Great Railway Journeys

One of the staples of PBS programming, Great Railway Journeys features noted authors and/or performers guiding viewers on exotic itineraries through the world's cultures via the good old-fashioned method of travel by train. We watched the Derry to Kerry episode, one of six new episodes on video, in which Michael Palin boards a train in Derry (a.k.a. Londonderry) and travels the coast of Ireland and then inland to Kerry. Along the way, he talks to people about "the Troubles" in Belfast, catches a rock concert performed by priests, visits with U2's guitarist The Edge, and still manages to conduct a genealogical search for his roots during the trip. Palin is, as usual, both a fun and knowledgeable host, and the gorgeous cinematography (sustained throughout the series) makes the excursion easy on the eyes. The other titles in the series are St. Petersburg to Tashkent, Santos to Santa Cruz, Karachi to the Khyber Pass, Capetown to The Lost City, and Hong Kong to Ulaanbaatar. A good companion two-volume set, also available from Acorn Media Publishing, is Last Train Across Canada with Murray Sayles ($29.95). Highly recommended. (R. Pitman)