The Itinerary For The Trip To Bilbao
I’ve now firmed up my trip to Bilbao and home.
Sunday, December 8th
I fly out on the easyJet flight, EZY3325, which leaves at 18:25.
I have booked into the Silken Gran Dominie by the Guggenheim Museum for two nights.
Monday, December 9th
Tuesday, December 10th
I travel by train to Hendaye from where I get a train to Biarritz.
Bilbao-Hendaye – 6:40 to 11:28, 9:15 to 13:51
I have booked the Radisson Blu for two nights.
Wednesday, December 11th
I shall find a very good restaurant on this day, as it will be six years since C died.
Thursday, December 12th
I travel by train to Bordeaux, where I’m booked into the Le Boutique Hotel for one night.
Friday, December 13th
I take the TGV to Paris and then the 20:13 Eurostar to London.
A Day In Paris
As I wasn’t sure how long it would take to get home, before I left, I booked a ticket on the 21:10 Eurostar from Paris to London.
This effectively gave me nine hours in Paris, so I decided to go to the Louvre and then do some exploration.
Unfortunately, my camera ran out of juice, so there isn’t many pictures.
But I enjoyed myself otherwise!
I did even find a gluten-free creperie in Montmartre, but unfortunately it shuts on Mondays.
This wouldn’t have been a disaster, as I knew I’d get a good supper on Eurostar.
But unfortunately, I’d somehow mixed up getting my gluten-free meal.
The staff however, rustled me up some very acceptable chicken with chick-peas.
I was in my bed in Hackney by just after eleven, after eight trains in seven days.
Being close to St. Pancras means that trains are a very good option, as I can always get a bus home if the train is a very late one.
The
Off To Palermo Tomorrow
I’m off to Palermo tomorrow on the 06:20 easyJet flight out of Gatwick, to do another home run by train.
My schedule is looking like this at the moment.
8th – Palermo
9th – Naples
10th – Genoa
11th – Turin
12th – Geneva
13th – Paris
14th – I’m booked on one of the last Eurostars back to London.
Eurostar Go For The East Coast Franchise
I have noticed that Eurostar are bidding to run the trains to the North and Scotland from Kings Cross.
I do hope that if they do run it, they bring the excellent gluten-free food from their continental services.
Roll On 2016
I saw this article in Global Rail News, about Eurostar starting services between London and Amsterdam in 2016.
About time too!
Waterloo’s Disgrace
Behind the Premier Inn at Lambeth are the old Eurostar platforms at Waterloo International station.
They have been virtually derelict since services transferred to St. Pancras in 2007.
I suppose they must be one of most expensive ruins of recent years.
If we were going to move the services to St. Pancras, why did we build such a grand station as an interim measure? Especially, when the French just made do, with what they had at Gare du Nord. And of course, they still do!
The Queues In The Underground At Kings Cross St. Pancras
I came through Kings Cross St. Pancras Underground station on Friday afternoon and the queues at the ticket office, were enormous, as they often are at that time of the week.
The Queues In The Underground At Kings Cross St. Pancras
I suppose one problem is that many people off the Eurostar from Paris or Brussels don’t have any British money or an Oyster card. But as this page says, you can buy Oyster cards on Eurostar.
Rescued By Eurostar
I hadn’t got a ticket for Eurostar, as let’s face it, what good would it have done me, as I didn’t turn up in Brussels at a date and a time, remotely near anything I could have expected.
So when my number was called after a wait of a few minutes, I approached the ticket counter with more than a little apprehension. After my luck, I fully expected to be told that as it was a Friday and the start of the school holidays, that no seats were available until Tuesday at the earliest.
But the pleasant lady smiled broadly, like air hostesses do in adverts, except that she meant it, and said she could get me on a train in an hour for €190. Expensive, but then it was a last-minute walk-up and what else could I do, as I can’t swim? I then asked how much Premium Economy was and she said €204. So I paid the extra fourteen euros and within an hour I was on my way back to Blighty. Incidentally booking now for next Friday, I’d save somewhere around £80.
On the train, I got a fulsome apology for not being served a gluten-free meal, but I knew that to get one, you have to book in advance. But at least the food was infinitely better than the rubbish you get on German trains, where gluten is compulsory in all snacks.
The train had a very unusual passenger.
A Very Unusual Passenger
The balloon was tied to a child’s buggy. It did give one of the stewards a bit of a fright, as he came through the door.
I was of course, on time in London. But let’s face it, Eurostar have one great advantage. With the exception of the Channel Tunnel and various junctions, it is a virtually straight line largely under their control. So could we expect that HS2 will be a more reliable railway than the West Coast Main Line? I think the answer will be yes!
Customer Support From Eurostar
On Saturday, I felt I got exceptional service from Eurostar on the last leg home from Budapest. So I told them!
I recently travelled back from Paris after arriving in the city on Saturday the 13th on the sleeper from Munich.
I hadn’t eaten for about 36 hours, as I couldn’t find any gluten-free food, in the Munich area of Germany.
However, once on the train to London, your gluten free light lunch that I had ordered filled part of the hole.I hope in my hungry state, I didn’t get on your excellent staffs’ nerves.
Ninety minutes after sending the e-mail, I got a reply.
Deepest condolences regarding your losses and the health issues you had, we are happy that you still found the strength to enjoy life. We at Eurostar are pleased that you enjoy this with us and we want to thank you for choosing us. I am sure that our on board staff were happy to help.
I am extremely disappointed to hear that gluten free meals are not obtainable with Deutsche Bahn as this is not an uncommon food request.
I hope your nest trip to Palermo will be a relaxing journey and without the need of being hungry.
You can’t fault the speed of reply and the message.
Food At Last
It was a short walk from the Gare de Paris Est station to the Gare du Nord and the 11:07 Eurostar for London.
I made it easily and an hour or so later, I was having lunch.
Food At Last
It was actually tofu, which I’ve never had before. But it was good to have a meal I could trust. The tea was very good too.
What I always think, is why if Eurostar can do gluten free food so well, why can’t other train companies?
The Anonymous Widower 