London
to Paris and Dijon via Dover and Calais, with return via
the famous Chunnel
by Jerry W. Bird
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 comprenensive 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
