Had a few days leave to use up before the end of the year, so myself and a work colleague decided to have a few days away. Our first plan was Strasbourg, but the European Parliament was in own so hotels were hard to find, so we went to plan B....
Monday 15 Nov.
Easy start and an 0957 departure from St Pancras to Brussels. Journey time is extended by about 20 minutes due to the single line working in one part of the tunnel due to the recent fire, but we had First Class tickets so we had breakfast to distract us and soon we had passed through the tunnel and were streaking across the flatlands of Northern France. You can glimpse some small cemeteries as the train wizzs along at 186mph and you remember that area was not as quiet and laidback as it is now. Seeing the lines of stones like that always make you respect the sacrifices made but annoyance at the idiots that put them in that position... Nothing much changes.
Lille Europe comes and goes, and as we head out we pass the TGV sidings on the left hand side and the loco sidings on the other side. Back up to speed again and we pass over the Belgian/French border and are soon slowing as we come to the end of the TGV line at Halle.
Arrival at Brussels is a few minutes early and the late running of the connection we thought we wouldn't catch means we are in Brussels for about 5 minutes. Our tickets to Brussels include onward travel to any Belgian station, and we are 1st class so we jump in the 1st Class coach of the AM96 unit and settle down. These are very comfortable trains, not flashy but ideal for 3 or 4 hour trips. Head south through Namur and Arlon, not the most scenic of journeys but the trip through the Ardennes and a cracking sunset made it ok...
Arrive at Luxembourg on time and look for the next connection to Metz in eastern France. Time to buy a ticket and a sandwich and coffee before the hour trip to Metz on a CFL (Luxembourg Railways) double decker unit. Luxembourg station is always worth a look and the 20 minutes or so we have there we see French, German, Swiss, Belgian and Luxembourg rolling stock.
Into Metz on time at 6pm, time to check into our hotel, just a few moments from the station.
Metz station is a fine monument, full of towers, turrets and Prussian influence. At least its not disfigured like Strasbourg station is now.
Dinner was fine. Went to the Restaurant Pont St Marcel, down by the Moselle river and the cathedral, and had 4 courses of excellence, duck salad, zander fillet in taragon sauce, some local cheese and a chocolate cake of some magnificence! All helped along by some fine local Reisling wine.... Say what you like about the French, they can cook....
Tuesday 16 November
Late start, and my friend wanted to see inside the Cathedral so we had a walk down there and had an hour to look at the stonework and stained glass. Don't like religion, but I do like big old Cathedrals...
Back to the station and off to Strasbourg. Our train is an EC service from Brussels to Chur(in Switzerland) and is a few minutes late, but formed of SBB coaching stock which is always nice to travel on! Journey time is 1 hour 20.
Time for lunch! A local speciality is Flammekueche, a very thin based pizza type dish, with varied toppings served on a wooden board. Very filling, very tasty. One of those and a few beers does the trick! Take a walk along the Ill, and into Petite France, one of my favourite areas of Strabourg.
Lots of Christmas Markets in the town squares. A few glasses of Gluhwein keeps the chill out....
Head back to the station and work out were to go next. We decide on Lauterbourg and head to Germany that way. Catch the 323pm service, and its formed of the older loco and push pull stock rather than the newer unit trains. Pull into Lauterbourg just as the DB service is arriving on the other platform. Too cold to be standing about and Lauterbourg is not the best place to be stood waiting, bit windswept! A 20 minute trip takes us to Worth, change trains and another DB unit to Karlsruhe. 30 minute wait for our ICE service to Freiburg, so time for a quick coffee. Our train runs in on time, but its quite busy so we head to the bar car and spend the hour journey with a few Weiss beers. ICE trains are very nice and the buffet area is full of people having a drink or snack.
The other end of the car is a Restaurant area, which is busy as well. The train is heading to Basel and Interlaken but after an hour we are off. Freiburg is our destination for the evening.
Find our hotel, its on the Townhall Square and there is a large Christmas market in progress. Our hotel is giving away free Bratwurst and Gluhwein, 2 tokens to hand in at a certain stall. can't say fairer than that!
Dinner was in the rather wonderful Freiling Brewery, a rather nice steak, and some very fine dark beer which was very drinkable....... We made it back to the hotel via some other pubs and bars and I can't recall just when we got back.... :blink:
Wednesday 17 November.
Its snowing!
Leisurely breakfast and then have a wander around the rather beautiful Freiburg town centre before heading for the Bahnhof and the 1101 ICE service to Basel. Still snowing and the vineyards south of Freiburg are looking wintertastic under a few inches of snow.
Past Basel Bad and there is a lot of freight around, some changing to Swiss traction, makes me want to go to Switzerland again!
Basel SBB station on time and time to purchase an onward ticket to Strasbourg. 1218pm TER200 service to Strasbourg, push pull train with a 200kph(125mph) 'Sybic' on the front end, and soon we are whipping up more snow clouds as we head along the flat river plain alongside the Rhine.
Train is very busy. Lots of people off to Strasbourg for the Xmas markets.
We have 2 hours to kill at Strasbourg so wander up to the Cathedral square and find a small cafe that does excellent Christmas beer and more flammekueche!
Back to the station, 315pm TGV to Paris, 2 units, quite full and a 2 hour 20 minute trip to Paris Est for the 305 mile journey. Smooth ride, comfy seat, 200mph. Impressive. As always.
Walk to Gare du Nord and 643pm Eurostar back to London, arriving at 838pm.
Good trip. Nice way to use up 3 days leave!
Photos at http://50031.fotopic.net/c1626181.html (But more Cathedrals than trains!!!)
Monday 15 Nov.
Easy start and an 0957 departure from St Pancras to Brussels. Journey time is extended by about 20 minutes due to the single line working in one part of the tunnel due to the recent fire, but we had First Class tickets so we had breakfast to distract us and soon we had passed through the tunnel and were streaking across the flatlands of Northern France. You can glimpse some small cemeteries as the train wizzs along at 186mph and you remember that area was not as quiet and laidback as it is now. Seeing the lines of stones like that always make you respect the sacrifices made but annoyance at the idiots that put them in that position... Nothing much changes.
Lille Europe comes and goes, and as we head out we pass the TGV sidings on the left hand side and the loco sidings on the other side. Back up to speed again and we pass over the Belgian/French border and are soon slowing as we come to the end of the TGV line at Halle.
Arrival at Brussels is a few minutes early and the late running of the connection we thought we wouldn't catch means we are in Brussels for about 5 minutes. Our tickets to Brussels include onward travel to any Belgian station, and we are 1st class so we jump in the 1st Class coach of the AM96 unit and settle down. These are very comfortable trains, not flashy but ideal for 3 or 4 hour trips. Head south through Namur and Arlon, not the most scenic of journeys but the trip through the Ardennes and a cracking sunset made it ok...
Arrive at Luxembourg on time and look for the next connection to Metz in eastern France. Time to buy a ticket and a sandwich and coffee before the hour trip to Metz on a CFL (Luxembourg Railways) double decker unit. Luxembourg station is always worth a look and the 20 minutes or so we have there we see French, German, Swiss, Belgian and Luxembourg rolling stock.
Into Metz on time at 6pm, time to check into our hotel, just a few moments from the station.
Metz station is a fine monument, full of towers, turrets and Prussian influence. At least its not disfigured like Strasbourg station is now.
Dinner was fine. Went to the Restaurant Pont St Marcel, down by the Moselle river and the cathedral, and had 4 courses of excellence, duck salad, zander fillet in taragon sauce, some local cheese and a chocolate cake of some magnificence! All helped along by some fine local Reisling wine.... Say what you like about the French, they can cook....
Tuesday 16 November
Late start, and my friend wanted to see inside the Cathedral so we had a walk down there and had an hour to look at the stonework and stained glass. Don't like religion, but I do like big old Cathedrals...
Back to the station and off to Strasbourg. Our train is an EC service from Brussels to Chur(in Switzerland) and is a few minutes late, but formed of SBB coaching stock which is always nice to travel on! Journey time is 1 hour 20.
Time for lunch! A local speciality is Flammekueche, a very thin based pizza type dish, with varied toppings served on a wooden board. Very filling, very tasty. One of those and a few beers does the trick! Take a walk along the Ill, and into Petite France, one of my favourite areas of Strabourg.
Lots of Christmas Markets in the town squares. A few glasses of Gluhwein keeps the chill out....
Head back to the station and work out were to go next. We decide on Lauterbourg and head to Germany that way. Catch the 323pm service, and its formed of the older loco and push pull stock rather than the newer unit trains. Pull into Lauterbourg just as the DB service is arriving on the other platform. Too cold to be standing about and Lauterbourg is not the best place to be stood waiting, bit windswept! A 20 minute trip takes us to Worth, change trains and another DB unit to Karlsruhe. 30 minute wait for our ICE service to Freiburg, so time for a quick coffee. Our train runs in on time, but its quite busy so we head to the bar car and spend the hour journey with a few Weiss beers. ICE trains are very nice and the buffet area is full of people having a drink or snack.
The other end of the car is a Restaurant area, which is busy as well. The train is heading to Basel and Interlaken but after an hour we are off. Freiburg is our destination for the evening.
Find our hotel, its on the Townhall Square and there is a large Christmas market in progress. Our hotel is giving away free Bratwurst and Gluhwein, 2 tokens to hand in at a certain stall. can't say fairer than that!
Dinner was in the rather wonderful Freiling Brewery, a rather nice steak, and some very fine dark beer which was very drinkable....... We made it back to the hotel via some other pubs and bars and I can't recall just when we got back.... :blink:
Wednesday 17 November.
Its snowing!
Leisurely breakfast and then have a wander around the rather beautiful Freiburg town centre before heading for the Bahnhof and the 1101 ICE service to Basel. Still snowing and the vineyards south of Freiburg are looking wintertastic under a few inches of snow.
Past Basel Bad and there is a lot of freight around, some changing to Swiss traction, makes me want to go to Switzerland again!
Basel SBB station on time and time to purchase an onward ticket to Strasbourg. 1218pm TER200 service to Strasbourg, push pull train with a 200kph(125mph) 'Sybic' on the front end, and soon we are whipping up more snow clouds as we head along the flat river plain alongside the Rhine.
Train is very busy. Lots of people off to Strasbourg for the Xmas markets.
We have 2 hours to kill at Strasbourg so wander up to the Cathedral square and find a small cafe that does excellent Christmas beer and more flammekueche!
Back to the station, 315pm TGV to Paris, 2 units, quite full and a 2 hour 20 minute trip to Paris Est for the 305 mile journey. Smooth ride, comfy seat, 200mph. Impressive. As always.
Walk to Gare du Nord and 643pm Eurostar back to London, arriving at 838pm.
Good trip. Nice way to use up 3 days leave!
Photos at http://50031.fotopic.net/c1626181.html (But more Cathedrals than trains!!!)
