Tuesday, 7/4 – London by Chunnel
Got up a little earlier than usual and went downstairs to the Eurostar terminal in the train station and were sent right to the boarding line. I tried to explain we needed our Eurail pass activated, but no one there seemed to understand the process. Finally one of the information ladies got it and directed us to the ticket desk where they stamped and activated the pass. Then we went to the boarding area and went through a similar security screening process similar to what you get when boarding an aircraft, but without the colonoscopy. It was quick and without issue, and we went to the waiting area and had a small breakfast and coffee. Lynn had a coke with her cream doughnut and I had coffee and a croissant. Soon we were boarding and found ourselves in comfortable seats facing each other over a small table. The train departed on time, and soon picked up a little speed. We zipped along to our only remaining Continental stop in Lille, France to pick up a few more passengers, then on to London without stopping again. The train accelerated smoothly to over 180 miles per hour (I clocked it with the GPS in my smartphone). Soon, we were provided Yogurt and a croissant for breakfast, with coffee or tea and some tasty jam.
I was expecting something interesting in transiting the Chunnel. Maybe there would be something interesting to see, or something to indicate the modern engineering wonder it is? Nope. At first, I noticed we were entering a bit of a trench, and then it got dark outside. It stayed dark for about 15 minutes or so, and then it got light again and I was looking out at the fields around Folkestone, England. Oh well. It was amazing anyway to travel by tunnel under the English Channel. It wasn’t too long and we entered the outskirts of London and gently made our way into St. Pancras station. We left the train and looked around for some travel information, and found a tours and travel office right there in the station. We booked a Hop-on Hop-off tour with the Big Bus company, which also included a river tour from Tower Bridge to Westminster by the Houses of Parliament. It departed right from the station and soon we were on our way. The traffic was terrible. Our previous visit to London was in November and there were no tourist crowds. Now in the early days of July; prime tourist season, the place was mobbed. We went past St. Paul’s on our way to Tower Bridge and took in the various sights pointed out by the driver. The city had changed a lot since our last visit in 1992, having many more modern, glass buildings now. We got off the very slow moving bus (due to traffic) and made our way down to the pier to meet the boat tour. The boat tour was very nice, and was conducted by some of the Freemen of the river, part of the longstanding Watermen and Lightermen of the Thames. The cruise went gently up river to Westminster, and we were treated to a much-changed London waterfront from our 1992 visit. Everywhere the glint of glass buildings. St. Paul’s could hardly be seen from the river. There were buildings referred to by the locals as “The Walkie-Talkie” and “The Shard,” all quite ugly in comparison to the beautiful buildings of old London. Despite the garish changes, it was evident that London was truly a booming modern city and we had a pleasant cruise. We debarked at Westminster and walked up from the embankment and up to Parliament Street, which then turned into Whitehall as we passed the Cenotaph and Horse Guards. Walked a few blocks further toward Trafalgar Square and stopped in The Old Shades Pub for lunch. I had some delicious fish and chips and Lynn had bangers and mash, also delicious. We washed it all down with some tasty local beer. Once done with lunch, we walked back toward Westminster and then to a supposed bus stop for our hop-on, hop-off tour at St. James. No bus after 30 minutes. Walked on to Buckingham Palace, around the corner to another marked stop and got on the bus there. We asked, and were informed that the St. James stop was not in use any longer. We stayed on the bus for the tour through several stops until Marble Arch/Oxford Street where we got off. We decided to walk to Selfridge’s and looked around there for a while. At some point we decided to have a drink at a bar The Barefoot Contessa went to for one of her shows. Looked it up online and came up with the Dukes Bar bar on St. James Place. After we walked there and took a look, we decided it wasn’t the correct bar. (Later research proved it was indeed, the correct bar) We consulted Google some more and convinced ourselves it must be the American Bar in the Savoy Hotel, and decided we would not walk that far. We then walked up to Piccadilly Circus and had drinks at a sidewalk bar and cafe. After refreshing ourselves, we decided we were close enough, so walked to Savoy and went into bar. It was definitely not the place. By now it was time to start heading back to catch our train back to Brussels, so we caught tube from Charing Cross to St. Pancras. It was rush hour, so very crowded and hot. Quite hot for London. We arrived at the train station with plenty of time to board, which we did after a very brief wait. This time we stopped in Calais as well as Lille on the trip back. We were served some delicious chicken for dinner. Arrived Brussels on time and without incident. With the hour time change it was late again (after 2230), so we took a little time to prepare for the next day’s trip to Amsterdam and went to bed.
Wednesday, 7/5 – Amsterdam
Got up a little later since our train departure was a little later (almost 0900). Had breakfast down n the train station again. Lynn had a ham sandwich and I had a Suisse round with coffee. Went to the Thalys terminal and found seats. Despite taking our time getting there, we were very early and waited half an hour or more. Then it was boarding time and we walked up and boarded quickly. Although the Thalys is also a “bullet train” that travels in excess of 170 miles per hour, it is more like a regular train than the Chunnel-bound Eurostar and is in the station only a few minutes for boarding. Also, no security screening before boarding. Once on the train, we were again served breakfast, as we had first class tickets due to our Eurail pass. The train stopped several times – Antwerp, Rotterdam, Schipol Airport and finally, Amsterdam. Got off at the main station and found the info booth in the I Amsterdam store and bought tickets for a canal boat cruise and a visit to the Ice Bar. We walked out to find the boat and discovered we had walked out the wrong side of the station. Went around the other side and found the boat cruise office and exchanged our voucher for tickets and bought tickets for the Ice Bar. We soon boarded one of the many, many boats and cruised the canals for an hour and a half or so with very nice narration. Amsterdam is a very pretty and interesting city! After cruise, walked toward the Red Light district and found a little restaurant (Mr. Meatball) on the way and had Dutch meatball sandwiches for lunch. Very moist and tasty! We chatted with the owner (Marilyn) for a little while after eating and had a nice time. Then we walked through the red light area. It was neither glamorous nor particularly interesting, but all the tour books said it was a must-see. Well, ok. Seen it. Deciding we needed something a little more our speed, we walked along a canal toward the flower market (Bloemenmarket). Along the way, we passed by many of the famous “Coffee Shops” which are famous for not selling coffee. The aroma of marijuana was strong and pervasive. Again, not our thing. It looked like a bunch of rebellious American youth sitting around getting stoned. Nothing about it suggested it was any more high-brow or “European” than a bunch of guys toking it up in a frat house. We walked on and eventually arrived at the market. There were rows and rows of shops selling many different varieties of tulip bulbs. Of course, we bought some bulbs too, to be shipped and delivered in October. We stopped in a little side street for a beer in an outdoor cafe before continuing. We stopped in a very interesting nautical shop on the square by the flower market and looked at all the boat and ship parts. I found a ship’s bell clock I liked, but they did not have one in stock. I took their card so I can possibly order it online. Then we walked the canals to the Ice Bar, as we had a ticked time to be there. We checked in and they gave us insulated jackets and gloves to wear before entering. Our ticket included a drink before going in, two drinks in the ice bar and a drink after coming out. It was really just a large walk-in reefer with a bar in it, but it was fun and I finally cooled off. The bar and tables were made of ice, as were the glasses the beer or shots were served in. Once done there, we walked along canals until we found Anne Frank’s house. The line for getting in wrapped around the block and then some, so we did not try to get in. We could have purchased tickets ahead of time but decided not in order to have more flexibility during the day. We walked along a few more blocks and found some interesting shops. Had a nice discussion with the proprietor of a liquor shop about genever and absinthe and bought a bottle of genever to take home. Then walked more on our way back toward the train station and found a nice sidewalk Italian wine bar and had some very nice red wine and dinner. I had an excellent beef tenderloin plate with roasted potatoes and salad and Lynn had lasagna, which she declared to be delicious. We then walked back to the train station and got there a little early. Found our train on the schedule and waited, watching the boats going to and fro on the IJ of Amsterdam. Boarded and relaxed on the zippy trip back to Brussels. There was a dinner served on the train, but we declined, having already had a fantastic meal in Amsterdam. Got back to our hotel just after 2200 and went to bed.
Click here for Thursday and Friday, Ypres and Luxembourg.