There are many parts of the world which are synonymous with certain foods or drinks: Cornwall and its pasties, Singapore and its slings, perhaps even Nice with its biscuits, but the one place that takes the proverbial biscuit in my eyes is the historic French region of Burgundy. Just reading its name brings childhood memories flooding back of digging into bags of Wine Gums with the red ones always the first to go. With Champagne aside, (and Bordeaux some might say) it is perhaps the most famous wine making area in the world.
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Any preconceptions you may have before a trip to the US are 95% likely to be true, and then some. The people are as friendly as could be, (yes sir, no sir, three bags full sir…) and good customer service is of the highest precedence. From the portions of food (to fit all budgets and waistlines) and beds in hotel rooms, to the inevitable ‘gas guzzling’ cars on the roads: everything is big. Very big. The same, of course, also goes for the cross-country AMTRAK network, the wonderfully grand stations and the iconic silver trains we are all accustomed to.
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If you remember watching the news way back in October you may remember hearing that the Germans are coming. As of the end of 2013, there will be 3 direct trains a day from London to Germany. It will take just under 4 hours to get to Cologne, and just over 5 hours to Frankfurt and the journeys will be made aboard a Deutsche Bahn ICE train which is by far one of the most comfortable, stylish, clean, quietest (not to mention fastest!) trains on the planet. If you have been lucky enough to travel by train in Germany then you’ll know what I mean. The sleek white bullet shaped front is every bit the futuristic trains of boyhood dreams in times gone by.
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To get the most out of this cracking hotel, I recommend upgrading to a Superior or Deluxe bedroom. Of course there is nothing wrong with the Standard bedrooms, they come with all the mod cons, are spacious and have views of the rooftops of Nice and the blue Mediterranean Sea, but the Superior or Deluxe bedrooms will make your stay really special.
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With the advent of high speed rail travel, visiting Germany’s famous capital Berlin by train is an increasingly popular option, and one Matt and I were keen to explore. Before this however, we decided to take the opportunity to try out the new high speed rail links to the Netherlands, with Brussels to Amsterdam in particular having been reduced to a 1 hour 53 minute journey at the start of 2010.
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After an epic but enjoyable journey by train from London to Athens I took the ferry to the island of Crete where my mother and stepfather have settled in the picturesque hamlet of Houmeriakos. Before I knew it my week was up, I boarded the high speed ferry at Heraklion to begin my long journey home by ferry and train to London.
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What better way to come to terms with turning 30, I thought, than spending the best part of 3 weeks travelling alone through Europe by train. So off I headed to Athens, on the way to Crete (home of my mother and stepfather) just a couple of days after my birthday celebrations, armed with a good book, a handful of tickets and the hope of some late November sun!
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If you’ve never travelled by train in Germany, you should.  It’s the way train travel should be: fast, clean, quiet, comfortable, and as you would expect in Germany, efficient. 
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Being the ever-dutiful boyfriend that I am, I would naturally never forget the anniversary of meeting my beloved, so last July I decided to turn to the city of romance and well and truly secure my spot in my girlfriend’s good books with a surprise weekend away.
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