London to Rotterdam
October 19, 2020
On Eurostar from London St. Pancras to Rotterdam.
We switched seats to sit together and to have a window. Riding past trees, tunnels, fields, bridges, power lines, roads.
The trees are turning yellow. The skies cloudy with sun sometimes peeking out.
D is next to me with his bad coffee. A small table separates us from the seats in front of us where we have placed our bags. There's a divider where people put their luggage.
We past a river and farm fields with a windy road through it. Hills! Construction workers on a hillside before the tunnel.
Sitting diagonal from us is a guy with a suitcase. He holds onto his phone. His suitcase is front of him. It's black with letters. A pattern that looks like graffiti or roses.
More tunnels.
Behind us a few seats away are two guys. They've been talking since we've departed. Everyone is wearing masks.
Sheeps. London landscape is quite flat. A peek at a freeway, telephone towers, or whatever they're called.
Vast green fields, industrial buildings. Lots more trains. A parking lot. A little pond in a green field.
Inside, bells are ringing. I don't know why. They rang 8 times.
D gets hand sanitizer. He just finished touching his seat to try and extend it. A guy wearing a mask walks past us with food. The train is slowing down. Why?
There's 3 tracks to the right of us. We are still moving slow. Perhaps a track change?
The guy diagonal from us got a sandwich and coke. We're picking up speed now.
I'm still full from the ridiculous amount of fried chicken we had yesterday. We're going through a long tunnel now. Inside there's a small TV with trip information and commercials.
This trip to London was for our resident permit.
You really feel the train sway when you use the toilet. I wasn't hungry but something about boredom makes me want to eat. D is on his phone next to me. Our hand sanitizer is on the table in front of us. There's also a pack of antibacterial wipes.
Still in the tunnel. This is the undersea one that goes to France. We're swaying a lot.
We're out of the tunnel now, in France, past green fields, power lines, train tracks, farms, small hills.
My mask itches. This dang cotton. The sun is bright and hitting us directly. The trees here are more green then those we past in London. D is still drinking his bad coffee.
Plowed fields, towns, bridges. A small car on a dirt road amongst the fields. Forest, Canals, Ranches, Tractors. A barn. The landscape here is flat also. I'm sleepy.
A row of badly trimmed trees. In the distance, a church tower. Fields of something.
D finally got rid of his bad coffee. We're in Lille now for the first stop. A little peek outside. Green grass, trees, a parking lot. Flags and 4~5 story buildings.
We're moving again. On to Brussels. Graffiti walls. Green fields. Sun still shining. Industrial buildings.
The guy diagonal from us asks D if this is the bin. (and it is). There's a bin next to D.
Freeways, more graffiti. Another train zoomed past. We past a bridge. There was a man sitting at the base of it. Tunnel. Bell.
We're almost to Brussels. There was a cat on a hill. Horses. We're traveling at ~260 km/hr. Wind power. Some are spinning and some are not.
A church in the distance. Cows. Black & white. Brown & white. Tractors. The landscape is very similar to France and the Netherlands.
Entering Brussels. We passed an indoor karting place. Construction sites. Residential buildings. Brussels has a lot of personality. Buildings are different. A lot of graffiti. After Brussels is the Netherlands!