Rail travel between France and the Low Countries
Feb 20th, 2011, 01:15 AM
#41
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The culprit is Eurail passe being automatically 1st class unless you're a 'youth'.
The Thalys railpass surcharge is only (!) 10 euros or so ($13 I suppose) in 2nd class ('Confort 2' as Thalys insist on calling it), but to cover all the free wine and food in 1st class it's far higher, 28 euros (over $30).
With a 10 euro surcharge even in 2nd class, that expensive pass is only saving you 35 euros over the readily-available book-ahead cheap fare, although of course the cheap fare is no refunds, no changes to travel plans.
Oh yes, and bahn.de will indeed make seat reervation for passholders, but not on this route it won't, as it's German Railways not Thalys.
The Thalys railpass surcharge is only (!) 10 euros or so ($13 I suppose) in 2nd class ('Confort 2' as Thalys insist on calling it), but to cover all the free wine and food in 1st class it's far higher, 28 euros (over $30).
With a 10 euro surcharge even in 2nd class, that expensive pass is only saving you 35 euros over the readily-available book-ahead cheap fare, although of course the cheap fare is no refunds, no changes to travel plans.
Oh yes, and bahn.de will indeed make seat reervation for passholders, but not on this route it won't, as it's German Railways not Thalys.
Feb 20th, 2011, 01:15 AM
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The culprit is Eurail passe being automatically 1st class unless you're a 'youth'.
The Thalys railpass surcharge is only (!) 10 euros or so ($13 I suppose) in 2nd class ('Confort 2' as Thalys insist on calling it), but to cover all the free wine and food in 1st class it's far higher, 28 euros (over $30).
With a 10 euro surcharge even in 2nd class, that expensive pass is only saving you 35 euros over the readily-available book-ahead cheap fare, although of course the cheap fare is no refunds, no changes to travel plans.
Oh yes, and bahn.de will indeed make seat reervation for passholders, but not on this route it won't, as it's German Railways not Thalys.
The Thalys railpass surcharge is only (!) 10 euros or so ($13 I suppose) in 2nd class ('Confort 2' as Thalys insist on calling it), but to cover all the free wine and food in 1st class it's far higher, 28 euros (over $30).
With a 10 euro surcharge even in 2nd class, that expensive pass is only saving you 35 euros over the readily-available book-ahead cheap fare, although of course the cheap fare is no refunds, no changes to travel plans.
Oh yes, and bahn.de will indeed make seat reervation for passholders, but not on this route it won't, as it's German Railways not Thalys.
Mar 10th, 2011, 10:30 PM
#44
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OK, I'm back now, this is a short report on my experiences using the Eurail pass. Basically tl;dr, it's much easier than I was worried it would be, but a couple of bad experiences has some lessons.
OK, landing in Brussels, I promptly went down to the train station and got my Eurail pass registered. I then purchased a ticket to Bruxelles Midi to catch the Thalys train to Paris.
Armed with my printed first class ticket I quickly got on to the right platform, and a short wait soon found me aboard. I found my seat and settled down to the trip. The train itself is very nice, and I can understand why people might pay for this train. However the complimentary sandwich/slice of cake and drink seemed to be a little over priced for the price you pay on the ticket. Also, the internet bandwidth kept dropping in and out or was slow, which was disappointing, and the power socket seemed not to like my plug adaptor, so I was running on battery power on my netbook.
Upon arrival on Paris Nord, I disembarked and purchased a carnet of Paris Metro tickets, intending to use them during my stay. Thalys gave passengers the offer to hail a taxi to transport them to their hotels, but I declined.
Anyone who has used the Paris Metro will know that in addition to a turnstile at the ticket gate the gate also has a shield that you push through to get to the other side. Well, these darned gates are also not very wide, so I had problems with getting through these gates with two pieces of luggage. A "kind" gent saw my predicament, took my ticket and inserted it through the slot, whereupon I huffed and puffed my luggage through, pushing them ahead of me.
It wasn't until I got on the subway that I found my wallet- with 500 Euros and nine subway tickets- gone from my pocket. Apparently while advising me to push my luggage through, he took advantage of my occupied hands to slip his hands into my pocket and make off with my wallet.
Had I decided to book a taxi via Thalys I would have spent some euros, but not have lost 500 euros.
Booking the trip to Marseille was surprisingly easy. Finding a SNCF travel store I spoke to an english-speaking agent, and we looked at the various trains I could book, and there were quite a few. I quickly selected one and had it booked in moments, and with only a booking fee of 3 euros! I was surprised, given my experiences in prebooking tickets in Australia.
Next day I got on the TGV. The first class carriage was just as nice as the Thalys train, but with no wireless Internet nor complimentary food services. The power socket worked with my plug though, so I was able to use my netbook all the way to Marseilles. Note though that there's only one socket per row of seats, on either side of the carriage. There were a few empty seats, so I just moved to another seat, no problem.
On the way back from Marseilles it was pretty much the same. However, changing from the Gare d'Lyon station to the Nord station was not straight forward, you needed to purchase a Metro ticket to board the RER D train. It was fortunate that I knew I would have to do this, but I couldn't find the ticket I purchased for this eventuality and so had to use up precious time queuing at a ticket machine and buying another one. The train were ten minutes apart, and I got to Nord with just under twenty minutes to spare. This time I found a gate that was enclosed, so I could enter it, the gate closed behind me, insert my ticket and the the gate in front opened! No dealing with unsavoury types!
I had decided that I would continue on to Amsterdam on Thalys rather than stop at Brussels. To do this I had to go to the part of the train that would be continuing on to Amsterdam from Brussels. So after the train started on its way to Amsterdam I talked to one of the ticket inspectors about upgrading my ticket. He said I would have to purchase a ticket for the Brussels-Amsterdam leg- which would cost 110 euros! I chalked this down to experience and paid the fare.
I got to Amsterdam, purchased a local fare to go to Leiden and caught that train, and that was that.
On my final leg I stayed overnight in Amsterdam, so the day before I went to the ticket office at Amsterdam Central and booked a seat on the Intercity train- and it was free! No fees at all. The Eurail pass was looking better and better all the time.
Next morning I got on the train with plenty of time to spare. I put my luggage on the rack and settled down for the journey. Although my holiday had been socked in by cloud for most of my trip, only at the end had the skies cleared and the sun shone. With the sun shining in my face, I began to get dozy, so I thought a catnap wouldn't hurt. Just before Antwerp I could detect someone, a guy, standing above and behind me, fiddling with something in the racks. It must be a fellow traveller with his bag on the rack, or so I thought. We stop at Antwerp, and the Belgian ticket collectors check our tickets. I'm awake now, so after the ticket check, I get up and start to go to the WC, when...
My backpack had gone!!! Some filthy bugger (the guy who I felt standing behind my seat) had taken on himself to just go and grab the bag, and get off the train at Antwerp! And all while I was napping underneath!
I was totally shocked. In there was my netbook, my camera, a hard drive with all my photos from the trip, my Playstation Portable, my Australian wallet, and an expensive collapsable raincoat from the US- all gone in a few moments. Bystanders in the seats around consoled me, and noted that a tall guy was there, but none of them had any reason to be suspicious of the guy. Belgian police got on the train at the next stop, and I explained my situation, and they told me to travel to the end of the line, where there was a police station. I reported my loss, I got a police report, and I then went to to Brussels airport.
Had I caught the Thalys train to Brussels, I would have certainly paid a hefty booking fee, but not at the expense of all my gear.
In summary, despite my fears about how complex the Eurail pass would be, it wasn't hard to use. I remembered to date my pass and each trip I took, and booking trains wasn't a chore or expensive. But there is a compromise between travelling inexpensively and paying for security. Travelling with Thalys I think is safe. They give you a service from station to hotel and you appear to be enclosed in a coccoon all the way. I'm not saying you will be mugged if you travel with other services, but the fact that you can really is a warning for everyone, and a lesson that was sorely impressed on me. Note though I am talking from the viewpoint of a solo traveller; there is safety in numbers.
On the other hand some of the services I did expect on the Thalys line were sadly lacking, and not at all what should expected for what you pay.
In the end though would I get another Eurail pass? My word, yes. It isn't as hard to use as it appears, and booking using the pass is very easy to do. Now I know what to do next time will be much easier. But I travel to Europe again? That's another question altogether (considering that last time I was in Europe (London) my camera was stolen with all my photos.)
OK, landing in Brussels, I promptly went down to the train station and got my Eurail pass registered. I then purchased a ticket to Bruxelles Midi to catch the Thalys train to Paris.
Armed with my printed first class ticket I quickly got on to the right platform, and a short wait soon found me aboard. I found my seat and settled down to the trip. The train itself is very nice, and I can understand why people might pay for this train. However the complimentary sandwich/slice of cake and drink seemed to be a little over priced for the price you pay on the ticket. Also, the internet bandwidth kept dropping in and out or was slow, which was disappointing, and the power socket seemed not to like my plug adaptor, so I was running on battery power on my netbook.
Upon arrival on Paris Nord, I disembarked and purchased a carnet of Paris Metro tickets, intending to use them during my stay. Thalys gave passengers the offer to hail a taxi to transport them to their hotels, but I declined.
Anyone who has used the Paris Metro will know that in addition to a turnstile at the ticket gate the gate also has a shield that you push through to get to the other side. Well, these darned gates are also not very wide, so I had problems with getting through these gates with two pieces of luggage. A "kind" gent saw my predicament, took my ticket and inserted it through the slot, whereupon I huffed and puffed my luggage through, pushing them ahead of me.
It wasn't until I got on the subway that I found my wallet- with 500 Euros and nine subway tickets- gone from my pocket. Apparently while advising me to push my luggage through, he took advantage of my occupied hands to slip his hands into my pocket and make off with my wallet.
Had I decided to book a taxi via Thalys I would have spent some euros, but not have lost 500 euros.
Booking the trip to Marseille was surprisingly easy. Finding a SNCF travel store I spoke to an english-speaking agent, and we looked at the various trains I could book, and there were quite a few. I quickly selected one and had it booked in moments, and with only a booking fee of 3 euros! I was surprised, given my experiences in prebooking tickets in Australia.
Next day I got on the TGV. The first class carriage was just as nice as the Thalys train, but with no wireless Internet nor complimentary food services. The power socket worked with my plug though, so I was able to use my netbook all the way to Marseilles. Note though that there's only one socket per row of seats, on either side of the carriage. There were a few empty seats, so I just moved to another seat, no problem.
On the way back from Marseilles it was pretty much the same. However, changing from the Gare d'Lyon station to the Nord station was not straight forward, you needed to purchase a Metro ticket to board the RER D train. It was fortunate that I knew I would have to do this, but I couldn't find the ticket I purchased for this eventuality and so had to use up precious time queuing at a ticket machine and buying another one. The train were ten minutes apart, and I got to Nord with just under twenty minutes to spare. This time I found a gate that was enclosed, so I could enter it, the gate closed behind me, insert my ticket and the the gate in front opened! No dealing with unsavoury types!
I had decided that I would continue on to Amsterdam on Thalys rather than stop at Brussels. To do this I had to go to the part of the train that would be continuing on to Amsterdam from Brussels. So after the train started on its way to Amsterdam I talked to one of the ticket inspectors about upgrading my ticket. He said I would have to purchase a ticket for the Brussels-Amsterdam leg- which would cost 110 euros! I chalked this down to experience and paid the fare.
I got to Amsterdam, purchased a local fare to go to Leiden and caught that train, and that was that.
On my final leg I stayed overnight in Amsterdam, so the day before I went to the ticket office at Amsterdam Central and booked a seat on the Intercity train- and it was free! No fees at all. The Eurail pass was looking better and better all the time.
Next morning I got on the train with plenty of time to spare. I put my luggage on the rack and settled down for the journey. Although my holiday had been socked in by cloud for most of my trip, only at the end had the skies cleared and the sun shone. With the sun shining in my face, I began to get dozy, so I thought a catnap wouldn't hurt. Just before Antwerp I could detect someone, a guy, standing above and behind me, fiddling with something in the racks. It must be a fellow traveller with his bag on the rack, or so I thought. We stop at Antwerp, and the Belgian ticket collectors check our tickets. I'm awake now, so after the ticket check, I get up and start to go to the WC, when...
My backpack had gone!!! Some filthy bugger (the guy who I felt standing behind my seat) had taken on himself to just go and grab the bag, and get off the train at Antwerp! And all while I was napping underneath!
I was totally shocked. In there was my netbook, my camera, a hard drive with all my photos from the trip, my Playstation Portable, my Australian wallet, and an expensive collapsable raincoat from the US- all gone in a few moments. Bystanders in the seats around consoled me, and noted that a tall guy was there, but none of them had any reason to be suspicious of the guy. Belgian police got on the train at the next stop, and I explained my situation, and they told me to travel to the end of the line, where there was a police station. I reported my loss, I got a police report, and I then went to to Brussels airport.
Had I caught the Thalys train to Brussels, I would have certainly paid a hefty booking fee, but not at the expense of all my gear.
In summary, despite my fears about how complex the Eurail pass would be, it wasn't hard to use. I remembered to date my pass and each trip I took, and booking trains wasn't a chore or expensive. But there is a compromise between travelling inexpensively and paying for security. Travelling with Thalys I think is safe. They give you a service from station to hotel and you appear to be enclosed in a coccoon all the way. I'm not saying you will be mugged if you travel with other services, but the fact that you can really is a warning for everyone, and a lesson that was sorely impressed on me. Note though I am talking from the viewpoint of a solo traveller; there is safety in numbers.
On the other hand some of the services I did expect on the Thalys line were sadly lacking, and not at all what should expected for what you pay.
In the end though would I get another Eurail pass? My word, yes. It isn't as hard to use as it appears, and booking using the pass is very easy to do. Now I know what to do next time will be much easier. But I travel to Europe again? That's another question altogether (considering that last time I was in Europe (London) my camera was stolen with all my photos.)
Mar 10th, 2011, 11:22 PM
#45
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Sydney - really sorry to hear of your thefts. Others here will no doubt disagree, but IMO the authorities here obviously aren't doing enough - and it's not as if there are not enough police around. Some thought I was overdoing the precautions by velcroing the shallow front pockets of one pair of jeans and having another with extra deep front pockets. Already I've received unsolicited advice from the bloke renovating the apartment below mine to be particularly careful at Chatelet (of which I was already aware). The only problem I had at Gare du Nord the other evening was that I took the first exit down to the metro from the Thalys platform and found I had to use my only metro ticket (purchased on the Thalys - they sell singles or multiples but not carnets) to get out - possibly I was in the RER passenger stream - and then use it again to get through to the metro - I was unsure of the latter use, but it turned out just to be a regular crossover use.
Mar 11th, 2011, 09:32 AM
#46
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Yes that old metro turnstile thing victimized so many naive travelers - and I'm saying naive in a gentle way - someone who does not realize what a common ruse and problem it is - IMO Parisian railway police who police stations could easily snuf this out with undercover cops and looking at surveillance cameras - whatever has been happening for zillions of years now in crowded Paris metro stations.
On Thalys I believe you can buy a metro ticket in the bar car so at least not have to hassle buying one once in hectic Gare du Nord.
Yup sorry for sydney's being victimized and the inevitable angst of feeling violated...
as metro officials would no doubt say "Je suis desolee que...
On Thalys I believe you can buy a metro ticket in the bar car so at least not have to hassle buying one once in hectic Gare du Nord.
Yup sorry for sydney's being victimized and the inevitable angst of feeling violated...
as metro officials would no doubt say "Je suis desolee que...
Mar 12th, 2011, 01:34 AM
#47
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After my wallet was pinched, I was rather fatalistic; it happened, let's just get on. I still had my cards, and I had travel insurance, so I should get it back.
Having my backpack stolen though was much more disheartening. I was within sight of going home, and I can remember the moments when my backpack was being fiddled with. Plus, I thought I was safe; my luggage was about me, and no one warned me about the risk of thieves on the trains.
I plan to write to the Netherlands Rail about this- not about compensation (travel insurance will cover that) but more the lack of warnings regarding thieves. I don't know if knowing about thieves would have stopped the theives, but just <i>knowing</i> may have made me more aware.
Having my backpack stolen though was much more disheartening. I was within sight of going home, and I can remember the moments when my backpack was being fiddled with. Plus, I thought I was safe; my luggage was about me, and no one warned me about the risk of thieves on the trains.
I plan to write to the Netherlands Rail about this- not about compensation (travel insurance will cover that) but more the lack of warnings regarding thieves. I don't know if knowing about thieves would have stopped the theives, but just <i>knowing</i> may have made me more aware.
Mar 12th, 2011, 11:36 AM
#48
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Sydney - Have to say you're taking this a lot better than I would - IMO you're entitled to be massively pissed off. Although some may consider your travel experience in Japan may have given you a false confidence, even in Australia where we've had a few notorious cases of tourist killings there's nothing like this targetting of tourists by thieves and I'm sure the authorities would be quick to act if a trend were to emerge. And it's been going on for a while too (for 2000 years some might say) - with my European backpacking experience of 30 plus years ago I still carry a cord which I can use to tie my bag or pack to an appendage (finger, arm or leg only!) if I'm at risk of dozing in a public place, including trains - I can hear the laughter and derision by others here and my teenage daughter is concerned that if I am searched the authorities might think I'm 'into tying up people' (don't ask where she got that idea from). Anyway I think that the more experiences such as yours are publicised on forums such as this, the better - people can make up their own mind about the real risks, but at least they have been alerted.
Mar 28th, 2011, 02:07 AM
#49
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I was very sad to hear of your bad experience Sydney. Something similar happened to us.
My question involves taking the train from Bruges to Paris
We arrive Brugge 16th july and intend to take a tour to Flanders Fields 17th We would also like to have a good look around the Historical centre Brugge
We are booked BnB in Paris 18th july
After alot of research with trains and not happy with the connections via Brussels it was interesting to read the train trip from Bruges to Paris via Lille
Where do I find the timetable for this route??
I hope someone could help me or should I make a new topic?
My question involves taking the train from Bruges to Paris
We arrive Brugge 16th july and intend to take a tour to Flanders Fields 17th We would also like to have a good look around the Historical centre Brugge
We are booked BnB in Paris 18th july
After alot of research with trains and not happy with the connections via Brussels it was interesting to read the train trip from Bruges to Paris via Lille
Where do I find the timetable for this route??
I hope someone could help me or should I make a new topic?
Mar 28th, 2011, 07:22 AM
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Where do I find the timetable for this route??>
I always use the German Railways Wunderbar all European timetable site - www.bahn.de and a good way to get to its English schedule page is to go to the home page of www.budgeteuropetravel.com and click on the link "Best online European train schedules" (Or some such wording) and this brings up the English page with a From: and To: Box and change the date to your travel date (but if July 18-19 is not on just put in a similar week day earlier as those schedules rarely change and should run daily at the same times) - a reason I give you this home page link is they on the home page also give you several very useful tips to fully using bahn.de that may not be apparent at first encounter.
And you can be sure that trains run about hourly direct Bruges to Lille-Flandres (not Lille-Europe a different station) and about hourly Lille-Flandres to Paris Gare du Nord, taking about 2.5 hours all told.
I always use the German Railways Wunderbar all European timetable site - www.bahn.de and a good way to get to its English schedule page is to go to the home page of www.budgeteuropetravel.com and click on the link "Best online European train schedules" (Or some such wording) and this brings up the English page with a From: and To: Box and change the date to your travel date (but if July 18-19 is not on just put in a similar week day earlier as those schedules rarely change and should run daily at the same times) - a reason I give you this home page link is they on the home page also give you several very useful tips to fully using bahn.de that may not be apparent at first encounter.
And you can be sure that trains run about hourly direct Bruges to Lille-Flandres (not Lille-Europe a different station) and about hourly Lille-Flandres to Paris Gare du Nord, taking about 2.5 hours all told.
Mar 28th, 2011, 10:16 AM
#51
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dondonanddij
I playd around with bahn.de and if you put in Bruges and Paris it gives you mainly routings via Brussels for some reason and not all the ones via Lille - but if you put in Bruges to Lille Flandres it gives you trains direct every two hours that take 82 minutes and then there are also hourly Lille Flandres to Paris trains - put ample time between trains for one to be a bit late, etc but Lille is not a huge station like in Brussels - you can go to www.voyages-sncf.com to see if you can book discounted Lille to Paris PREM tickets and see what regular fare is as well, which you would pay in Bruges as a thru ticket. If you had some kind of railpass you'd have to pay 3 euros to use it on the Lille to Paris trains.
I playd around with bahn.de and if you put in Bruges and Paris it gives you mainly routings via Brussels for some reason and not all the ones via Lille - but if you put in Bruges to Lille Flandres it gives you trains direct every two hours that take 82 minutes and then there are also hourly Lille Flandres to Paris trains - put ample time between trains for one to be a bit late, etc but Lille is not a huge station like in Brussels - you can go to www.voyages-sncf.com to see if you can book discounted Lille to Paris PREM tickets and see what regular fare is as well, which you would pay in Bruges as a thru ticket. If you had some kind of railpass you'd have to pay 3 euros to use it on the Lille to Paris trains.
Mar 28th, 2011, 12:14 PM
#52
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It appears that you can leave Bruges every hour and with a simple change of platforms in Kortrijk (some trains go direct to Lille Flandres) be in Lille Flandres in 1 hr 21 mins - so that is the easy part - these trains have a flat fare and you cannot even reserve so just hop on any train with a ticket.
The TGV trains Lille to Paris demand seat reservations before boarding and you will get these with your ticket or if you have a pass you can make them for 3 euros - in Bruges I would think.
The TGV trains Lille to Paris demand seat reservations before boarding and you will get these with your ticket or if you have a pass you can make them for 3 euros - in Bruges I would think.
Mar 28th, 2011, 12:52 PM
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Sydney2K, I am sorry you had so much stolen, but really to blame a rail company for not putting up warning signs is more than a tad naive to me.
You are an adult, obviously capable of travelling the globe alone, and you should be old enough to take care of your own goods. Putting your rucksack with all your valuables in it in the luggage rack unsecured whether or not you then fell asleep was just asking for trouble.
Any guide book worth it's salt, not to mention this forum is full of warnings about scams on Paris metros such as you experienced, and of taking care of your luggage on trains and in crowded areas.
You are an adult, obviously capable of travelling the globe alone, and you should be old enough to take care of your own goods. Putting your rucksack with all your valuables in it in the luggage rack unsecured whether or not you then fell asleep was just asking for trouble.
Any guide book worth it's salt, not to mention this forum is full of warnings about scams on Paris metros such as you experienced, and of taking care of your luggage on trains and in crowded areas.
Mar 28th, 2011, 04:32 PM
#54
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hetismij, you are correct. In the end it is my fault, and I shouldn't have been so careless. (Saying this with a straight face, BTW, not trying to be sarcastic.) Also, I never blamed the train company for my loss.
However, when I visited museums in Paris, loudspeakers warned about pickpockets operating in the area. Train, bus stations and airports constantly warn about leaving belongings unattended, and to report such incidents to authorities.
Should you be warned to ensure that your luggage are safe and secure on trains? Why not? Such warnings could be included over the train loudspeakers after a train leaves a station. It reminds people to be careful, just as a reminder to check all your belongings when you disembark makes people aware. Plus, adding such a warning doesn't cost anything more.
All companies encourage feedback of their services; that's how they improve their customers service. Letting them know what happened and suggesting what they can do to help thwart future incidents is all part of the same feedback.
However, when I visited museums in Paris, loudspeakers warned about pickpockets operating in the area. Train, bus stations and airports constantly warn about leaving belongings unattended, and to report such incidents to authorities.
Should you be warned to ensure that your luggage are safe and secure on trains? Why not? Such warnings could be included over the train loudspeakers after a train leaves a station. It reminds people to be careful, just as a reminder to check all your belongings when you disembark makes people aware. Plus, adding such a warning doesn't cost anything more.
All companies encourage feedback of their services; that's how they improve their customers service. Letting them know what happened and suggesting what they can do to help thwart future incidents is all part of the same feedback.
Mar 30th, 2011, 10:10 AM
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hetismij - should those signs be in Dutch only or in English or in Spanish or in German or in Japanese or in Chinese - would there be room for such signage anyway?
And yes in some places there are recordings about paying attention to valuables and folks just do not seem to listen - I truly feel sorry for Sydney and do not blame him/her for assuming there was a modicum of safety on trains, which IMO there should be and the railways should know there is a problem and have CCTV cameras at least as they are cheap and intimidating to any thief.
I would not absoslve the railways totally.
And yes in some places there are recordings about paying attention to valuables and folks just do not seem to listen - I truly feel sorry for Sydney and do not blame him/her for assuming there was a modicum of safety on trains, which IMO there should be and the railways should know there is a problem and have CCTV cameras at least as they are cheap and intimidating to any thief.
I would not absoslve the railways totally.
Apr 1st, 2011, 06:04 PM
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Sydney - another couple of European theft stories involving Australians - before flying out of Brussels the other day was speaking with an Australian family - a bloke (who turned out to be a copper) with his elderly parents - his mother had her purse pick pocketed (we all agreed that we prefer to call it stealing/ theft) on the metro in Rome, just as the doors were closing of course. She detected it and he just missed grabbing the thief - a regular looking dude in his 30s or 40s. He managed to get one back on the crims in London when he went to the assistance of a tourist (an Indian) chasing a couple of blokes down Piccadilly at 6am - turned out the crims had posed as cab drivers and had robbed the tourist in a back street - our policeman apprehended one of the low-lifers and handed him over to a passing police patrol who told him that sort of crime was not uncommon at that time of the day (when the victims had typically been out on the town all night - I didn't ask what our compatriot was doing there at that time).
Apr 3rd, 2011, 08:21 AM
#57
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All valuables like passport, moneys, credit cards, etc should ALWAYS be carried in a money belt that goes under your belt. And then except for Madrid and Barcelona where you may gt mugged you should have little problem in any other place as muggings, except in Spain, are rare.
Therefore not using an under the clothes money belt or similar devise means you are negligence and in some ways asking to be robbed.
Therefore not using an under the clothes money belt or similar devise means you are negligence and in some ways asking to be robbed.
Apr 4th, 2011, 06:02 AM
#58
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OK, latest update. Thalys have revised its passholder fares, which are now a whopping 39 euros in 2nd class and (wait for it) 62 euros in 1st.
These passholder fares are only 6 and 14 euros cheaper respectively than the cheap 'Smoove' fare you can buy online at www.thalys.com without a pass.
Makes you wonder why anyone bothers with a railpass these days...
These passholder fares are only 6 and 14 euros cheaper respectively than the cheap 'Smoove' fare you can buy online at www.thalys.com without a pass.
Makes you wonder why anyone bothers with a railpass these days...
Apr 4th, 2011, 08:35 AM
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kes you wonder why anyone bothers with a railpass these days...>
such a general statement based on one train's absurd fee?
I think that is an irresponsible statement that should really be if a Thalys train is in the mix you may want to buy a Smoov fare ticket - if you can lock yourself into a non-refundable non-changeable weeks in advance - then you should not use a day on your railpass in that case and if this changes your calculations about the overall efficacy of a pass then the pass may not be the best.
But to make such a general statement Man in Seat 61 I think you are simply wrong in stating it like that.
such a general statement based on one train's absurd fee?
I think that is an irresponsible statement that should really be if a Thalys train is in the mix you may want to buy a Smoov fare ticket - if you can lock yourself into a non-refundable non-changeable weeks in advance - then you should not use a day on your railpass in that case and if this changes your calculations about the overall efficacy of a pass then the pass may not be the best.
But to make such a general statement Man in Seat 61 I think you are simply wrong in stating it like that.
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bluemocha
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Aug 27th, 2010 03:48 AM
