Pre pandemic ( and pre brexit) Eurostar used to run a direct service from Ashford to Moutier. This was a really good idea.

Post pandemic (which I think is an acceptable way to describe 2024?) they have never really brought this service back.

For the early part of the 23/24 season they are running a service from St Pancras to Moutier on a Saturday, returning on a Sunday. The service ends the week before half term, and it is not direct, you have to change at Lille Europe. This is very clearly not nearly as good an idea at many levels

So here we are on the last run of this service, having departed Lille Europe on an ageing Thalys single deck TGV that has been lightly rebranded Eurostar (they’ve put a Eurostar sticker on the outside)

As you can see we are travelling premiere class as part of our ongoing campaign to avoid our children having to pay inheritance tax. And this means we get a complimentary breakfast.

Part of the vegan breakfast was a coconut yoghurt. The lid puzzled us, do you think this is a serving suggestion?

There is also no luggage space, but everyone is being terribly polite and British about it.

The views approaching the alps by train remain as stunning as they are impossible to photograph.

We are now used to the bus drivers treating the timetable as just a guide and deciding amongst themselves what buses to drive where, but we made it to our apartment without further drama. Usually of course we would have square pillows and rectangular pillow cases… This time they have managed to give us square pillowcases… so of course the pillows are rectangular!