Spymon

This trip report is in someways a follow up to my first which compared premium and budget shorthaul travel. Let's get going with some background and a picture of the newest arrival to the extended family.


Good Dog by Spymon26, on Flickr

I have so many fond memories of Eurostar over the last decade. Meeting Ms Spymon at Waterloo International's magnificent blue terminal, sadly wishing her farewell or the excitement of going to visit her. In those days I would walk past and wonder how one gained access to the rather futuristic looking lounge that I would walk by each time after exiting security and what exciting things went on inside. Instead I would find a quiet spot somewhere and try to be one of the first to board. Not quite a gate louse but pretty close!

Times change, Waterloo comes and goes and Ms Spymon again returns to France to study. This time it's different as I have now discovered Flyertalk and as I realise that we'll be doing the London to Paris run quite a bit, so I look at my options and rather than investing time and money on getting BA status or Eurostar status it seems better to go for AMEX Platinum and that mysterious door at Waterloo finally loses its mystery at St Pancras. I spent many an evening after work unwinding over some salty snacks and a few beers before getting the last train to Paris on a Friday night. If I could get a good Leisure Select fare all the better. I could get a hot meal, a few more drinks and the trip would be over in no time. Sometimes there was a friendly face to meet me at Gare du Nord and I'd soon be on the 42 bus heading towards the Eiffel Tower.

Times change again and as it has become harder and harder to get good Eurostar fares we switch to Easy Jet with half decent flight times and low fares if booked far enough in advance. The romance of travel has disappeared, sitting in a cramped Easy Bus for an hour or more on the way to Stansted with Paddington and Heathrow just round the corner is just no fun… By this time I am now more familiar with Flyertalk and BA launches Reward Flight Saver and AMEX do the free CX Gold card. We then have a great year using the T5 lounges and booking last minute tickets but like all good things they come to an end. First the flights to LYS move to T1 which certainly takes away some of the fun of the lounge and finally this year the CX Gold is no more.

With our final year of escaping the Notting Hill Carnival and the usual horrible bank holiday fares on Easy Jet and poor availability of reward seats on BA for the outbound we were back on Eurostar with a rather nice Standard Premier fare on the outbound to boot! Feeling rather excited as I had not been on Eurostar for about five years I had a quick look on the web about all the exciting new trains, refurbishments and service enhancements only to find that they had all been delayed indefinitely, well one of the new trains was in the depot and one of the current trains had been repainted and the rest was the same as it had been for the best part of a decade.

So the day of departure and arrives and we do the usual bus and tube to St Pancras and Ms Spymon decides it would be a good idea to buy a gift for her Mum. I offer to meet her in the lounge but she insists I come along and help her choose.


St Pancras International by Spymon26, on Flickr

After what seems like an eternity of her going from one end of the concourse to the other she comes back with a small bag from Cath Kidson and we are finally on our way. There is no real queue to check in as I picked up the tickets a few days before.


Eurostar Check In area by Spymon26, on Flickr

Security is relatively quick, though the metal detector seems to beep for every single woman that goes through… A quick show of the passports and the lounge awaits.


Entrance to Business Premier Lounge by Spymon26, on Flickr

We head over to the lounge where we are warmly welcomed multiple times and invited to head to the upstairs area which is almost completely empty apart from a father and his young son who are quiet almost to the point of invisible.


Business Premier Lounge Upstairs Seating Area by Spymon26, on Flickr

The lounge was as I remember it. A nice selection of drinks, good bean to cup coffee machine and a great selection of newspapers and magazines.


Business Premier Lounge Drinks Selection by Spymon26, on Flickr


Business Premier Lounge Coffee Machine by Spymon26, on Flickr

I made myself a double espresso and raided the magazine section.


Double Espresso by Spymon26, on Flickr

Despite not having long to go before boarding I thought I'd grab a snack or two but I could only find a few bowls of what looked like nuts and salty crackers and a few cereal bars. Seeing as this was lunchtime this was not the best offering, there was not even a stale sandwich or packet of crisps to pick up.


View of Platform and PCs Upstairs in Buisiness Premier Lounge by Spymon26, on Flickr


View of Kings Cross from Business Premier Lounge by Spymon26, on Flickr

Shortly after settling down with our coffees it was time to board, which meant a short trip downstairs then into the main boarding queue. We were thanked kindly for our visit on the way out.

We joined the back of the queue but it moved quickly and there was just a quick turn at the top of the escalator for coach 7.


Boarding by Spymon26, on Flickr

Our names are checked off and we head to the far end of the carriage to find a spot for our bags, despite being one of the last to board there is still plenty of space. We head back to find our seats, a nice window pair, only to find two older ladies had made themselves comfortable in them. It turned out they had miss read the coach number on their tickets, or their nice attempt at self upgrading had been foiled.


The Man in Seat 61 by Spymon26, on Flickr


Seat 65 Standard Premier by Spymon26, on Flickr


Table Lamp by Spymon26, on Flickr

They were soon on their way so we settled in and made ourselves comfortable for an on time departure.


Eurostar Platforms by Spymon26, on Flickr

We gathered some speed out of London, had a a brief stop at Ebbsfleet International. Food was served just before reaching the tunnel with choice of beef or couscous salad. I did the beef, Ms Spymon the couscous and we both went with red wine to drink. Also on the tray was a bottle of water and a dessert of summer pudding.


Standard Premier Lunch Tray Beef by Spymon26, on Flickr


Standard premier Lunch Tray by Spymon26, on Flickr


Standard Premier Lunch Tray Couscous by Spymon26, on Flickr

Whilst the food and drink was actually quite nice the portions felt a little on the small side, as if the main course was missing.


Standard Premier Lunch Trays by Spymon26, on Flickr

The meal service finished with a tea and coffee run and whilst the coffee was not great it was at least a step up from the coffee served in BA's Club Europe.


Standard Premier Coffee by Spymon26, on Flickr

We sped out of the tunnel and before we knew it we were in Lille. We quickly exited the train and waited on the concourse only to head back where we came as our train south was in fact on the adjacent platform.


Lille Europe Concourse by Spymon26, on Flickr


Lille Europe Departure Boards by Spymon26, on Flickr

I validate our tickets and we head back down to the platform as our Eurostar departs.


Departing Eurostar by Spymon26, on Flickr


Composition des Trains by Spymon26, on Flickr


TGV Duplex by Spymon26, on Flickr


TGV 1st Class Coach 12 by Spymon26, on Flickr


Entrance to Coach 12 by Spymon26, on Flickr

We have a nice set of double seats on the upper deck and I take the window.


TGV 1st Class Seating by Spymon26, on Flickr

The seat is wide with a foot rest and a recline button.


TGV 1st Class Leg Room by Spymon26, on Flickr


TGV 1st Class Seating Recline Switch by Spymon26, on Flickr

We leave Lille on time and the carriage is almost completely empty bar a youngish couple who occupy the seats directly in front of us and from which less than pleasant aromas are expelled for the first part of the journey. I fire up the internet on my phone to listen to the afternoon matches on talksport which consists of a two to zero victory and another goal for Diego Costa. Perfect! There are only a few stops on this service, Haute Picardie where as usual nobody under what looks like retirement age boards the train, Aeroport Charles De Gaulle 2, Marne La Vallee Chessy (aka Disney Land) and finally Lyon Part Dieu before we depart at Valence TGV.

There is no special onboard service on the TGV in first class, you use the restaurant car like any other passenger. We arrive in to Valence a little late with our welcoming party and entourage ready to greet us.

So begins a week of fun and games with the in laws and hopefully some beautiful scenery to share as well as a good meal or two as well.

On the return leg we are standard class all the way so hopefully this TR will help you decide if you want to treat yourself to an upgrade.

offerendum

Congratulations to your new dog!

Nice to see the dog-picture (more please!) and of course the report about the trip

Mrtrash757

loved this TR, I cant wait to hear about it and the dog more!

Spymon

Thanks offrendum, I should hopefully finish the TR soon. Sadly the dog is not ours but belongs to the inlaws. It was nice to be with him before he has the chance to grow up!

Thanks thetravelingRedhead, sorry for the delay. I hope to post the rest this week. The notes have been done for a while but have struggled to find time to get the photos on flickr.

Spymon

What a great way to unwind, glorious weather, beautiful scenery and a little creature that probably thinks its name is "No"!


DSC07179 by Spymon26, on Flickr


DSC07181 by Spymon26, on Flickr


DSC07182 by Spymon26, on Flickr


DSC07177 by Spymon26, on Flickr


DSC07175 by Spymon26, on Flickr

We spent some time walking, swimming and finally canoing on the Drome.


Crozes Hermitage Walk by Spymon26, on Flickr


Crozes Hermitage Walk by Spymon26, on Flickr


Crozes Hermitage Walk by Spymon26, on Flickr


Crozes Hermitage Walk by Spymon26, on Flickr


Crozes Hermitage Walk by Spymon26, on Flickr

I have to say I have little talent for canoing, cramps in my legs, weak arms and poor coordination. The talents I did possess were running aground, getting clattered by overhanging branches and getting the canoe to turn the wrong way round. It was however a lot of fun and a great way to take some fun, Facebook friendly shots whilst grabbing some TR friendly views.


Canoe by Spymon26, on Flickr


Canoe by Spymon26, on Flickr


Canoe by Spymon26, on Flickr


Canoe by Spymon26, on Flickr


Canoe by Spymon26, on Flickr


Canoe by Spymon26, on Flickr



St Donat by Spymon26, on Flickr


St Donat by Spymon26, on Flickr


St Donat by Spymon26, on Flickr

A highlight of any great trip with the in-laws is knowing that we'd make it to at least one great restaurant, this trip was no exception, the best thing about visiting somewhere is not necessarily fine dining but having food from the region or its immigrants, that somehow does not export that well . We had already overfilled ourselves on fondue the prior lunchtime and today we had a real treat in store. As we wound through the hills of Ardeche whilst Ms Spymon's Dad did his best impression of a London bus driver in his new red Clio, we held our stomachs and each other's hands in prayer. However once we arrived at the Auberge we were in for a treat. Set in the ski resort of Mezenc this place was heaving despite being the end of summer. Famous for using just local produce complete with a map and photos of all the local farmers who sold their produce to the restaurant.


Auberge by Spymon26, on Flickr


Auberge by Spymon26, on Flickr


Auberge by Spymon26, on Flickr

The cuisine was simple, a first course of salad or charcuterie and pate with fresh bread, followed with your choice of local beef served either roast or a slow cooked daube. The beef was served with seasonal vegetable purees, a crick and some potatoes.


Auberge by Spymon26, on Flickr


Auberge by Spymon26, on Flickr


Auberge by Spymon26, on Flickr


Auberge by Spymon26, on Flickr


Auberge by Spymon26, on Flickr

After this it was time for cheese, fromage blanc or sec. We washed the savoury courses down with a cheap bottle of red.


Auberge by Spymon26, on Flickr


Auberge by Spymon26, on Flickr

Up last was dessert and coffee. Ice cream or a trio of tarts, which was actually four tarts but who's complaining!


Auberge by Spymon26, on Flickr


Auberge by Spymon26, on Flickr

After lunch we went to check in on N & G's house to see how close they are to finishing followed by a walk around the lake. We couldn't resist a snap of their tandem and flag after they successfully made it home from their adventure, part of which featured in my last TR.


Ardeche by Spymon26, on Flickr


Ardeche by Spymon26, on Flickr


Ardeche by Spymon26, on Flickr


Ardeche by Spymon26, on Flickr


Ardeche by Spymon26, on Flickr


Ardeche by Spymon26, on Flickr


Ardeche by Spymon26, on Flickr


Ardeche by Spymon26, on Flickr


Ardeche by Spymon26, on Flickr


Ardeche by Spymon26, on Flickr

As the trip drew to a close we had a small lunch out at Satoriz which serves good quality organic food, the ice cream is particularly good, presentation aside.


Satoriz by Spymon26, on Flickr


Satoriz by Spymon26, on Flickr


Satoriz by Spymon26, on Flickr


Satoriz by Spymon26, on Flickr

Our time was up and it was time to conclude the trip. Up next the return journey on Eurostar.

DFW_CK

Absolutely amazing; I so miss the great food in Europe - especially France! While BMWs and finely tuned German automobiles maybe cheaper in the US, we cannot hold a candle to the food My humble opinion.

Spymon

Thanks canuckshark, that being said we have had some great food in the US. My favourite tip is to always try and pick something local to the area and you're are less likely to go wrong. This is the reason we almost never eat Indian food in France

Spymon

I wrote this whizzing along at 200mph through the French countryside sat comfortably in 2nd class seats on a TGV headed to Brussels. Other than a poorly designed tray table the seat is comfortable with arm rests and a foot rest. There is also a reading light, but with such glorious sunshine it is not needed. There is a noticeable lack of width at the elbow compare to our first class seats on the outbound leg of the trip and the carriage certainly feels more crowded, but other than that you are not missing much over first class. Once over you get over the thrill of travel at high speed there's not much romance about the TGV, no fancy lounges, seats or service. What the TGV does do is get you there quickly and comfortably and when paying the lower level fares makes flying feel very expensive. I suppose the romance here is your destination, your companion or perhaps a nice picnic of wine, bread, cheese and meat, or maybe some cheese sushi if you are feeling very French and very brave!


Food by Spymon26, on Flickr

Sorry, we ate all the charcuterie and left the cheese sushi on the shelf!

After a quick stop at Lyon Part-Dieu we sped off towards the outskirts of Paris for Disneyland and the Airport before we departed at Lille for our train home to London.

Arriving at Lille I normally want one of two things, a short connection to be on my way home as quickly as possible, or a longer one to grab a pint at the Irish pub and try to forget it's time to go back to work. Today we had a short connection and we joined the check in queue almost as soon as we reached the top of the escalator. They are refurbishing the check in area at Lille and due to this it was more cramped and horrible than usual. Already lacking the theatre of Paris or London the connection in Lille certainly tries everything to remind me I'm heading home and not in a good way, like seeing the BA tail fin, reading a newspaper or going out for a curry! Shuffling through to show your passport and ticket and then through the bag scanner and out into the holding pen.

Unlike the small, but otherwise pleasant waiting areas at Paris and London with shops, restaurants and the like at Lille there are a couple of vending machines, a TV and some toilets. Views are not spectacular, you just wait, shuffle into a queue, down on to the platform and wait some more. Even for someone like me who loves to take the train, the wait at Lille for the Eurostar kills what little romance is left.


Lille Departures Area by Spymon26, on Flickr



Lille Departures Area by Spymon26, on Flickr


Our train soon pulls in and we board much to the disappointment of the business people travelling from Brussels thumping away at their Thinkpads...


Eurostar Standard Seats by Spymon26, on Flickr


I read through the Eurostar magazine as we headed towards the tunnel and home. After the tunnel I start clearing though my e-mail and reading whatever news I have missed on my phone now that I don't have to pay roaming fees (WIFI coming soon on Eurostar). We speed along HS1 through Ashford, Ebbsfleet and into London. As we pass Stratford and come out of the tunnel I realise that our decision to move out of London is going to be quite tiring for the next few months having to travel along HS1 every morning. The train makes its last right turn into St Pancras and despite feeling tired and a little dejected now that the trip was over, just looking at our magnificent surroundings and the romance of travel is back. It's still here despite two months later seeing St Pancras morning and night five times a week.

To conclude, I still love taking the train but for the romantic traveller in me I like to do it with a little style and with all things being even a BA flight in Club from Terminal 5 certainly beats the Eurostar hands down, however with LYS flights still departing LHR from T1 till summer 2015 and me now living much closer to various Eurostar departure points than to Heathrow, Eurostar is very much back on the agenda for the time being. Comparing the standard class/economy products there are pros and cons to both. I enjoy the drink and snack on BA and it really helps to pass the time whilst travelling, though on the train I can bring my own food and drink. Luckily for me with BA refurbishing their short haul aircraft and moving LYS to T3 in the summer and the new Eurostar trains entering service towards the end of next year I'm curious as to how things will change because both look to be changing for the better.

If you enjoyed this but would perhaps enjoy to read something more epic, you can read my other trip reports via the links below:

You can also read and enjoy my other trip reports if you have not already:

The Adventures of Rebecca Blanton - LHR to CLE on UA (Y) AKA another LHR T2 Trial
South India: Featuring BA F, 9W, 6E, SG and the Indian Railways (and lots of food!)
Coffee in Catalonia: Featuring BA, RENFE, SNCF and some good food
Planes, Trains, Automobiles and a Boat
For Family, Football and First Class by Train
Experiencing BA Club Europe (LHR-LYS-LHR) As Family Matters
A West Coast Adventure: San Francisco, Las Vegas and the Grand Canyon with VX and BA (2012)
Three Ways From A to B a Statusless Persons Guide: BA vs. Eurostar vs. Easyjet (2012)
Voyage To India: Delhi, Agra, Orchha, Khajuraho, Varanasi (EK, SG, IT and Indian Railways, 2010)