Ep 242. The one with a tiny tantrum, cholera pie and the Glacier Express

·55 min·5 clips

Jenny Eclair reveals the 'big fucking difference' between going on holiday and being a traveller after her three-destination Swiss trip.

In this episode of Older and Wider, hosts Jenny Eclair and Judith Holder catch up on their recent activities. Jenny details her trip to Switzerland, starting with a pre-flight stay at an airport hotel in Heathrow to reduce travel stress. She describes arriving in Zurich, noting the high prices, lack of charity shops, and the complimentary chocolate hearts in her hotel room. Jenny visits an art gallery in Zurich and observes the city's tidiness and lack of diversity. She recounts a 'tiny tantrum' at Zurich airport due to a ticketing system mishap. The trip includes a visit to Zermatt, where she takes a cog train up a mountain but gets frightened by the cold and wind at the top. Jenny tries local food like 'cholera pie', a cheese and apple pie, and discusses the expensive dining options. The highlight is the Glacier Express train journey, which was foggy and rainy, lasting eight hours with a multi-course complimentary lunch. Jenny admits she was confused about what a glacier is. Back home, she reflects on feeling glad to return to London's vibrancy. Judith shares her week, which involved a five-and-a-half-hour drive to give a talk at a Women's Institute event, where she discussed a beading course and heard saucy limericks. The hosts read listener emails, including one about a successful pottery workshop and another comparing themselves to the hosts. They discuss culture recommendations: podcasts like Amol Rajan's 'Comfort Eating' and Tom Kerridge's episode on drinking habits, TV shows like 'Ripley' on Netflix and 'Interior Design Masters' on BBC, and books like John Boyne's 'Echo Chamber'. Family updates include Jenny's grandson Arlo moving to a big boy bed and Judith's daughter Ellen returning from abroad. The episode ends with a commitment to continue their banter.

As heard by us

A long train journey turns into a warmly argumentative comedy about food, seating, and the line between travelling and holidaying.

The episode gets its spark from the difference between travelling and holidaying, a distinction Judith keeps pressing while Sarah stands in for Daisy on a family trip.

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Why you'd press play

Press play when you want an eight-hour train journey, a complimentary lunch, and motion sickness turned into company.

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