Flew into Heathrow London, via Dubai, on 25th April. After spending a few days in London, where we managed to catch up with a few friends we prepared for our European rail journey. Our trip took us from London to, Amsterdam in the Netherlands, to Cologne and Nuremberg in German, Prague in the Czech Republic, Vienna in Austria, and finally to Budapest in Hungry, then back home to Perth Western Australia. Our trip was a long term plan and we spent 23 day’s riding the rails.
As a brief overview of the trains. Leaving from St Pancras Station was pretty hectic but once on the train the four and half hour trip was very smooth. The DB trains,from Amsterdam to Cologne approx 2:40 hours and from Cologne to Nuremberg 3:40 hours were very clean and comfortable. However, the planned trip to Prague was changed due to maintenance and our trip’s mid way transfer at Schwandorf, a very easy cross platform transfer, was re routed to Regensburg. Here we had about 5 minutes to transfer from one platform to another. That in itself was okay but we did not know the train sitting on the platform had come from Prague and was heading to Munich. We found the train on the right platform and got on. It immediately pulled out. After a flush of panic and help from a young woman we were able to get off at the next stop, 25 minutes later, and get a train back to Regensburg, extending our overall trip by 2 hours. Not a huge disaster and something to tell friends about. From Regensburg just going to Prague was 4h:5 min.
A few of our rail trips. This trip is the pink route from London to Budapest.
The Prague to Vienna was on OBB rail. This was a very old rickety train with six seat carriages. This trip took about 4h:30 min. And again on OBB another very old train from Vienna to Budapest about 2h:50 min.
Getting ready for the Eurostar at St Pancras. Just arrived at Amsterdam’s main Railway Station Crossing one of the many canals near our hotel. Loved the side streets of Amsterdam. There are bikes everywhere. According to a barge captain they pull about 20,000 bikes and 2,000 cars a year out of the canals. Not too sure if he’s exaggerating. Cologne Cathedral. They say it took 600 years to build the finished structure. The Cathedral was one of few buildings that survived the bombing during the Second World War. One theory is the flight navigator’s used it for target directions. The Cathedral in Cologne’s City Centre. Nuremberg At lovely walk along the river bank in Nuremberg next to our hotel The Dubliner pub in Nuremberg. Walking back from Prague Castle. The Astronomical Clock in Prague. Saint Stephen’s Church Vienna. Looking up at our hotel rooftop bar , in Vienna. From the hotel rooftop bar. Outside our hotel on the Danube River Bank. The famous Budapest Chain bridgeFisherman’s Bastion in the Budapest Cast Hill District. The area below the castle was previously called Watertown in medieval times where fishermen protected the Buda Castle. The Liberty Monument. Initially erected to celebrate the Soviet liberation of Hungary. After years of struggle it represents Hungary’s independence. Looking down from Budapest Castle at the top of the vernacular rail looking down on to the Chain Bridge over the Danube River to Pest.Looking over the Budapest Parliament building from the Buda side of the Danube.From the Pest side of the Danube looking towards Budapest Castle Sector and the Chain Bridge. Heading to Hero’s Square and the park. Anonymovs, Anonymous a mysterious scribe for King Bela III late 1100 hundreds, in Varosliget, Budapest City Park.The oldest underground in mainland Europe. Third only to London first and Glasgow second. The shoes on the Danube Bank. This area really touched us both. On this site the Nazis made all the Jews take off their shoes and they put them aside in a pile before the Nazis machine gunned them, toppling all the bodies into the river. It was cheaper and quicker than transporting the people to Auschwitz.On a night time cruise on the River Danube. This Parliament was modelled on Westminster Parliament. Cruising under the Chain BridgeThe little princeThe fountain is meant to represent the stages of marriage 😂I don’t think they have many more anniversaries.
Les McLaughlan 