This is my first trip on the Thalys, the fast train that travels from Paris at top speeds of 300 km or 186 miles per hour.
I make the mistake of running to grab snacks for my three-hour trip to Köln. I didn´t know that in first-class they serve you small meals and drinks along the way.
A German woman named Susen sits across from me. She tells me that she rides the Thalys to Paris often, regularly looking for internet specials to off-set the Thalys´ steep price. (A day-of-ticket from Paris to Köln was 150 Euros on the day that I was in the station, and the mandatory first-class seat reservation alone cost 32 Euros. The Eurail Pass covers the Thalys, but you must still purchase a seat reservation.)
The steward approaches us on board to give us food and drinks. I enjoy ordering Coca-Cola Light, if only to say the European name of Diet Coke, and get confused when the steward gives me Coke Zero. (What´s the difference, anyways?) As the steward begins serving ham sandwiches, Susen asks whether he has a vegetarian option. “No,” I quickly here him say. Susen starts pointing at the food cart. “Ah yeah,” the steward just as quickly starts changing his tune, as he unwraps a salad plate for her. “Did you see that?” Susen asks me as he rolls away the food cart. “That´s the European Customer Service Experience for you. Always ´No.´ You need to know how to ask firmly.” The next time the beverage cart rolls around, I am sure to get a Coca-Cola Light, delighting at even more opportunities to say “Coca-Cola Light” as I press on.
Train Tip: Beware the ticket lines at Gare du Nord, which services the Thalys. There are many yellow ticket machines in the station, and I assumed that I could bypass the lengthy lines and buy my seat reservation at one of these machines. But these machines do not sell seat reservations; you can only buy seat reservations at the ticket counters. My wait time on a Sunday late morning was approximately 30 minutes.
Benjamin Thomas
Become a fan of the
hey
i read ur blog souds exciting!! i love traveling and have been planning to visit Europe for a while.. could u tell me if there were problems that u faced using Eurail??
Hi Anne
No problems have been too difficult. I would just say that during peak travel times, like in the summer, it is a little difficult getting seat reservations if you wait until the last minute. Sometimes I have to take alternate trains, but the train station attendants have been good in helping me find new routes when need be. The pass generally makes it easier, as many trains you can hop on and off at will. Have fun! Benjamin.