"The people queueing for the Eurostar at London St Pancras station, rushing in from the rain in hoodies, look noticeably less enthusiastic than the usual holiday crowds. But then, we aren't heading to the usual hot, heady holiday destinations of Spain or the south of France, but boarding a train to north-east Europe. For me, it will be a journey of more than 1,000 miles via Amsterdam, Berlin and Warsaw to Vilnius visiting some of the coolest capitals in the north."
"There is something irresistibly romantic about long train trips, watching the geography unfold outside the window. I leave London for Amsterdam on the Eurostar, eating a pain au chocolat as we speed through rural French flatlands and glide past red-roofed Belgian farmhouses, and then the distinctive, tall art nouveau buildings of the Netherlands. In Amsterdam, I switch trains to the Deutsche Bahn, grabbing a packet of Stroopwafel and jumping on board alongside cool Dutch kids with asymmetric hair."
"I know we have entered Germany when I spot a VW factory, and the graffiti becomes better and more profuse. As for my coolcation, it feels burning hot when I arrive in Berlin, emerging from the glass and steel Hauptbahnhof into a summer evening where hipsters on deckchairs are drinking cocktails at Capital Beach on the Spree River. The next morning, I stroll through the lush Tiergarten past men in black leathers chugging in the Biergarten."
A train trip from London to Vilnius traverses Amsterdam, Berlin and Warsaw, offering cooler summer climates and varied urban experiences. The route includes Eurostar to Amsterdam, a Deutsche Bahn connection through Germany with changing landscapes from French flatlands and Belgian farmhouses to Dutch art nouveau. Arrival in Berlin presents summertime riverside social life at Capital Beach, park promenades through Tiergarten, beer gardens and solemn monuments like the Holocaust memorial and Brandenburg Gate. City scenes combine youthful street style, graffiti, and cultural contrasts. The itinerary highlights long-distance rail romance, practical cool-weather travel and visits to northern European capitals.
Read at www.theguardian.com
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