The original quote is usually attributed to Pascal (in French in 1657..)

https://quoteinvestigator.com/2012/04/28/shorter-letter/

Somehow, it always makes me smile that the Glenfinnan Viaduct (as seen in Harry Potter) is concrete. I'm not sure quite why.

This is a nice, recent article on the Wolsztyn service, if you don't read Polish:

https://railwayworld.net/2026/03/21/daily-steam-services-res...

This is unrelated, but will put a smile on your face if you like steam and real world narrow gauge:

https://railwayworld.net/2026/08/09/a-remarkable-revival-of-...

This is an issue, but one Europe is acutely aware of and working on. WERO is one strand of that.

https://www.reneweuropegroup.eu/news/2026-06-23/independence...

https://europeanbusinessmagazine.com/eu-payments-sovereignty...

https://stripe.com/en-fr/resources/more/wero-how-europes-uni...

Ah.. SWIFT is an international cooperative, originated in Europe and based in Brussels..