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Europe's
Seamless Air Rail Connections
by
Jerry W. Bird
 Oh,
how I wish we had this type of seamless air rail
connection in Canada!. Last spring's rail trip to
Paris began shortly after we landed at London's
Heathrow Airport. One of the conveniences of
traveling in Europe is how major airports like
Heathrow are so well integrated with rail
transportation in one "seamless, " user friendly
operation. Next time I go there by train, however,
I vow to take a lot less luggage (we had seven
pieces left over from our Africa trip) which made
it a struggle whenever we changed from one method
of conveyance to another. It was like being back in
the CNR freight sheds in Edmonton lugging heavy
cargo, but at that time I was getting paid for the
job. Nevertheless the staff in each case was
helpful in helping us locate carts and
dollies.
 Connections
were a snap! In what seemed like no time at all,
after rumbling through London's suburbs and the
lush, green English countryside, we were staring at
the famous White Cliffs of Dover. Here at the
clean, bright and spacious train station cafeteria
I enjoyed perhaps the best fish and chips in my
entire life. Fortunately it was an half hour before
we began our "rock and roll" sea voyage, sitting
shoulder to shoulder in the cramped, overcrowded
quarters of a Channel Hovercraft. (Click
for large Eurail
map)
The weather was
stormy, and the English Channel so choppy that,
from inside our crowded Hovercraft looking out, it
reminded me of an old Bugs bunny cartoon. You may
remember the one where Sylvester the cat is viewing
life from the inside of a clothes dryer, before he
emerges looking like a puff ball. In retrospect, it
was all part of the day's adventure. After all, we
were lucky to be aboard, because due to labor
trouble in France, the whole transportation
situation was unclear. We were on pins and needles
for a while, thinking that we might have to change
plans. However common sense and good fortune
prevailed, and we were soon heading into the
terminal at the French port city of
Calais.
Later on I will
relate my impressions of French Rail Travel; the
cavernous railway stations of Paris, the station
stops and rolling panorama of the French
countryside. Form Paris, we took a side trip to
Brittany, staying several nights with relatives at
Gallicy (a quaint artists village) and taking a day
trip to the walled fortress city of St. Malo- a
true tourist haven. To get there, we drove through
the enchanted forest, said to be the birthplace of
Sir Lancelot of Arthurian legends. We had two days
on and off the double decker tour buses which took
us to all the highlights of Paris. It proved to be
a real bargain.
After a week
rushing here, there and everywhere on the Paris
subway system, we made a glorious, relaxing return
journey by train through the famous 'Chunnel' to
London. The train was into the tunnel mouth, under
the channel and back on dry land in what seemed
like an instant, although we were having too much
fun to time it. For those considering the trip, we
will provide simple maps of the route, such as the
inset (left), and a larger
Eurail map
showing how the routes connect to the rest of
Europe, including Scandinavia and the British
Isles. Maps are courtesy of Eurail
Daily
Schedules between European cities
and fares in
US $, go
to the following site:
http://www.europeanvacation.com/ticket.htm.
Accommodation
in Europe?
Hotels
in London and the United Kingdom.
This
web site is comprehensive guide that offers a large
choice of online bookable hotels in London. Every
hotel is presented with pictures, attractive rates,
facilities and descriptions. It's search facility
will help you make your choice easily and with no
hassle. http://www.about-london-hotels.co.uk/
Hotel
reservations service in Amsterdam
The Netherlands. Check this comprehensive Web
Site:
http://holland.amsterdam.sunscale.com/
Booking
Rail in UK
http://www.virgintrains.co.uk/
Question:
What about a return
to Historic Street Cars as a year-round tourist
attraction and revenue generator? See our new
series Streetcars & Street Scenes. It makes
street sense.
http://www.airhighways.com/adventure_rails.htm
E-mail: africa@dowco.com
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