13. The Eurostar, London to Amsterdam

Well this certainly deserves a post of its own, as the Eurostar was always going to be a core element of my first Interrail trip. 

St. Pancras International, the departure station in London was only a 12-minute walk from Euston, but for the first time I  felt the weight of my rucksack,  even though it only weighed 12.3 kilos. I started to wonder what items I could have left at home !

Check-in, security and passport control went smoothly and the queues were not long at all. It probably helps that I was travelling mid-week. After  a short wait  in the basement area, I  was ascending the escalator to the departure platforms. 

The journey from London to Amsterdam took just under four hours, with a 45 minute stop in Brussels.

We were hardly 10 minutes into the journey when lunch was served. What an experience to start lunch outside London and finish it under the sea.

The food was delicious and the chilled white wine and fresh filtered coffee were much appreciated. 

Before we  had finished  the lunch, we were deep under the English Channel and very soon we were above ground again, amidst the rural French countryside. A little over 75 minutes after leaving London,  we arrived in Lille. The Eurostar then continued on to Brussels. My original seat was facing another tall passenger and neither of us could stretch our legs fully, so I enquired if any single row seats were available and I moved. This was a much more pleasant experience.  

On arrival in Bruxelles-Midi, I  had to change to a Thalys train. While this may have been as modern as the Eurostar, the dark red decor inside made it feel older and more claustrophobic.  There was also no food or drink service to the table on this train. 

In a few short minutes we were passing through the northern suburbs of Brussels. 

The Brussels - Amsterdam part of the journey took just under two hours, and as the land is so flat, the scenery was quite monotonous. I was familiar with Amsterdam Centraal from our home exchange trip last year, so I  knew instantly where to go to catch the trams.

For anyone who isn't familiar, if you want to exit in the city centre just follow 'Centrum' and you end up outside, with the old city centre spread out in front of you. If you exit in the opposite direction you will come to the new modern high-rise Amsterdam across the River.