Through the lens with Amelia Le Brun

LM: How did you feel before the trip? What did you do to prepare, have you done much train travel before, and what was your mindset?

Amelia: I was super excited! I didn't have a gap year, so I was excited to put on my backpack. I felt like I was interrailing, because my older sister went interrailing in her year off and I was so jealous. I went in with the mindset that everything is on my back, I'm just taking trains, and I felt like I was 18 again. It was pure excitement: discovering new places and feeling really self-contained. I don't have a car to spread out in; everything has to fit in my bag. I loved that feeling—everything I need is on me and we can just go and explore. It was very much first-trip-away excitement levels, because it was actually my first full train trip. I've flown places and taken trains locally, but just being on the train for the whole trip was so fun. I absolutely loved it.

LM: Tell me a bit about the journey down. How did it feel?

Amelia : I was obviously very excited. I've taken the Eurostar once before, so that felt familiar and super easy compared to flying. You just turn up, go through security, and choose your track. You haven't got 57 gates, having to empty your water bottle, or taking out all your electronics. It was so nice to go through really quickly.

Then we got to Paris and transferred from Gare du Nord to Gare de Lyon, which was awesome. My brother and my French came back like that! We both studied French at school and haven't used it much, but it literally came flowing back. Having the instructions and travel journal manual was so good, we knew exactly how to do it.

Then came the really exciting bit: the train down to Nice, which was a brand new experience for me as I've never taken a train through France. Watching the landscapes change was amazing—heading from the city into the countryside, rolling hills, and then down to the coast was phenomenal.

There was a bit of delay on the tracks due to construction work, which initially made me worry about missing the sunset in Nice. But actually, we got the most beautiful evening light blowing through the train carriage. It reminded me not to rush to your destination—enjoy the journey. Travelling on a train is the whole point; it becomes part of the journey. I ended up taking some of my favourite photos on the train: playing cards, watching the sunset, and drinking coffee. It was stunning.

LM: When you arrived in Nice, what's the first thing you did?

Amelia: It was quite late, so we decided to walk to our accommodation. We're big walkers and like to get our steps in, plus it wasn't far at all. Having the address available straight in Google Maps made it an easy 15-minute walk. It gave us a feel for Nice and where we were staying, which was just a couple of streets back from the ocean. We got in, decompressed, and went to sleep.

The next morning, I got up really early to go to the market, which was so good. Fresh bread, fresh pastries, fresh fruit. I was in heaven -  photographically and edibly! What I previously saw as an issue with the train delay turned into a really lovely experience. There's something magical about arriving somewhere in the dark and then waking up to that fresh experience.

LM: How did you spend the rest of that day in Nice? What were some moments that stuck out?

Amelia: Because of our proximity to the ocean, even at 7 in the morning, people were swimming and starting their day. Having the city right on the Riviera made city life and holiday mode intertwine so nicely.

We spent a lot of time wandering the old town streets. We picked up some amazing socca (a local Nice chickpea unleavened bread) for lunch. Just wandering the streets, eating socca and sandwiches was perfect. Going into this trip, I didn't want to plan too strictly. I had a few spots in mind, but I worked hard not to be super regimented and just enjoyed letting the place unfold around me.

We sat at cafes, drank coffee and beers, and loved being in the warmth. In the evening, we went back to the market before it closed, got fresh tomatoes and bread, and took a picnic down to the rocks. We walked along the harbour to a set of rocks with stairs down to the sea, where everyone was congregating and swimming. We had a heavenly picnic, swam, and watched the sunset. It was literally my perfect day: walking, sitting at cafes, jumping off rocks into the ocean, people watching, and soaking in that European culture of finding a spot on a rock for the evening.

LM: Tell us about heading to Menton on day three.

Amelia: We got to Menton around midday, giving us a whole afternoon to explore. We wandered around the old town with no agenda except to explore. After a suitable amount of walking, we made the most of being right on the Italian border and got Italian food overlooking the harbour—eating pasta and drinking wine in the sun. Afterwards, we worked up an appetite for gelato.

In the evening, I planned on shooting the classic colourful houses on the beach, but we ended up at a different beach and got chatting to a lovely local man there with his children. I took some beautiful photos of him in the ocean. It ended up being some of my favourite photos because it was about how you experience a place and its people, rather than dashing to the next photo spot and ticking things off.

We also stopped at a tiny hole-in-the-wall bar full of French locals, drinking beer and listening to the chatter in the evening sunlight. It was a lovely mix of engaging with locals and being immersed in the landscape.

LM: How was the train journey from Nice to Menton?

Amelia: There's a decent chunk along the ocean! I took so many photos of my brother looking out the window, and even strangers framed by that classic French Riviera landscape. I was glued to the window and my camera, trying to stay present while taking photos. That train journey—the UK could never! It's incredible.

LM: What happened the next morning in Menton? 

Amelia: I dragged my brother out of bed half an hour too early for sunrise! I wanted to see the morning sun light up the classic colourful facades, though I hadn't calculated that the sun rose behind a big rock! We sat for half an hour waiting, watching early runners along the coast. When the sun crept up, drenching those pastel houses in morning sunlight, it was stunning.

We were too early for the local cafes, so we went back to our hotel and had a big breakfast in the sunny courtyard.

LM: How was the journey down to Marseilles?

Amelia: The train journey to Marseilles was phenomenal—bright blue ocean the whole way. We sat on the left side as recommended by our travel journal planner, which was a brilliant tip. I whiled away the journey looking out the window, reading, and taking photos. I cannot stress enough how much I loved travelling by train for the whole trip, and how easy Byway made it with instant support whenever we had questions.

LM: What did you get up to on your first evening in Marseilles?

Amelia: We scoped out the Tuba Club, which is about an hour bus ride along the coast with amazing views. The Tuba Club restaurant books up months in advance, but their upper-deck 'Bikini Bar' serves sharing plates and drinks with access to jump off the rocks into the sea, and was easy to book same-day.

We sat up there, had a drink, walked down the steps onto the rocks, and swam for half an hour with my waterproof film camera. Then we ordered plates of food, drank, and watched the sunset. Afterwards, we walked back along the winding coastal road carved through the rocks on the edge of the national park. Everything was golden in the setting sun, with people swimming and mopeds whizzing past. My brother said, 'I could live here!' It was magic.

LM: How was your full day in Marseilles?

Amelia: We started at an amazing industrial-style cafe called Pompe for great coffee and bakery buns. Then we visited the local fish market by the harbour, watching fishermen sell their fresh catch from wooden boats. I loved taking environmental portraits of the local fishermen.

After a cool-down coffee at L'Épuisette, we visited a cool sandwich shop called LABC near Notre-Dame, ate in the sun, and popped into a vintage store next door. For our final evening, we grabbed picnic supplies and headed to the rocks. It was a Friday night and so busy, but in the best way—like a modern-day Renaissance painting with vibrant towels, pool floaties, and people lounging. We swam, ate our picnic, drank beers, and soaked in every single drop of Marseilles. I absolutely fell in love with the city.

LM: How was the travel on your final day returning home?

Amelia: Seamless. The travel journal suggested saving our Paris Metro tickets directly to Apple Wallet, which made transferring across Paris tap-and-go easy. Then it was back on the Eurostar to London, and home. Having everything organised so well took all the stress out of travel.

LM: What are your top tips for someone wanting to do a similar trip?

Amelia: Pack a bit lighter than I did! I don't need to dress up fancy in the evenings—that's when I’m out exploring and shooting the most. But equally, the beauty of train travel is that there's no luggage weight limit except what you can carry. You're not worrying about crammed easyJet compartments or Ryanair fees at the gate.

LM: Was there a moment where something changed or went wrong, but turned into a great experience?

Amelia: When our train to Nice was delayed by an hour and a half, I was initially twitchy about missing the sunset. But because of the delay, we got to experience a stunning golden hour along the ocean right from the train carriage, taking some of my favourite photos of the trip. It reset my mindset on day one: don't rush, don't over-plan, and enjoy where you are.

LM: How did going by train influence your photography?

Amelia: Having to carry everything limited my gear, which was a blessing. I brought four cameras and fixed lenses, which taught me to 'zoom with my feet' and see places differently. It forced me to slow down and wait for genuine local interactions, like filming a young priest greeting local ladies outside a cafe in Nice. Moving your feet gives you new angles and helps you uncover moments you'd otherwise miss.

LM: What photo sums up the trip for you?

Amelia: A photo I took on a packed train to Monaco. I was standing in the aisle with my camera, and in front of me was a family. The father was nodding off with his hand on his face, looking out at the ocean, while his daughter gazed out the window behind him. It encompassed that peaceful, slow travel feeling—even on a crowded train, there is so much beauty to observe.

LM: What surprised you about train travel? 

Amelia: I usually prefer driving because I love a road trip and enjoy being in control—I like being under my own steam. With train travel, I was worried about missing spots because you can't just pull over anywhere. However, what surprised me was using the train as a 'spot' itself. It frames the world, and you see incredible coastlines that you simply wouldn't experience the same way while driving. It helped me shift my mindset: instead of feeling like I had to tick off specific locations, I learned to just enjoy where the train took me. Letting go of the stress of driving and parking is actually quite beautiful.

LM: If you had to describe the trip in three words, what would they be?

Amelia: Euro summer, sun-drenched, and immersive.

LM: What's your main takeaway from the trip?

Amelia: Train travel in Europe is completely different from the UK. In the UK, it's very commuter-focused—getting from A to B with your head down. In France, with the scenery, train travel becomes part of the journey itself. It's the ultimate way to slow down and see a place.