The Thalys to from Koln to Paris
Trip Start
Sep 09, 2005
1
125
150
Trip End
Ongoing
Cologne,
North Rhine-Westphalia,
Germany
Tuesday, May 6, 2008
Tres Bien! Perfect words to describe the Thalys train and our first trip on the Thalys. I suppose it is a TGV, but it is newer and more special. I was really excited to be on this train, for it is the first time on one of the Trains of Grand Vitesse. This one goes 300 kilometers an hour. From my elementary calculations I think that is nearly 190 mph! I was a bit apprehensive, but that doesn't stop the adventures.
Anyway, this trip is from Koln to Paris, by way of Brussels. There are several stops between Koln and Brussels, so we are told the speed will only be around 100 mph most of the time. Sometimes it will be a lot slower
Koln Cathedral
. The trip between Koln and Brussls will take about 2 hours. The part of the trip between Brussels and Paris is what I am really looking forward to. A distance of about 200 miles in about an hour.
We walk the short distance to the bahnhof around 10:30 in the morning, giving ourselves enough time to mail some packages and get to the platform in plenty of time. I still haven't developed the extremely casual attitude of train travel the Europeans have, but am getting closer. They arrive at the station about 5 minutes before the train is scheduled to depart and then stop to get coffee!
Judy and I are a bit anxious, so we are at the platform about ½ hour early. We watch the signs carefully and read the boards. I finally discover the key to finding out what train car you are in and where it stop on the platform. There are signs posted with diagrams of the TGV trains and letters above the cars, such as A, B, C and D. Then I noticed there are the same letters posted on the platforms. A grand AH HA moment. Find your car number on your ticket, look on the board for the station letter and then just stand there and wait for the train to be delivered right to you! It worked like a charm.
We waited at B, and VOILA, here comes car 26 right to station B, actually the door was exactly in front of us
Thalys
! The door opened, we threw our lugcage in and found our seats, all within about 3 minutes.We settled in and waited for the trip to start.
The train started and seemed to go pretty fast, but as I wiltl find out later, was not up to top speed. We would pull into a station, gather some new passengers and pull out. Finally we arrived at Brussels and stayed there about 20 minutes. Then, we were off!
It seemed like the train was shot out of slingshot. You hardly felt anything, but after the train cleared the station, we started flying on tracks. You could focus on distant objects, but anything within a couple hundred yards was just a blur. The service is impeccable on the train, with attendants on board like on planes. The seats were nice with trays and lighting, We mosied up to the Cafe Car and got a snack to take back to our seats.
Before we knew it, we were slowing down. I wondered why, but then realized we were in Paris at Gare du Nord!
Our next two trips on the Thalys are in first class, and we can't wait!
