Well it's today that our trip really start. Mind you it's a slow start as the Eurostar train for Brussels doesn't leave until 1404 (2.04 pm)
It was a nice evening yesterday with lots of people enjoying the Bank Holiday sun in Hyde Park. Lots of French holiday makers about for some reason.
We got a taxi outside the hotel amongst scores of tourists awaiting coaches. "Going somewhere nice" said the taxi driver. "Japan" then a pause in the conversation before the inevitable question "how?" How I will miss being able to say this conversation stopper! "By Train"
St. Pancras is more busy than expected. We had breakfast there. and kicked around the station buying useless items that we thought we had forgotton and might need like; towels. In the end we bought some relatively expensive white towels from one of the many designer outlet there. We didnt use them on the entire trip-still they will come in.
Took seats on 1404 Eurostar to Brussels to find myself next to a retired timetable planner from Swindon! I knew him, Ian Partridge. So most of this leg of the journey taken up with catching up with what we knew of mutual acquaintances!
Then its an hours wait on the platform at Brussels for the Cologne train (an ICE 3 for those in the know). The stewardess bought me a beer and provided us with some English newspapers. By the time we got off the train it was dark.
So, for convenience, found a fast food outlet for a bite to eat. The station was full of German football supporters but while noisy they were well behaved. Normally our sleeper would leave directly from Cologne but this evening, due to work on the line, we had to catch another train to Dortmund and catch the sleeper from Dortmund to Warsaw in Poland.. We should have had a 25 minute connection but this train was 20 late. This meant we would be cutting it fine. Missing a connection at this stage would not have been good as the trip had only just started so we had our fingers crossed as but the delay became even worse. I said to the guard by means of holding up my
onward ticket "would we make the connection" "Yes no problem" he kept saying but it was going to be close. We met a Texan couple going for the same connection. They didn't realise our train was 20 late and got off at a wayside halt at the time we should have pulled into Dortmund. Fortunately Joanne realise what they had done and we shouted after them. With the train ready to leave we shouted after them and grabbed their bags managing to haul the bags back on the train. We shouted "This is the wrong place get back on" Think they thought we were hijacking them but they followed our instructions and jumped on at the very last minute just before the doors closed. We then explained their error. If we hadnt have got them back on board they would have been stranded until morning. They were travelling to Prague but as they said "we are not used to public transport we drive everywhere back home" 2300 (Eleven at night)arrival at Dortmund with 5 minutes to spare found our train the "Jan Kuiper Express" on the adjacent platform under the dimly lit station lamps. A large train with multiple portions for Warsaw, Copenhagen and Prague. The sleeping car stood out
belonging to Polish railways in Polish railways livery unlike the remaining coaches in Czech and German railways livery. The Polish attendant was waiting at the open carriage door and we communicated with sign language giving her our tickets and passports as is normal practice on trains crossing borders.
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Inside the berth was warm and inviting with nice clean sheets and a small shower and toilet for our own use. Not many pillows though but fortunately we bought some blow up ones. So after half bottle of red wine between us we settled down to what turned out to be a good nights sleep.
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Next morning we were bought coffee and a pre packed croissant by the attendant arriving in Warsaw around midday.
It was a nice evening yesterday with lots of people enjoying the Bank Holiday sun in Hyde Park. Lots of French holiday makers about for some reason.
We got a taxi outside the hotel amongst scores of tourists awaiting coaches. "Going somewhere nice" said the taxi driver. "Japan" then a pause in the conversation before the inevitable question "how?" How I will miss being able to say this conversation stopper! "By Train"
St. Pancras is more busy than expected. We had breakfast there. and kicked around the station buying useless items that we thought we had forgotton and might need like; towels. In the end we bought some relatively expensive white towels from one of the many designer outlet there. We didnt use them on the entire trip-still they will come in.
Then its an hours wait on the platform at Brussels for the Cologne train (an ICE 3 for those in the know). The stewardess bought me a beer and provided us with some English newspapers. By the time we got off the train it was dark.
So, for convenience, found a fast food outlet for a bite to eat. The station was full of German football supporters but while noisy they were well behaved. Normally our sleeper would leave directly from Cologne but this evening, due to work on the line, we had to catch another train to Dortmund and catch the sleeper from Dortmund to Warsaw in Poland.. We should have had a 25 minute connection but this train was 20 late. This meant we would be cutting it fine. Missing a connection at this stage would not have been good as the trip had only just started so we had our fingers crossed as but the delay became even worse. I said to the guard by means of holding up my
onward ticket "would we make the connection" "Yes no problem" he kept saying but it was going to be close. We met a Texan couple going for the same connection. They didn't realise our train was 20 late and got off at a wayside halt at the time we should have pulled into Dortmund. Fortunately Joanne realise what they had done and we shouted after them. With the train ready to leave we shouted after them and grabbed their bags managing to haul the bags back on the train. We shouted "This is the wrong place get back on" Think they thought we were hijacking them but they followed our instructions and jumped on at the very last minute just before the doors closed. We then explained their error. If we hadnt have got them back on board they would have been stranded until morning. They were travelling to Prague but as they said "we are not used to public transport we drive everywhere back home" 2300 (Eleven at night)arrival at Dortmund with 5 minutes to spare found our train the "Jan Kuiper Express" on the adjacent platform under the dimly lit station lamps. A large train with multiple portions for Warsaw, Copenhagen and Prague. The sleeping car stood out
belonging to Polish railways in Polish railways livery unlike the remaining coaches in Czech and German railways livery. The Polish attendant was waiting at the open carriage door and we communicated with sign language giving her our tickets and passports as is normal practice on trains crossing borders.
Inside the berth was warm and inviting with nice clean sheets and a small shower and toilet for our own use. Not many pillows though but fortunately we bought some blow up ones. So after half bottle of red wine between us we settled down to what turned out to be a good nights sleep.
Next morning we were bought coffee and a pre packed croissant by the attendant arriving in Warsaw around midday.
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