The Grand Rail Trip of 2022 - PART 1
Updated: Jan 27, 2024
It was an epic adventure spanning four countries, two Theme Parks, one Grand Slam Tennis Tournament and over 1,000 miles of Train Track. This is the amazing story of what happened along the way!
St. Pancras, Brussels and Cologne
After an overnight stay in Brighton, it was time to head to St. Pancras for the official start of the adventure! Quite a lot of ground to cover today, with 3 Trains across different networks!
A very pleasant morning greeted me arriving into London just before 9:30am, the sun glistening off The Shard, and a very optimistic note to leave the UK on!
St. Pancras is a stunning Grade I Listed Building with a amazing facade that opened on 1 October 1868. Since 2007, it has been home to Eurostar Services. I had a little time to soak up the atmosphere of the place, standing by the giant clock and the statue of John Betjeman, as I pondered the scale of what was to come.
Soon it was time to check-in, a much more relaxing experience than boarding a plane (at least this side of the channel anyway...), and take in the regality of the Champagne Bar, before it was time to settle into Carriage 8 - next stop, Brussels Midi!
Just over a couple of hours later, having navigated the 31-mile Tunnel in under 20 minutes, and reaching a top speed of 209 mph, I arrived at Brussels Midi - a fairly unglamourous station it has to be said, but functional, and after leaving my bags in the lockers, I had around 4 hours to go and enjoy the greater sights of Brussels!
You can catch a quick Train into the centre at no extra cost, which brought me close to "The Grand Place", an opulent central square in the baroque style that really has you looking up in every direction with utter wonder. It has been a UNESCO World Heritage Site since 1998, and it's easy to see why. After the obligatory photos, it was time to grab a classic Belgian Waffle and explore the rest of the city!
A short walk brought me to the Royal Palace Gardens, awash with colourful flowers, statues and more stunning architecture, punctuated with fountains throughout. I passed Koninklijk Palace, which is the official Palace of the King and Queen of Belgium. However, it is not actually used as a royal residence, and the King lives in the Royal Palace of Laeken in northern Brussels.
It was a lovely browse around the capital in mid-20s temperatures, and a refreshing leg stretch before embarking on the next voyage to Cologne.
There's a fascinating history to uncover, and had I had a bit more time, I would have explored the many museums there, but it was nonetheless fulfilling to see that Brussels offers a lot in terms of beautiful vistas, but in terms of this trip, it was to be just the tip of the Iceberg.
Before I knew it, it was time to go back to Brussels Midi and catch the Thalys to Cologne, a very comfortable Deutsche Bahn Train that would take me to this historic City in just under 2 hours, with no passport checks!
We passed through the pretty Liege before breezing through the German countryside. At just after 8pm, I arrived at Cologne (Curln as the natives say) Central Station, and it was nearly the end of the first day, but not before capturing what I think is the best backdrop to any station in the world, with Cologne Cathedral virtually adjacent to it.
It had been an epic day, and things were just going to get better and better as the trip went on. I hopped on the Tram system, integrated into the main station, and headed for the hotel for some rest before a day of Cologne Sightseeing beckoned!
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