Heart to Heart (Eurostar)

Member Name: huddro

Product:	Eurostar
Date:	08/02/01 (409 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Centre of London to Centre of Paris v.quickly

Disadvantages: slow BR track on the English side

I have just returned from a business trip to Paris and wow I am so impressed with the Eurostar. Now obviously I was lucky in that all the travel arrangements were made by one of the company P.As so all I had to do was leave the office clutching my ticket and passport, catch the train, and sit back for 3 hours until we arrived en Paris as they say dans la France (are you impressed with my French yet?)

Check In

As we were booked first class we had the option of using the ten-minute business check in, most useful as a run across the concourse at Waterloo was required. That will teach me to try and squeeze in one meeting too many! I understand that normal check in closes 20 minutes prior to departure.

The check in itself could not have been easier. Stick the ticket into the automatic barriers for validation and straight through. Bags into the x-ray machine and walk through the metal detector. A word of advice these are so sensitive that they find mobile phones, lighters, even belt buckles, so put any metallic objects in your bag for x-ray, unless of course the full body search appeals to you!

Once through the security checks you enter the posh world of the Eurostar lounge. Here you will find a couple of cafes, a Costa Coffee, newsagent, and gift shop.

Alas as we were now doing our best impression of Linford Christie in order to catch the train we did not have time to partake of a Cappuccino and Danish nor buy a model of a traditional London Taxi guv’nor.

At Le Gare Du Nord in Paris the check in desks are located on the first floor so you may want to allow yourself a little more time to rush in!!

The Train

Rushing down the platform we were greeted by a member of the train crew, looking immaculate in her airline stewardess type outfit. A big smile and very polite check of our tickets saw us climbing aboard the First Class Carriage.

We were sharing a table for two which was nic
e as in a four those sitting nearest the aisle have to keep moving to allow those by the window to pay a visit, and with the complimentary drinks! (More later)

The carriage rather than being the grey and yellow of the standard carriages is decorated in a burgundy and grey. The seats are much wider than standard seats and the back tilts slightly.

The only down side to all this is the tacky lamps on each table with rather fetching pink Perspex lampshades, trying to recreate the orient express but it doesn’t really work.

The storage space is massive with more than ample shelves along the length of the carriage and racks at the end (although make sure you clearly label your luggage in accordance with instructions as the crew will remove untagged luggage). In this carriage there were even hooks to hang a suit jacket.

Complimentary Eurostar magazines were left on each seat and provided some interesting articles written in both French and English, a good chance to practise that rusty school French. At the end of the carriage was a magazine rack with copies of magazines such as Hello and a selection of daily papers.

As the train left Waterloo the Train Captain announced details of the journey in both English and French, next time you travel note how this side of the tunnel the announcements are English / French then in France French / English, a nice touch.

For those Techies and statisticians amongst you some further details on the actual train:
The train is 18 carriages long with room for 766 passengers - 560 Standard Class and 206 First Class.
In the peak season - up to 24 trains can run daily to Paris and 10 to Brussels.
The train travels at up to 186mph (300kph)

Service and Food

Our waiter appeared as if by magic and offered a complimentary glass of Champagne or Orange Juice. The Champagne while not ranking in the top ten of wines tasted was fruity, fizzy, and chilled to perfe
ction. A coaster placed on the table stops the glass from sliding off the end when cornering (worth noting when you buy a drink always use a coaster!)

The menu was bought round next with a roulade to start, followed by a choice of veal, sausages, or cod. This was followed by a sweet of walnut tart and a slice of traditional cheddar. This also contained the wine list with a choice of two white and two red wines. For those of you who do not drink wine basically any alcoholic beverage you could wish for is available and still complimentary.

The roulade was superb with a light relish. The cod placed on a potato cake and covered with a cream sauce was hot moist and very tasty. The tart was sweet and nutty and the cheese wonderfully rich.

This was washed down with a complimentary bottle (or two or three) of St Emillion red, a nice fruity red.

Each meal is served with a very cold bottle of still Evian water, to try to maintain some sobriety no doubt!

Coffee to follow and then a hot towel to freshen up was a nice touch.

As you can tell from my writing the food was excellent, the complimentary drinks welcome and the service fantastic. These guys rank far better than some of the waiters and waitresses I have experienced at what are supposed to be “top” restaurants.

Now on the way back, bear in mind we were only there for one day, the menu had changed which was most surprising as we expected the same. I won’t make you hungry describing the new menu, but for those who are real chocolate fanatics the dessert was superb!!

The cabin crew on this train go out of their way to help and make you comfortable and answer any questions you may have.

The Journey

The whole journey takes about 3 hours to complete and as usual good old Blighty lets us down. The slowest part of this journey is from Waterloo to the tunnel entrance. Using the existing BR network means that alth
ough the train has priority and moves faster than local trains the journey is still at “normal” speeds. It is in France that this vehicle can really perform. Designed along the same lines as the now dated TGV this train can operate up to around 300km an hour, it tilts gently into the bends and yet is still quiet and refined inside.

The actual tunnel crossing takes around 20 minutes and the train Captain gives you plenty of notice. Some people complained of ear popping but I did not suffer this myself. For those of you nervous about wet feet or drips, the tunnel is carved through the rock under the seabed so not a hope of the sea getting in.

A nice touch is the announcement each side of the local time to allow you to change your watch.

The worst bit of the journey was trying to get home from Waterloo on arrival back from Paris. That is down to London Underground though and nothing to do with the Eurostar.

Conclusion

Having travelled on business by land air and sea I can thoroughly recommend the Eurostar. This convenient mode of transport takes you from the heart of London to the heart of Paris. My entire journey from office to office took around four hours, much faster than flying.

I would think that the first class is rather more expensive than the standard and unless your company is paying or you are incredibly rich (in which case can I have a loan please?) I would travel standard class. The return ticket to Paris for me cost my company £185 and that included our regular traveller discount. A note if you book early enough a standard return costs in the region of £70 but obviously this is not a flexible ticket (the first class allow transfer between trains so if you miss one you can simply get on the next).

The crew are great the train is comfortable and so far we have not experienced any delays. Bearing in mind that at least one of the team here travels to Paris weekly that is a go
od indication of reliability.

All in all a very convenient, safe, and stress freeway to travel.

Remember your Passport!

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