Travel Connections

One thing I will not miss about Bristol is the awful travel connections to major cities. Do not get me started on the Bristol to London train journey (fast, but very expensive). For now let us concentrate on international connections.  

Bristol Airport used to have half decent air connections to the major cities of Europe. But since British Airways pulled out of this market we are left with either low cost carriers, or high cost ones. The connections to Brussels and Schipol being very expensive if you do not book months in advance. Last week I had the delight of traveling to Paris from Bristol airport. I needed to be in Paris for a lunch time meeting. So lets get what this involves:

• Wake up at four in the morning so as to get a 50 quid taxi to the airport
• Arrive at Paris CDG, Terminal 3, along with another plane from Canada. So about 300 odd people want to get through passport control in the smallest terminal, or what is in my opinion the worlds second worst major airport (after LAX). On this day only has one person checking the passports, and the automatic machines are not working. Why we cannot be part of Schengen I have no idea (see previous post on how nuts the British are about Europe)!
• Finally through the passport control and the fun begins. Luggage is lost! So wait around T3 for ages whilst my details are taken. Clearly should not have put luggage in hold, but I am on a long trip involving Paris, Brussels, Washington DC, Brussels (again) and then back to Bristol. So kind of have a bit of luggage.
• Then get to the delights of the "fast" (ho-ho) rail connection from Charles de Gaulle airport into central Paris, a.k.a. RER B. What other major European capital would put up with a slow train from their major international airport into the centre of the capital? I mean even the idiot Brits sorted this out with the Heathrow Express a decade or so back. In the land of the TGV clearly one would not want to encourage foreign business engagement with a fast train from the airport would you?

Now compare this to what would have happened once I live in Leuven...

• Get up about 09.00
• Short twenty minute trip from Leuven to Brussels Zuid
• Nice fast train (about 90 minutes) right into the centre of Paris.
• For a tiny supplement you get first class and a meal

Roll on moving to Leuven....