to Paris...AT LIGHTSPEED!

i am now on my way to Paris after 4 days in Amsterdam. this morning was the best I have felt over the past few days and i think my body is now polishing off the rest of my cold. just a runny nose, slightly sore throat, and the occasional cough - nothing that a pack of tissues and some cough drops can't take care of. main thing, my energy is back up to full speed, which is nice because I am used to being able to scrape by on 4 - 6 hours of sleep and be pretty active, so this sluggishness had been bothering me. i guess i shouldn't expect to remain healthy when staying in crowded hostels and in close quarters, but i wouldn't have it any other way, all part of the experience!

the train we are taking is the Thalys High-Speed line, connecting Amsterdam, Brussels, Cologne, and Paris. at its  top speed, it hits 186mph (300kph). This thing is nice! I wish we had these all over the States. I am in second class which feels like first class to me. The chairs are plush, you have nice little desk/easting area just in front of your seat, you have WAY more room than you do on any airplane and do not feel cramped at all. There is a beverage/food traincar just next door you can walk to, but I don't need it, I already had my Dutch raw herring for the day. They even have WiFi on board, which is the only reason I am able to get caught up on my blog to everyone back home. It's funny, the ride from Amsterdam to Paris is 4 hours, but the first 3 hours you are constantly stopping  in small towns and going a slower speeds through some populated areas whereas the final hour (of which we are now in) you cover the same distance as the first 3 hours, mainly because the train picks up in speed a great deal. they even have a little map that you can monitor on your laptop that shows the trains location on the route and the speed (i got a shot here going top speed):

There is some ongoing excitement on-board, just a few rows away, but one that I cannot be a part of because I don't understand the language. There is a woman w/ 3 kids who apparently has some pretty serious issues with her ticket, as the ticket checkers have come and talked to her on at least 4 separate occasions, and everytime it has gotten heated. I know it's a big deal because everyone else on board has a side conversation about what they are saying each time, but I still can't figure it out. Hopefully at the next argument there will be some physical fighting between the two parties as a good visual fight transcends all languauges.

Only 20 more minutes on the train, this time has flown by! Tentative plans for the next few days are: Sunday - Fat Tire Paris Bike Day Tour (and maybe night tour). Wednesday - Versailles all-day bike tour - right now rain forecast is 60% for this day, but I have already paid for this event as reservations were required early, so i am hoping that forecast changes! Otherwise, some more rainy bike riding, oh well, Berlin got me ready for that. Temps continue to improve as I continue to squiggle my way down south through Europe.

Time to pack up and get ready to head to my residence for the next 3 nights, St. Christopher's Paris Hostel. -zack!