Last summer I went to France just to see the country. After a few days in Paris, I got bored and decided not to lose an opportunity to visit some other European capitals. Berlin was the most desirable place to visit, so I decided to go there. The only problem was which way of travelling to take, but finally I decided to travel by train to Munich as it was twice as cheap as by plane. So, my trip began.

Firstof all, I had to find out which railway station I want for Germany, but it an easy task. As soon as I arrived at `Gare du Nord` railway station hall, I went to the information office to inquire about the timetable. After I`d chosen the train, I had to book a ticket for this train.

I was afraid of speaking French as I`m not very good at it and was really pleased to find bilingual ticket offices, where ticket clerks could speak English. As I didn`t want to return to Paris,so I took a Day Second Class Single to Berlin. It was an inter-city express, but I had to change in Cologne as it wasn`t a through train. I had to hurry up, my train left in a quarter of an hour, but the platform was quite a good way from the ticket office.

As soon as I found my car, ticket inspector checked my ticket and showed me my seat. By the way, the platform was on a level with the floor of the carriage, so it was easy to get on the train. I was surprised by the fact that there were no compartments at all, just the rows of seats, which were really comfortable. I put my suitcase to the luggage rack took my seat.

The train started exactly on time. Never will I forget the train gaining speed! It was fantastic! The average speed was approximately 210 km per hour! But what I liked most was the service. Commuters didn`t have to go to a dining-car because tea and coffee were served by the waiters.

I didn`t notice the time and I was in Cologne within 2 hours. Surprisingly, but I wasn`t tired, but was eager to continue my train journey.