Introduction
In June 2004 I made a two week visit to Europe, starting at Cambridge and then travelling to Brussels, Berlin and Hamburg by the Eurostar, Thalys and ICE high speed trains. Along the way and rode around several cities on a small folding bicycle.
This is a technical travelogue, in the style of my book Net Traveller.
Setting out from Kings College
Staying at Kings College was an interesting experience. The rooms were comfortable, but not luxurious. The staff has a quirky sense of humor. I asked "can you tell me about the trains to London" and the reply was "yes they are big carriages that run on metal rails". I expected them to then turn to a well thumbed timetable, but instead they printed out a web page.
Bicycle in bag on London tube
The hardest part of the trip was getting across London on the underground (tube) with a folding bicycle in a bag. There were many stairs to negotiate between three tube trains.
Boarding the Eurostar
The Eurostar was looking a bit tired and in need of refurbishment, compared to French and German high speed trains connected with in Brussels, but it is still fast and efficient.
Smart car at Brussels petrol station
European cities have a different scale. A Smart car, which looks ridiculously small in an Australia city looks normal at a tiny Brussels petrol station.
Next: Brussels to Cologne by Thalys
Models of the Trains: