Firstly, so we all know, I utterly hate air travel. With a passion. The last time I did it, it involved one boot-off a flight (you simply won't believe what for, nor did the medical staff I finally found, 30 mins from the airport, who thought I was clearly a loony), followed by a ticket re-purchase, and two hours of non stop queing, followed by a delay and... oh god... bored yet? I was. I actually like aeroplanes as 'things'. I've got a sodding pilot's license.
So, with the new and very very lovely St Pancras, how far can you blast by rail, how long does it take, and just how good is it really?
Feeling a bit i ndulgent, I put it to the test. London to Berlin.
This was relatively last minute. Less than a week to go. Flights were certainly cheaper. At relatively grim hours of the day, the pair of us could fly for £250 or so. Add to that though the airport transit. And some hotel stays that we could effectively "skip" by doing the sleeper.
And, jeez, what is more romantic - taking your partner by cheap-jet from Luton, or going to Brussels, getting some dinner, then catching the night train to Berlin... in your own compartment, loo, shower.
The firslt slight downside... about a week of fishing through timetables, on and off. The good news: There will be an integrated European scheduling and booking system. But not yet. In some ways this adds to the adventure, but it's hardly doing much to encourage passengers.
And the cost. Given the late booking, and the full luxury (i.e. first class sleeper)... eek. I'll mumble now.... five... hundred... cough.... quid.
Departing from St Pancras is a joy. A total joy. You could pick the best first class airport lounge in any UK airport, and it barely look as good as the bogs at St Pancras. Even my (fussy, French
) GF already *knew* where we were going to have coffee. And it was fab. Stage one, Rail hands down.
We arrive in Brussels-Midi 30 mins late. I do the Eurostar every month. This has never happened. I have total faith in European high speed rail. To prove a point against, we get stuck behind a broken down Thalys... a high speed train. Gah.
Welcome to Midi. The biggest dump of a station I've ever seen. I'd never noticed before, but my GFs previous intonations about the place start getting to me. It's a warren of crap. And so is the area. There's nowhere to eat. We get a few beers in the nearby Ibis, then head back.
The train is late. Very late. The CityNightLine (tm!) comes from Paris. It's an hour overdue, and Midi is turning into something from Blade Runner. I get a few beers (thank god) from a bizarre 24 hour vending machine. It's a good job too. When we board the train, the bar has just shut.
BUT. Oh.... these are compartments like you will never see in the UK. Aside from a bit more room, there's the bathroom. It's mint. Gleaming. A loo, a sink, a shower, mirror, a stack of towels neatly folded. It's like a luxury hotel but in miniature.
But way better than all of that, you can sit there with a beer, with your other half, in the dark, and watch the city turn to countryside, then turn to city again. You are forever playing games of "where are we now?"
The alarm goes. A preagreed time with the guy who is managing the carriage means we are woken with breakfast outside our door. When he realises we are going to take awhile with our showers, he sets out another compartment next door, in "daytime" setup (seats down). We have another room for breakfast. Awesome. We eat breakfast as we watch Berlin come into view. Not as a random overhead view of some shit car parks and industrial estates, but right through the city. And we're doing this in total privacy. It's just us, in our own little world.
We step off the platform. And look up. OH MY. The next train, on the very next platform... Moscow. How cool is that? We could just stay here and jump on
Downstairs is Ostbanhof. It's everything that Midi isn't. Compact, light, safe and welcoming. Only 20 minutes after "landing", we have *walked* to our central Berlin accomodation and have our feet up.
I can't recommend long distance European train travel on price. Chances are it will be more expensive than flying.
But, maybe with a few small hitches, it could be great treat - if you one day, say, fancy treating your partner. Watching the night train pull in to the station, no matter how late it is, sets all the emotions on the go. The only problem, will you actually get to sleep in those comfy beds or just stay up like excited kids?
So, with the new and very very lovely St Pancras, how far can you blast by rail, how long does it take, and just how good is it really?
Feeling a bit i ndulgent, I put it to the test. London to Berlin.
This was relatively last minute. Less than a week to go. Flights were certainly cheaper. At relatively grim hours of the day, the pair of us could fly for £250 or so. Add to that though the airport transit. And some hotel stays that we could effectively "skip" by doing the sleeper.
And, jeez, what is more romantic - taking your partner by cheap-jet from Luton, or going to Brussels, getting some dinner, then catching the night train to Berlin... in your own compartment, loo, shower.
The firslt slight downside... about a week of fishing through timetables, on and off. The good news: There will be an integrated European scheduling and booking system. But not yet. In some ways this adds to the adventure, but it's hardly doing much to encourage passengers.
And the cost. Given the late booking, and the full luxury (i.e. first class sleeper)... eek. I'll mumble now.... five... hundred... cough.... quid.
Departing from St Pancras is a joy. A total joy. You could pick the best first class airport lounge in any UK airport, and it barely look as good as the bogs at St Pancras. Even my (fussy, French
) GF already *knew* where we were going to have coffee. And it was fab. Stage one, Rail hands down.We arrive in Brussels-Midi 30 mins late. I do the Eurostar every month. This has never happened. I have total faith in European high speed rail. To prove a point against, we get stuck behind a broken down Thalys... a high speed train. Gah.
Welcome to Midi. The biggest dump of a station I've ever seen. I'd never noticed before, but my GFs previous intonations about the place start getting to me. It's a warren of crap. And so is the area. There's nowhere to eat. We get a few beers in the nearby Ibis, then head back.
The train is late. Very late. The CityNightLine (tm!) comes from Paris. It's an hour overdue, and Midi is turning into something from Blade Runner. I get a few beers (thank god) from a bizarre 24 hour vending machine. It's a good job too. When we board the train, the bar has just shut.
BUT. Oh.... these are compartments like you will never see in the UK. Aside from a bit more room, there's the bathroom. It's mint. Gleaming. A loo, a sink, a shower, mirror, a stack of towels neatly folded. It's like a luxury hotel but in miniature.
But way better than all of that, you can sit there with a beer, with your other half, in the dark, and watch the city turn to countryside, then turn to city again. You are forever playing games of "where are we now?"
The alarm goes. A preagreed time with the guy who is managing the carriage means we are woken with breakfast outside our door. When he realises we are going to take awhile with our showers, he sets out another compartment next door, in "daytime" setup (seats down). We have another room for breakfast. Awesome. We eat breakfast as we watch Berlin come into view. Not as a random overhead view of some shit car parks and industrial estates, but right through the city. And we're doing this in total privacy. It's just us, in our own little world.
We step off the platform. And look up. OH MY. The next train, on the very next platform... Moscow. How cool is that? We could just stay here and jump on
Downstairs is Ostbanhof. It's everything that Midi isn't. Compact, light, safe and welcoming. Only 20 minutes after "landing", we have *walked* to our central Berlin accomodation and have our feet up.
I can't recommend long distance European train travel on price. Chances are it will be more expensive than flying.
But, maybe with a few small hitches, it could be great treat - if you one day, say, fancy treating your partner. Watching the night train pull in to the station, no matter how late it is, sets all the emotions on the go. The only problem, will you actually get to sleep in those comfy beds or just stay up like excited kids?
