There will certainly be those that disagree with me, but I have always felt and probably always will feel that Paris is not only the most quintessentially European of all European cities but that it is also the best of all European cities.  One cannot claim to have visited Europe without a trip to (preferably an extended stay in) Paris.

 

If Paris is the quintessential European city and rail travel is the quintessential European means of transport, then surly a trip to Paris by train is the perfect combination.  It was with this in mind that I booked tickets for myself, my Dad, and My stepmother on board the Eurostar.  We travelled from Waterloo Station in London to Gar du Nord in Paris in just under three hours.  I’m sorry to say that the British side of the journey really wasn’t anything special (the train passes through some rather unattractive terrain until just before the tunnel entrance).  The same, however, could by no means be said of the French side.  Screaming through the countryside onboard a nearly silent (and well maintained) high-speed train, I found myself wishing I was winter wheat standing, as it were out there under a deep blue sky under a low winter sun and a few fluffy clouds.