26 July Paris-Brussels
First fast train experience on the Thalys in first class with our Eurail pass, plus a little extra cash.
With a maximum speed of 300km and an average of 280km, the countryside whizzes by!
Kids impressed by the little treats served, which I didn't think were included...
If 90€ counts for anything!
30/07 trying to get to Beverlijk...
Brussels-Rotterdam. 8:45-10:56
Rotterdam-Haarlem 11:07-12:01
Haarlem-beverwijk 12:24-12:40
Antwerp central
Roosendaal
Breda
Rotterdam
Haarlem
Beverwijk
Should have been a 3 train journey though we are now on third with two more to go.
All crammed in like sardines. One handle on my suitcase just broke while going up the stairs, repairs and improvisations ahead!
What transport adventures await us I wonder....?
We are standing in the aisle, not sure how far it is, possibly an hour.
The day is grey, the kids are tired and hungry of course, but it is what it is.
We have chatted with some fellow passengers. Most of the announcements are in Dutch so not much to understand.
Not sure if we'll get to Amsterdam yet and still a night in limbo to sort out.
01/08. Buses, trains, feet...
From stay ok to Amsterdam this morning where we spent the day roaming streets and canals. We are squished in our night train compartments. The lady who made our reservation tried to save us a days travel but it didn't work.
Have had to pay extra twice now, though it is our first time in a speedy sleeping train and would be paying for accommodation elsewhere anyway.
We found a lovely peniche boat museum to visit, walked past anne Frank's house where the visiting line was endless! Interesting and busy, the canals are great but I'm glad we stayed at the castle. Looking forward to quieter places with less crowds.
Transport has been confusing, finding the right platforms, carriages and seats, going back and forth. Using the lockers was also an experience!
05/08/16
More buses, metro and trains.
This time from Prague to Brno.
Tickets are confusing when written in Czech. Our trip was 3/4 through when the conductor comes through, I have our tickets, no problem.
However, apparently we are sitting in first class and only have 2nd class tickets.
An honest enough mistake on a domestic train that requires no reservation, but he wasn't happy. I tried to explain that we couldn't read the information on the ticket...he huffed and puffed a bit, punched numbers into his machine and eventually threw his arms in the air! We were happy to move of course and we weren't the only ones. A local man was in the same boat but he just smiled and said a few words to the conductor, not too worried. We didn't pay extra and there really wasn't much difference between first and second apart from the colour scheme!
