran for 25 minutes, then followed up by a Q&A session which was always chaired by our compere Lee Moore (@fullofpenguins). With plenty of breaks for drinks and quizzes galore, the nights always ran smoothly and the audience seemed to enjoy themselves. 

When was it?

The event took place on 18-20th May and will most likely be on the Mon-Fri of the same week next year. If you're reading this and interested in getting involved, check out their website or send me an email through the Google+ profile to the right (I promise I will see it). With plans for the event to expand to even more cities and countries, it looks as though Pint of Science is always moving on up.

Whitworth Lates & Laughing Hole

What happens when you mix one of the greatest art galleries in the North West, top quality music and a pioneering art installation? The answer is Thursday Lates at the The Whitworth.

Taking place in the refurbished Whitworth Gallery, Thursday Lates offers late-night openings to the galleries with a twist. Wandering around, it was obvious that this was how galleries should be experienced. With DJs and jazz quartets echoing around the galleries and breathing new life into the exhibits, both artistic novices and royalty were seeing things from a new, refreshing, perspective.

What truly caught my attention was a SICK! Festival installation, titled "Laughing Hole". A six-hour long performance which aimed to confront the themes of sexuality, abuse and suicide, Laughing Hole filled the Grand Hall with continuous laughter and littered it with hundreds of cardboard signs. Three women roamed freely with disturbingly labelled placards (e.g "Impotent Mum" and "Warlord") and confronted visitors with their focused stares and disjointed cackling. The absurd nature of the space resulted in initial laughter, however with speaker systems amplifying the noise the oppressive atmosphere caused many to repeatedly read the placards for some distraction. Many watched others reactions, to see how they were coping. While being free to leave at any point, the combination of the laughter, signs and stares resulted in a sense of claustrophobia, which made the artistic themes really resonate. From an outsiders view I was completely unshackled, but inside I felt nailed to the floor. Never before have I experienced so much in an art installation.

Overall, the night showed that to bring the gallery to life, all you needed was some jazz, some drinks and a hard-hitting performance. If this edition was anything to go by, the Whitworth Lates have got themselves a regular visitor.