The Alps in January in a non - winterised motor home was never going to be a plan, so we decided to go by train. The Man in Seat 61 (can't see how to insert links for some reason; he's seat61.com) told us that the way to do it (or A way to do it) was the night sleeper from Cologne, which sounded great. And it was.
We set off at about 11:15, and the first train was the Victoria Line to St Pancras, where we had about an hour to wait - about 40 minutes before boarding - and then on to the Eurostar to Brussels. Another 90 minutes in that city gave us time to have a cup of tea and, luckily, to discover we were in the wrong part of the station - the right part had much nicer places for tea, oh well. We got to the platform just as the Thalys to Köln was pulling in, but it didn't feel rushed as so many people were getting off we had to wait several minutes to board.
The Thalys was very comfortable and I fell asleep at once and didn't really stir until we got to Köln, where a 2 hour gap gave us time to have dinner in comfort. I had a jacket potato with garlic mushrooms
and the Swan Whisperer had a Currywurst ("Got to have my sausage on a Saturday!") with chips.
The NightJet was on time and very comfortable - we slept surprisingly well. Very small compartments - you practically had to take it in turns to breathe, but we spent quite a lot of time in the corridor watching the Rhine go by. They gave us a goody bag with slippers and towels as well as fizzy wine, a pen, drinking water, earplugs and a couple of snacks. It was disconcerting to wake up and find we were now going in the opposite direction, but I think it may have reversed at Nürnberg, where it divided to go half to Vienna and half to Innsbruck.
Watching the sun rise over the Alps is always a huge pleasure, especially in a train with a delicious breakfast, ordered the night before.
We arrived at Innsbruck at the scheduled time of 09:15, and took a taxi to the hotel who firmly said we couldn't check in until 3 pm, so we asked if we might leave our luggage and they said of course, and showed us where to put it, and there were our Aussie friends finishing their breakfasts! I couldn't resist striking a pose and declaring, "We have arrived! Let the Games begin!"
We sat in the hotel for a bit - I dozed off - and then decided to walk up to the Olympiahalle - about 500 metres away - to see who was around. We met various friends and found out where the skating will be tomorrow; there was short track going on today.
There was a very nice cafe in the complex where we had coffee, and then headed off to walk back to the station to buy milk in the supermarket there and grab a sandwich.
We wandered around Central Innsbruck for a bit, but I was getting tired and there was a tram, so we took that back to the hotel. Which kindly allows us to check in, even though it wasn't quite 3, so we checked in, unpacked, and had a cup of tea. The Swan Whisperer has gone for a run and I am enjoying the view from my bed!
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