HOW TO SPEND YOUR TIME IN THE TRAIN

On Friday evening I took the Eurostar to the UK. At the entrance of the area reserved for the Eurostar, you already have the feeling that you crossed the border when you see these typical red telphone booth.





Until the departure of the train at 6 pm, I had a coffee and a muffin. There were quiet a lot of people and the train was nearly full.




Unfortunately I had neighbors who ignored each other. Usually I always met people to chat with, but my neighbor was a young man who read his book with a Kindle. I knew what it was but had never seen one in real only on photos.

They are not yet very popular in Belgium yet. I asked the boy to show it to me, and his eyes almost popped out of his head that such an old women was interested in such a modern thing.

But he was friendly enough to explain it to me. Then he disappeared again behind is little screen. The others were busy with their computers and played games, one was watching a film.

On my other side sat a girl studying a book with the title " The morphology of the pork" and made notes on a paper. I was very intrigued because I wondered what must be so interesting for a young girl to know the pork's morphology ! I could have understood "The morphology of a man" or eventually a cat, but a pork ?? She was so absorbed by her porky litterature that I didn't want to interrupt her and ask in order to enlarge my general knowledge about a pork's morphology.



And suddenly I arrived at destination and got out in Ashford to catch my train to Eastbourne.

When I took the elevator to the national rail station, a Lady dropped her suitcase on my feet that's how we met.

Apparently I met English ladies who become my friends when they drop something on me. Anne slipped on the floor besides the swimming pool in Tenerife 12 years ago and fell on my lap and so our friendship started. This lady preferred dropping her suitcase on my feet and we both wanted to know each other better after having chatted and laughed for almost 2 h so that I nearly missed to get off the train ! Fortunately she had asked me to give her my email address and the link to this blog. It would be nice to see each other again.

WEEKEND FUNNIES

With Gattina & Shakira.

Just do a funny post, something which makes us laugh that's the most important.

And of course there also is


here at Me & My Memes

When I finally found my seat in the Eurostar train I was happy that I had a window seat, although you can't see very much when the train runs at 300 km/h only different shades of green, flying houses and cows.

I made myself comfortable took my baby computer out to play majong and as the train had shrinked since 1994 I only had very little space, just like in an airplane. When it started all wagons were like business class nice and spacious but now to squeeze more people in they had added rows and you feel like a sardine in a can. But the seat besides me was free so I thought I would have enough room for all my little things.

My luck didn't last long when suddenly a big (very big) but still young man tried to get through the aisle to the seat besides me. His face was red from the effort as his colons of legs hit the seats on both sides. He obviously was a business man, dressed in black trousers (what a size !) a white shirt and he only had a brief case. He fell in the seat and suddenly my world became very small and I thought I would been shot to the ceiling, but fortunately the seat was solid and didn't move. The man smiled at me, lifted up the armrest to let hang half of his bottom out on the aisle, sighed and happily closed his eyes.

I adjusted myself to the small place I had now and tried to continue my Majong. Suddenly I felt home. The man had started to snore, he snored so loud that a motor saw was a music box against him. After a while people stood up and looked in my direction to see where this awful noise came from.

Slowly I got more and more angry I couldn't concentrate on my game and really couldn't stand it anymore. So with my ellbow I pushed him a little. Nothing happened, he just gulped some air and snored even louder. I pushed him harder, nothing, finally I shook his voluminous arm, he woke up for a second and stopped but only to continue in another sound.

I thought I would get crazy, but then his mobile rang and he woke up ! What a pleasure ! When he finished his phone call, I wanted to go for little girls, so he lifted up his enormous body groaned from the effort and I could pull myself out of this narrow space.

Suddenly in the toilet I heard that the train would stop now in Ashford where I had to get out. With all this snoring I hadn't even realized that I was already in England and had crossed the channel sitting in the tunnel under hundreds of meters of water.

I pulled up what I had to pull up, stormed out of the toilet, grapped my suitcase and my backbag quickly smiled at my noisy elephant companion who stand there waiting for me and got off the train, just in time ! He probably continued to snore until London.

The rest of my journey went smooth in company of two nice ladies chatting with me and nobody snored !

MY WOLRD

more participants here

Late afternoon today I am sitting in the Eurostar, the train which will take me from Brussels to Ashford in the UK in only two hours. The train runs at up to 300 kilometres per hour (186 mph) ! From there I take the train to Eastbourne at the South East coast of England spending a week with my friends who live there as I do each year.

For me it was a great event when on 14 November 1994 Eurostar services began between Brussels South railway station and Waterloo International station in London. My son lived in London at this time and it was so easy to go by train and not waiting hours at the airport. Since two years St. Pancras International has been chosen for the Eurostar stop in London, which I still don't understand because Waterloo station is much closer to the center and has far more correspondance possibilities. But why make it easy when you can make it complicated.

I took the train for the first time 10 days after the opening and found it very exciting to travel under the sea ! Imagine all the Ferry Boats, Cruise ships and others just swimming over your head ! Lots of people are still afraid to take this train, the idea sitting so deeply under water is scaring them. I think flying in the air is not better.

The construction of the physical tunnel began in 1988, and was finished five years later, in 1993. The Channel Tunnel used by Eurostar services holds the record for having the longest undersea section anywhere in the world, as well as being the second longest tunnel.



The Eurostar and Ashford train station




Inside the tunnel and outside and a drawing from how deep it is



these are the two main tunnels and one emergency tunnel



and when I arrive I will be here for a good week, at the see, waking up with the screams of the seagulls !

TRAVEL WITH EUROSTAR

BY EUROSTAR TO THE SOUTH EAST COAST OF ENGLAND

The Eurostar is really a very useful invention to connect the UK with the rest of the European continent. It drives you safely under the sea through a tunnel and 20 min later you are on the other side both ways. For people who want to visit London or the North of the UK it is really very, very practical and quick. It takes you exactly 3 h from Brussels to London, the train running at 300 km/h (186 mph) on a network of high-speed lines.

It only becomes an adventure when you want to go to the South East coast of England !
read more here

ON HOLIDAYS IN THE UK

It only took me 2 hours to get from Brussels to London with the Eurostar. This train runs now at 300 km/h (186 miles) goes under the sea and arrives in London ! It's just amazing. You don't feel at all this high speed, you only see flying by woods, houses and cows.

I stayed 3 h in London before I went to Eastbourne my final destination at the South East coast of England.

I visited the Queen :



She must feel like an exotic animal in a zoo. There were hundreds of tourists around !



Here is my "hotel" with my private driver Doug. My friend Anne is already in the car. It is just a very strange feeling to drive on the left side and that the driver sits on the right ! I automatically go to the wrong side of course !


I have my holiday cats




the wonderful sea



and a concert in the afternoon ! It really is a wonderful place !

WITH EUROSTAR TO THE UK

Later today I will take the Eurostar from Brussels to Ashford. It will take me about one hour and a half. Then I have to change the train and take one from Ashford to Eastbourne where my friends are picking me up.

The Eurostar (read history here) exists since November 14, 1994 when our King and Queen inaugurated it. (THE QUEEN too of course)!

Two weeks later I also used it for the first time to visit my son in London. Of course everybody told me that I was crazy and it would be dangerous to go through a tunnel which was built under the sea and I should think of all the water and ships above me. I have to admit it was quite a strange idea travelling under water ! But it was a wonderful and smooth trip without any problems. Since then I have taken it many times.

You are only 20 min in this huge tube which is the tunnel and you don't see anything of course but the walls on each side and so close that if you could have opened the window and stretched out your arm you could have touched them.

This train allows up to 300 km/h (186 miles), but you don't feel anything only that the landscape runs by very fast and you can hardly see the cows (Belgium) and on the other side sheeps (UK).

Of course the train has become a big competitor to ferry boats and airplanes wich were needed to go to the UK. But now it's so easy, from Brussels to London it only takes about 2 1/2 h and you have to be at the station half an hour before departure and not 2 or 3h like for the airplane nowadays. For me it's even shorter to Ashford it will only be 1h 1/2. The train only stoppes in Lille (France) and in Ashford before arriving at its final destination London.

If I have time on sunday I can certainly tell more about my trip. Considering that I have to change train I never know (with my wonderful orientation sense) in which city I will finally arrive ! Maybe I can write you from Manchester or Glasgow ??