The Purple Penguin

So up yesterday and off to the station. Had breakfast at the station, found our platform, and settled in to wait for the train. Which didn’t come. Due to a ‘technical fault’ it was running half an hour late. So panic, because that meant we’d miss our connection at Köln, which meant we’d miss our Eurostar train and be stuck. So not so much panic, cause stuck in Europe could be fun.

DB assured us that the conductor would call ahead and hold our train to Brussels – oh the joys of a joined up transport system run by the state! So we had a pleasant journey through Germany looking at church steeples and domes and sometimes church steeple domes. Then a frantic dash for the train door at Köln – and found out they’d brought our train in to the same platform the Brussels train was on so it was just a mad dash up the platform and onto the train. Of course our seats were all the way at the other end of the train!

So find our seats, sit down, and wait. And an announcement – due to a technical fault the train would be delayed. ARG!!! But it turns out we only left 10 minutes late and by the time we’d got to Brussels we were on time. So a stroll to the Eurostar terminal, through immigration , and into the waiting area. They are doing work on the Eurostar terminal in Brussels, so it was a bit of a warren – we were wondering if there would be an area to eat or if everything was closed. But nope, once you wind your way through everything is there and the first thing I saw was the Pierre Marcolini shop. So I have proper chocolate. (Joe says he started to say ‘I’ll get a seat and watch the bags’ but I was gone, had scooted into the chocolate shop.) We also got something to eat – actually I had to get into that queue and get us food cause Joe said the chocolate wasn’t enough and he wanted a beer. Then onto the train and on our way home. Through the dark clouds and rain. Ugh. Got out in London and it was cold and dark and damp. So back home.