Going Avignon to London by train!
A couple of people mentioned to me that taking the train under the English channel to London creeps them out, so they fly instead. My experience was that it was a short 20 minute trip flying at high speed under the English channel and coming back to the surface in England, a lot like taking Chicago's Elevated (the El) trains when they switch from the overhead tracks to the underground subway and then back above ground, overhead tracks again. No big deal.
The amazing thing about the Eurostar trains is that you can go from the south of France, Avignon, to London or Brussels in a few short hours--as little as 3.5 hours. However 4.5-5.5 hours is a more typical time if you're a traveler on a budget like me. Buying the ticket was a snap, but allow a month in advance for the best prices. I bought mine on the internet and it was delivered to me before my travel date.
There was one little hitch--the trip there was fine until I had to change stations from Gare de
Lyon to Gare du Nord. The RER at Gare du Nord is terribly marked! It was hard to find
its physical location, then hard to find the platform for my train, then
the stops weren't well marked so it was hard to be certain I had the
right stop. Very stressful. After I got to Gare du Lyon everything was
fine.
London is really cool. My friend's family were all very nice. We went
all over. I saw The changing of the guards at Buckingham palace,
Westminster Abbey, Parliament and Big Ben at the Tower of London, Nelson's column an Trafalgar
square, the National gallery, China Town. We were busy! Another day we
went into the Tower of London.
I think I learned more British history in
one day than I ever knew. I saw the ravens, and I bought a Raven
plushy, so cute! After that we went to the Tate Modern Museum of Art. It was a great trip and I hope to spend more time there in the future. England has a lot to explore.
Check back here again for the photos! Cheers!
