The train from Cologne to Vienna

I boarded the DB Cologne to Vienna overnight train at 8pm. There was  welcome pack of bottled water, Henkell Trocken sparkling wine & a Viennese waffer. The cabin had 3 leather armchairs & converted into 3 bunk beds for sleeping.

It had a clean wood & laminate finish although the carpet was scruffy & annoyingly rucked up under the bathroom door. There was a small cupboard for hanging clothes, high up luggage space & an electrical socket beside the small table.

The cabin was 3 metres square with a large chunk taken out by the bathroom ( 2m x 0.7m).   The bathroom had toilet, sink & showerwhich worked in 30 second spurts with poor temperature control.

Breakfast was delivered to the cabin at 7am but did not include what I had ordered & was a poor version of a continental breakfast. Still, I had a good nights sleep.

Trains are a one-off, if you compared it to  hotel it would only rate one star but if you rated it with an airline it would be better than first class - except for the food - so the best advice is to take your own picnic food & drink.

Cologne 2

The food at Hexenhaus is classically German - meat, meat served with meat. I had their Kolner Schmankerl (taster menu) which included:
*pork knuckle with fabulously crispy crackling
*beef with almonds
*part of a 1 metre long bradwurst (sausage)
*a stranged pork conncoction with bacon
*accommpanied with fried potato, onion, red & white cabbage & salad

Heavy stuff but superbly cooked & best shared between two with a planned walk-it-off afterwards.

Cologne

Cologne (Koln) is an important European rail hub so if you're travelling around Europe you'll get to know this station. On my previous trips (Prague, Warsaw) I only got to know the station but on this trip I had a 4 hour lay-over & found the city has plenty of charms within easy waling distance from the station.

Right outside the station is the spectacular gothic cathedral & if you don't see it looming above you - you've gone out the wrong exit so turn around & walk back to the other exit opposite.

In the shadow of the cathedral & along side the Rhine are the captivating cobbled streets of the Old Town. It is packed with Brauhaus' and alfresco restaurants which have a surprisingly Mediterranian ambience in the summer.

One of the most famous is the Hexenhaus (pork knuckle house) which has an 800 year history of sea traders unloading cargo at Cologne.

Cologne has its own beer (Kolsch), brewed nowhere else. Its an ale but tastes like a lager even though its poured from woodedn barrels. Its traditionally serve in 0.2 litre glasses, which keep coming until you put a beer mat on your glass to indicate you've finished. At Hexenhaus its served in metres - metre long planks of wood with 10 holes for 10 glasses of beer.

London to Istanbul 2

Caught a 7am train to Paddigton & arrived at St Pancras by 8am with sufficient time for a leisurely coffee. The Eurostar left on time just before 9am & arrived in Brussels two hours later (12.10, +1GMT).

Brussels Midi is a busy International station with plenty of shops & cafes. When changing trains follow the signs for 'connections' & then signs for the rail company you're travelling with ie Thalys, ICE, DB etc. Finally look for the airport style departure screens to identify which platform you need.

My Thalys trrain to Cologne departed at 1.28pm & took two hours. The Thalys 'comfort 1' class has a spacious 2+1 seat configuration and comes with free WiFi, drinks & snacks.

London to Istanbul

Just got all my train tickets & accommodation vouchers - thanks again Railbookers.

Depart London 08.57 arrive Brussels 12.05 (+1 GMT)
Depart Brussels 13.28 arrive Cologne 15.15

I'm pleased to have a few extra hours to see something of Cologne other than the cathedral that's right outside the station.
Depart Cologne 20.05 arrive Vienna 08.52 next morning. It will be interesting to see what Deutsche Bahn's onsuite cabins are like.
Looking forward to a couple of days in Vienna

Depart Vienna 09.54 arrive Budapest 12.49
Looking forward to a couple of days in Budapest

Depart Budapest 10.00 on the Danube Express arrive Istanbul 09.00 three days later, with a few stop-offs on the way.

It should be a really great journey.

Quiet trains

As an increasing number of airlines are opting to provide noisy mobile services, Eurostar is introducing quiet coaches on its services this September. Business and standard premier passengers will be able to choose the option at no extra cost. Just another reason to prefer trains.

I have just updated my website - peter-lynch.co.uk - to include 16 of my best rail journeys ranging from a steam train to Bath to the Ghan across Australia with lots of European travel in between.