I shut the door to my flat from the outside at about 10 to 8:00 on Monday morning and walked the short distance to Ludwigsburg train station, where I met my sister for the 8:05 train into Stuttgart.
There, we had almost an hour‘s time before the TGV to Paris was due. We planned it that way because German trains in general and our local trains in particular are notoriously unreliable, and we certainly had no intention of missing the TGV or arriving out of breath at the last minute.
We made use of the extra time by getting sandwiches from one of the many kiosk stalls at the station.
The TGV was on time, and it was odd to ride on exactly the same route as when I travel to O.K.‘s, until at Appenweier we took the detour to Strasbourg and then on to Paris, where we arrived at about 12:45.
Again, we had allowed ourselves plenty of room for a possible delay, much more than what is actually needed for the short walk from Gare de l‘Est to Gare du Nord (10 minutes), now made much easier by a newly built escalator (in time for the Olympics) where before there was only a long, steep stone stairway where one had to drag up all the luggage.
Border control and check-in for the Eurostar were easy and quick, and we had time for a cola before boarding the train that then carried us through the wide open French countryside, through the Euro tunnel, and directly into London St. Pancras.
Crossing the road to Kings Cross station is super easy, no steps involved. We got ourselves another set of sandwiches for the rest of the journey, and then spent the remainder of the time out in the sun on Kings Cross Square, people-watching (and of course there are plenty to watch there!) until the platform for the LNER Azuma train to Harrogate was announced.
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| St, Pancras |
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| Kings Cross |
We found our booked seats, stowed away our suitcases and waited for departure… which was delayed by about 15 minutes, because the train driver was delayed and so a replacement had to be found. Eventually, we set off, reaching Harrogate only about 10 minutes later than scheduled, at 8:40 pm.
My sister-in-law met us outside, and after big hugs all around, drove us to Ripon and ‚our‘ cottage, where we arrived at 9:00 pm - still in daylight!
It had been a long journey, but there had not been any problems or serious hold-ups. From the trains through France and England, we enjoyed watching the countryside pass by and observing the changes from south to north.
We found our cottage as welcoming as always, with beautiful fresh flowers from our hosts‘ garden. For us, it is the perfect home base for our Yorkshire Holiday.
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| a garden bouquet in the living/dining room |
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| flowers in the kitchen |
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| my room |
That is a great rail ride. My trains come in at Kings Cross and I have often made the journey to Europe in reverse of yours. So easy. Have fun in Ripon.
ReplyDeleteThank you, Rachel! I know you‘re a seasoned train rider yourself and certainly have seen all sorts of obstacles during your trips, but isn‘t it great when it all works out with connections and you arrive much more relaxed than by car.
DeleteI love your vacation cottage! It looks so inviting and cozy. The fresh flowers are a nice touch! Enjoy your stay. :)
ReplyDeleteThank you, Jennifer! On top of the flowers, our hosts also left a bottle of white wine and chocolate in the kitchen for us 😊
DeleteGlad you made it with no troubles. Enjoy your visit, Meike!
ReplyDeleteThank you, Ellen! We are enjoying it so far 😊
DeleteEnjoy your stay! I was in West Yorkshire myself on Monday night -- in Hebden Bridge. Our paths didn't really almost cross, but it feels that way! (Especially since I was at King's Cross Monday morning and back again, coming home, the following afternoon.)
ReplyDeleteThank you, Steve!
DeleteI wonder whether we‘d recognise each other should we incidentally walk past each other at Kings Cross. Isn‘t there an arts or literature festival at Hebden Bridge?
I loved reading this. I well remember the wonderful train service everywhere in Europe and the high speed from the south of France to Paris. On the latter train I pointed to the huge mustard fields and then realized we were near Dijon! Also we had a flyover by several military jets. Great times back in 1985. Enjoy your vacation!
ReplyDeleteThank you, Catalyst! Back in 1985, the German railway was still famously reliable. Trouble started when it was privatised. It is now notoriously unreliable, understaffed, and operating on an ageing infrastructure that requires repairs left, right and centre.
DeleteI am so pleased to see that the weather forecast for Ripon during the days ahead is pretty good. Have a lovely time!
ReplyDeleteThank you, Neil. Yes, it looks good for our stay here. Yesterday was a perfect day for our walk to Fountains Abbey; sunny with a pleasant breeze, and no warmer than 24C.
DeleteGlad to know your journey went well. Wish you an enjoyable holiday ahead! :)
ReplyDeleteThank you, Monica! Yes, it went very well; it is just a very long day and at some stage you reach the point when you just want to finally be there.
DeleteIt's good to see you in your 'Yorkshire home' again. There is something very re-assuring in being with you on the journey you have undertaken so many times before. I know that you have said before quite a few times how un-reliable German trains are now. I remember when they were held up as the paragon of excellence in punctuality second only to Japan. How things change. But at least your Cottage is there for you.
ReplyDeleteWe are so glad that our cottage is still there. When the former owner sold up, we were worried that we wouldn‘t find another place so ideal for us in all respects. Then the pandemic years didn‘t allow us to travel to Ripon anyway, and after that, Matchbox Cottage miraculously appeared on AirBnB. We couldn‘t wish for nicer new owners.
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