PHOTO
INSERT CREDIT HERE
Underneath the sign
for Wien HBF, the
middle-aged Austrian
lady is staring at us
with a definite air of
mistrust.
Around us, commuters dart
odd looks in our direction. ‘And who can blame them?’
I think, as I look down at my rabbit costume and across
at my sister – an incongruous lion gazing up at the
departure board. We do look like we’re out of our minds.
It’s possible we are. After more than 16 hours of
travelling, we’re preparing for our sixth long-distance hop
and I’m so tired I feel like my eyes have been grated. We’re
unwashed, unrested and distinctly crumpled. How did
we end up here – nearly 1,500km from home – dressed in
animal onesies in an Austrian train station?
The simple answer is – like thousands of baked-
bean bathers and chicken-nugget eaters before us –
we’re trying to set a world record. And as fans of
Record
Breakers
, the long-running British TV show that brought
the stars of Guinness’s big book to the small screen, will
remember, it’s virtually de rigueur to look like a bit of
a tit. Where once we just watched legions of nutters
racing toilets or opening beer bottles with foreheads in
the hope of getting their names in the record books, now
we are, hopefully, about to join them.
I blame that television programme for this whole
situation, actually. When my editor asked for volunteers
to try and set a record, to tie into our ‘world’s greatest
issue’, I thought it would be easy. As all good kids of the
80s know: “Dedication’s what you need.”
Except, as it turned out, I was going to need far more.
To try and visit the Most Capital Cities in 24 Hours by
Scheduled Transport (ie, bus, train or plane), I’d need
flights, InterRail passes, seat reservations, sustenance,
entertainment, photographic and video evidence,
logbooks and witness statements, a willing companion,
two animal costumes and, most of all, the ability to stay
on track for a full day and night of public transport. But
I’m getting ahead of myself…
T H E C H A L L E N G E
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