The journey begins in Rio de Janeiro, where he travels on a highly original commuter train. It sells everything, and even has a masseur offering his services directly in the carriages. Philippe then took the world's largest train, which travelled through the north-east of the country and crossed part of the Amazon rainforest. A forest rich in biodiversity and also in unusual rituals. Like the rite of passage to adulthood for the young members of the Satere-Mawe tribe: they have to have their hands stung by poisonous ants. After this encounter, we head south to Campo De Jordao, where the Brazilians can discover a piece of Europe without leaving their country. To round off the trip, the Brazilians head for the Atlantic coast, where a sail-powered tugboat will take Philippe on a journey powered only by the wind.
Philippe Gougler is off to Slovenia, a small European country wedged between sea and mountains. And what better way to discover this little-known country than by train? To begin with, he climbs aboard a small mine train that takes him deep into the mountains to discover sunken tunnels. Then there are the everyday trains, and the more unusual ones that climb the mountains, with cars and auto-trains on board, running on tracks dating back to the Austro-Hungarian era.
Philippe Gougler begins his stay on a station platform where most travelers are dressed in traditional Bavarian garb. They're all going to Munich for the famous Oktoberfest beer festival. Philippe meets some amazing waitresses who can carry up to twelve mugs at a time. Then it's off to the south of the region, where a cogwheel train takes travelers and hikers to Germany's highest peak, the Zugspitze. This is an opportunity for Philippe to discover typical Bavarian landscapes, such as Neuschwanstein Castle. Back in Munich, he learns that Bavaria is also an industrial region. Trains even enter factories. Finally, the railway globetrotter takes the ICE, Germany's high-speed train, north.