'I feel very strongly that I am a European...' Michael Portillo reveals inspiration for Great Continental Railway Journeys series
Michael Portillo is back on screens with Series 9 of BBC travel show Great Continental Railway Journeys and he has revealed what keeps pulling him back to Europe's railways.
Michael Portillo was inspired to make a new series of Great Continental Railway Journeys because he feels "very strongly that I am a European" as opposed to just British.
The 72-year-old former Conservative politician is back with Series 9 of his BBC Two travel series which sees him explore the train routes of Italy, France and Belgium.
Despite exploring much of Europe, Portillo is always "pulled back" to the railways of the continent because he feels connected with the shared Christian culture of the other European nations.
He said: "I am always pulled back because I'm European. I feel very strongly that I am a European. It's the history, it's the culture, and it's the legacy of Christianity that binds Europe together. So, when you go to Belgium or Hungary, you're seeing buildings with which you immediately connect with because they're cathedrals or they are churches. You're seeing paintings with which you immediately connect because they're Gothic or their Renaissance or their impressionists or whatever. So, you know, we're joined together culturally with these countries.
Portillo hopes his adventures in Belgium will inspire more Brits to travel to the country, which is located in the Low Countries region of Europe.
Michael - who served as Secretary of State for Defence when in government - insists most people don't even realise how easy it is to travel to Belgium, which is in fact Britain's closest neighbour.
He said: "My journeys across Europe this year have taken me from Belgium, which is in Britain's backyard, it's our close neighbour. Ironically, so close that many of us don't visit it, because we fly over it to get to Spain or to Italy.
"Then we go through the Mediterranean islands, which are becoming a bit more exotic.
"Then we get to Hungary, which we kind of think we all know because we may well have been to Budapest. But who knew that to the east of Budapest, you'd be into a sort of European Steppe. You'll be with cowboys and herds of cattle. So, this railway journey takes us out from our comfort zone."
In the new series, Portillo sets out on a new set of railway adventures travelling to some of Europe’s most captivating regions and cities. Touring through Belgium and Hungary and the Mediterranean islands of Corsica and Sardinia, he discovers how history has left its mark on their landscapes, culture and people.
The new series of Great Continental Railway Journeys - which will air weekdays for three weeks - starts Tonight at 6:30pm on BBC Two.
