France
Paris and its Arrondissements
Tuesday, April 2nd, 2013
Each time I go to Paris I become more intrigued by and in awe of this wonderful and eclectic city. This trip started with a comfortable and speedy journey on the Eurostar. The time quickly slipped away with the landscapes of England and France passing by my window. Being sat in Standard Premier class meant that there was a large selection of magazines and a satisfying breakfast was served which consisted of orange juice, tea and yummy fresh pastries.
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Parisian Café Culture
Tuesday, March 26th, 2013
Everyone knows how the café culture in Paris intoxicates and I certainly inhaled that atmosphere, spending an afternoon people watching. After catching an early Eurostar into Paris, we spent the day wandering around the city discovering quaint back streets and browsing in quirky boutiques. Although the sun wasn’t shining, we were able to appreciate the classical architecture whilst dodging the variety of vehicles (both on the road and eccentrically parked) around the city.
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Paradis Latin in the City of Love
Friday, January 25th, 2013
Ahh, Paris, the city of love (well, one of them at least)! I travelled to Paris from London on the Eurostar. For this journey I travelled in standard class. Although the seats are smaller then Standard Premium, I found it quite comfortable.
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London to Lahti (and Stockholm, Copenhagen and Hamburg)
Wednesday, April 4th, 2012
I flew to Helsinki-Vantaa on a British Airways flight from London Heathrow. It took me 3 hours to get from rainy London to cold and snowy Finland. I had a lovely and traditional Finnish Christmas in Lahti with my family and friends. Lahti is my hometown as well as the home of Finland’s greatest footballer of all time, Jari Litmanen.
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The Romance of Paris
Tuesday, April 3rd, 2012
The sun was shining as I stepped off the Eurostar train at Paris Gare du Nord station at 12.47pm. The Standard Premier carriage I had been relaxing in during the journey across the English Channel was extremely comfortable with a light continental breakfast and a large array of magazines to glance over. The ease of the train journey from London St Pancras to Paris, along with the short 30 minute check in requirement confirmed to me that reaching the romantic French capital by train definitely beats flying.
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Saint-Paul Paris
Friday, March 2nd, 2012
Brimming with old world Parisian charm, the Saint-Paul is one of Railbookers’ most loved properties. Guests are greeted with a warm smile, a friendly welcome and occasionally an affectionate meow from the resident cat, Sputnik. As I entered my room I was met with high ceilings criss-crossed with beautiful oak beams, “Haute-Époque” furniture and cosy décor.
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As French as it gets…
Friday, January 27th, 2012
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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Avignon and the Hotel De L’Horloge
Wednesday, January 25th, 2012
Our trip to the walled medieval city of Avignon and the French Riviera started early, with an (on time) 08:02 departure from St Pancras. My travelling companion Sam and I were through security in a fraction of the time you would expect at any one of London’s heaving airports!
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Nice to Rome by Rail
Monday, January 23rd, 2012
I have visited Nice before, always in the summer months when the city is full of tourists, the days are extremely hot and the beaches crammed. So this time it was a nice change of pace to experience the city in the low season.
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Lille; there’s more than meets the eye
Tuesday, December 20th, 2011
Earlier on this year I went to spend some time in Lille with the primary objective of familiarising myself with the accommodation that Railbookers has to offer. What this entailed essentially was dashing from hotel to hotel on a whistle stop tour of the city, without having a chance to soak up the history, culture and architecture that Lille is so heavily steeped in. So I was most appreciative when I was asked to attend a cultural familiarity day.
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